“My thoughts are my own, they come, they go.”
We can use this mantra to remind ourselves that our minds are our tools. Our minds direct our energy into our actions. Our thoughts can give us insight as to where our energy is being directed.
How this mama uses this mantra:
I have used this mantra to overcome a diagnosis that plagued me from my childhood into early adulthood, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I no longer “have” O.C.D. because I have used the practice of mindfulness to own this mantra! I used to analyze my thoughts and ask myself, “What does this mean about me?” I didn’t understand that my identity exists beyond my thoughts, or in other words, that I am not my thoughts, instead, my thoughts are mine. I now see myself as the observer of my thoughts, the thinker, instead of the thoughts themselves. I have no responsibility to have thoughts that look any one way or another. I can choose which thoughts to put more energy into and which thoughts to let go of, which helps me to direct my energy in ways that benefit me.
Try this:
Focus on your breathing. Listen to the breath as it flows in and flows out, feel the sensation in your body. When a thought comes into your mind return to focusing on your breath. This practice will teach you to be able to choose which thoughts to add momentum to and which to let go of. It will allow you to see yourself as the thinker and to understand that there are no strings attached to your thoughts! They come, they go, they change and they don’t identify you.