Three Ways to Prime Your Mind
Imagine yourself working through the daily routine, while wearing a wet suit and flippers. What if you went shopping at an underwater grocery store or had to wade through a floor lathered with peanut butter, or set the table in a windstorm?
What would the challenges you are facing now be like if you were 30 years older than you are now, or living in a foreign and far-off land?
When we play with our imagination, we often move into abstract thinking and that, not only unleashes our creativity but also creates a little psychological distance that can help us cope with the challenges we face and make better decisions.
And while, I’m a big fan of concrete, in-the-moment living – I think it’s a very effective way to handle stress and a way to live a bold and engaged life – our greatest strengths emerge when we can shift between abstract and concrete thinking, depending on what the situation calls for. This kind of flexible thought is also an aspect of resilience.
My goal then is, to not get locked and constrained by any one way of thinking. I practice living in the now. And, other times I’m shifting into abstract creative forms of coping.
Abstract thinking helps us conceptualize, associate and problem solve because it allows us to see patterns – or make connections to things that aren’t in our immediate physical reality.
When I deliberately practice or play with abstract thinking I feel excited. It opens up all sorts of creative avenues and it feels fun and possibilities abound. Here are a few ways you can fuel your abstract thoughts.
Three Ways to Use Abstract Thought to Cultivate Creativity
1. Look at the situation from outside of your present reality. On this fantastic site PsyBlog authors offer a great little mind hack to move you into a more abstract way of thinking. Think about yourself living in a distant land, or far into the future, or even as a different person. By imagining a reality separate from the one you are in, you create psychological distance that can be a boon to problem solving and decision making.
2. Cue your imagination. In Imperfect Spirituality I write about an exercise psychologist Ben Michaelis uses with his clients: imagine yourself taking on a routine task while in a different scene or environment altogether. Such as, imagine yourself sleeping in a treehouse or folding laundry upside down. Simply by thinking about our world in a new way — outside of our comfort zone — we are more likely to draw interesting associations that can help us problem solve in the present moment.
3. Let your mind wander. This isn’t the time waster we once thought it was. Mind wandering or daydreaming, according to researchers at the University of British Columbia and elsewhere, is a way to cultivate creativity or even solve nagging problems. So, leave a little time for it. Pause for a few minutes throughout your day and prime your mind with a happy childhood memory, or provocative question and let it go off. Build in colors and aromas and sights and create a bold daydream and pay attention to what shows up.
Often, I prime my mind with a question right before I take on another more routine, yet undemanding task. For example, if I’m struggling with the structure for a story, I’ll take a short break and pose the question: “What is another way for me to treat this story?” Then I’ll go do the dishes or take a shower or go for a walk and allow my mind to percolate and wander. Same deal with a parenting situation or health challenge. I’ll ask “what are some good, unique ways to deal with this situation?” Then I’ll go do something else and let my mind go.
Inevitably, this abstract way of thinking yields just the concrete solution I need to navigate the real world challenge.
Photo by Stock.xchng
