What is the difference between deep thinking, meditation and mindful framing?

noreply@blogger.com (Oscar Segurado) — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 19:14:00 +0000

There are two types of mind activities: intentional and unintentional.

Deep thinking, meditation and mindful framing are intentional, while superficial thinking and ruminating or mind wandering are unintentional.

When our minds are awake, we are constantly shifting between intentional and unintentional thinking. The more intention we have in our thought processes, the more productive and less anxious we will be. The moment our minds are out our control, we are prone to experience unwanted thoughts, potentially negative, repetitive and irrelevant.

Deep thinking is when the mind intentionally reflects in a specific topic. It is a structured approach to control the flow of thoughts, searching for ideas, identifying patterns, coming up with solutions. This type of thinking takes place during a business meeting or a engaging conversation. Some people are able to think deeply in solitude, while developing ideas, writing an assay or a book. Since the mind follows a controlled flow of thoughts, the potential for non-intentional thinking is reduced.

Meditation is a form of intentional thinking, the mind is concentrating on either breathing, a mantra, a mental image, an object or body scanning. For experienced practitioners, meditation also means an active observation of thoughts, which are acknowledged and let go.

Mindful framing is a combination of deep thinking and meditation. The practitioner thinks deeply on a pre-determined sequence of topics: triggers of anxiety, connecting sensations with Mother Nature, harmonizing emotions with those of others and invigorating the organism. The commonalities with meditation are: devoted time as a daily routine of about 15 minutes, eyes closed, comfortable position, relaxed breathing and an active observation of thoughts.

Superficial thinking happens without intention, it is usually the most common state of mind. When we are performing tasks at work or chores at home, or even when watching a movie or reading a magazine, we think superficially about those activities. Different thoughts may come up, we may ponder about them, or let them go. Our mind is functioning on autopilot, in neutral gear.

Ruminating or mind wandering is the main driver of stress and anxiety in our society. Unfortunately, our lives are filled with negative news, ‘anti-social’ media, busy schedules and excessive expectations for ourselves and others. These external and internal triggers cannot be ignored by our fragile minds and pop up as unwanted and repetitive thoughts.

Think deep about changing your frame of mind towards more intentional thinking!

Mindful Framing: Transform you Anxiety into Vital Energy

What is the difference between deep thinking, meditation and mindful framing?