One of the many joys of being an introvert is having access to a world of ideas, musings and dreams that live inside our infinitely imaginative minds.
Whilst some day dreams are pleasant and constructive - for example the numerous studies that show the usefulness of envisioning things for top athletes.
In one study an exercise psychologist from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation compared people who went to the gym with people who just carried out virtual workouts in their heads. Whilst there was an expected 30% muscle increase in the group who went to the gym, the crazy part is that the group who did only the mental exercises of the weight training ALSO increased muscle strength by 13.5% - nearly half the amount for arguably a lot less effort.
However, that’s focussed thought. Most of the time our minds are not focussed - they wander around getting into all sorts of trouble. The part of the brain called the DMN - the default mode network - is responsible for this.
Some choice neighbourhoods the DMN likes to wander to are:
- unpaid bills
- arguments
- shopping lists
- future plans
- and - a favourite of mine - what I want to eat for lunch.
Anyway, for introverts in particular, a tendency to overanalyse, get lost in the recesses of memory and wander too far into the uncertain future is all the more… a pain in the arse.
Being fully present in what we’re doing, who we’re with and how we’re feeling - is key to boosting happiness and all round contentedness.
I’ll admit - I’m recording this episode a wee bit selfishly.
Honestly, it’s something I’ve been really trying to focus on - ha the irony - to focus on for the last few months and while I’m definitely getting better at quietening the monkey mind I know it’s a long process.
Oh and I should underline that I have no intention of changing my brain wiring entirely - I LOVE my daydreams and really believe in daydreaming for creative idea generation - but I would like to be able to drop into the present moment and appreciate the here and the now to it’s fullest.
So if you want to do the same, this episode is for you and I’d love to share the 10 things I’ve been practising to switch from overthinking, overanalysing and overfretting into a much more peaceful, contented introvert.
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