The Power of a Quiet Mind
As an 8 month pregnant mother of a toddler I have huge appreciation for the idea that a quiet mind is an insightful mind. It’s often difficult to find that ‘quiet’ nowadays. What used to be silence and maybe the radio is now consumed by little questions, the crashing of toys and the thundering of mini feet pounding down the corridor, laughter, tears & general chaos. Whilst these times are incredibly joyful (I wouldn’t change them for anything) I do miss the mental space in which the ‘aha!’ moment would arrive.
When we take a ‘mental break’ and allow our minds to settle, reflect and process, we often receive insight. This ‘mental break’ is a natural state, a passive state, a state of trance, of ‘not trying’.
The Science:
When we are fixated on the problem and our thinking is clouded by negative emotions, it’s impossible for us to be receptive to new ideas.
Problem solving can often be stalled by our projection of previous experiences as the answer and often the problem is better solved with a non-linear approach - ie doing nothing!
The phrase ‘Sleep on it’ has a lot of standing here. During the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) part of our sleep patterns we process our stress, emotions and experiences, this is when our subconscious mind has the time and space to sort, programme and come up with solutions and ideas.
Trance replicates REM. Trance is a very natural state of focused attention that we go into several times a day. Some people might enjoy this state when they are cooking, walking, running, cleaning… is it at these times, when our minds are quiet, that we gain insight.
This explains those occasions where you have taken a break to make a cup of tea and the idea pops into your head!
David Rock Ph.d a leading nueroscientist describes this in his book ‘Your Brain at Work’
‘Beeman has found that people experiencing insights have an intriguing brain signal just before the insight occurs. The brain in some regions goes quiet, like a car going into idle. According to Beeman, "About a second and a half before people solved the problem with insight they had this sudden and prolonged increase in alpha band activity over the right occipital lobe (the region that processes visual information coming into the brain)."
The Clarity of Distance
When we are too close to an idea, emotionally involved or we have an agenda it’s difficult to see the big picture. We cannot hold a rational perspective, this hinders our problem solving ability. Take a step backwards, avert your attention and give the subconscious mind a chance to absorb and adjust.
Developing this skill can be so valuable in day to day life, like finding your keys… !
Move away from the situation, sit, close your eyes, settle your mind, breathe and slow down.
References: Psychologytoday.com