Thinking it Through

(Can Thinking Change Our Health?)

Dr. Lalit Chawla MD, CCFP, FCFP

In our society, more than ever, our to do list is never ending. As a physician, I am always juggling and thinking of all the things I need to do in the day, things for patients, the clinic, nurses, hospital-related responsibilities, etc. As a father and husband, I’m always thinking of what I need to do for my children, my wife, as well as my extended family.  As an individual, I’m always thinking about what I need to do for my health, career, and self-improvement. As a friend, I’m always thinking about… like most people today, I’m always thinking.  This habit of thinking and multitasking plagues everyone.  We live in a state of constant “busy-ness” in the Western World.  Our to-do list, whether we are making it consciously or unconsciously, is never ending.   We are so goal oriented. We routinely set long- term goals and break those down into a lot of short-term goals to achieve.  The irony of this goal-oriented thinking is that we never get to where we want to be because once we reach “there” we find we’ve already created another future goal at a different “there.” Our goals have become a carrot at the end of a stick that keeps getting longer and longer.  This seems to be the story of so many people’s lives today.

So many patients and people I know have fallen into this constant pace of goal-seeking and multi-tasked thinking.  We are in this constant place and pace of doing things and thinking of things to do. I know I always have to slow my pace of thinking so that I can be more mindful of the present moments, so I can live in a more purpose-driven mindset. After talking to many others, the feeling is that we have forgotten what living is and how to live our lives in a purpose-driven way. We forget, or perhaps never knew, how to live a life of harmony, to go about life with a peaceful, joyful enthusiasm.But how can we do this?

Change is possible as we shift our awareness from long-term goals to learning to live purposefully in a state of presence, “in the moment,” which aligns us differently.  A goal is by nature an endpoint.  A purpose is a way of being and existing which is driven by harmony and our true natural spirit.  It creates a truth of focus and positive synchronization with everything around us.  Let’s compare goals with purpose statements.

Goals are (for example):

• I want a nice car

• I want to be debt free

• I want to travel to…

• I want to lose 20 lbs

• I want to quit smoking

• I want to have peace

• I want to have a better relationship with my children, partner, siblings, friends, workers

• I want to be more productive at work

Purpose Statements are (For example):

• To live in a state of enthusiasm, positive intention, and liveliness that adds value to the world

• To serve and be more engaged with my family, my friends, and at work

• To find the joy, peace, and stillness in all that I do and learn to accept the “naturalness “of life

• To live with more positivity, greater awareness and attention to the people in my life

• To not jump to judgments and negativity that doesn’t serve the environment that I’m in

• To live daily with gratitude and grace in all things that I do and have a greater faith in the unfolding of events

• To create greater awareness and space for things to happen that add value to the world

• To learn to develop a greater acceptance about the way life’s situations are and the way people are

• To love, and live in openness to new ideas and people that serve myself and others for the better

Being purpose driven is not easy for most of us. I know it has certainly been an adjustment in thinking in my journey and I have to keep realigning myself to purpose. For example, once, my goal was to lose weight, but that’s not really what I wanted. My purpose for losing weight was so that I could have more energy and vitality to engage better with the people and situations in my environment.

Being more purpose-driven requires us to rethink the way we create and achieve in our world.  With goals we feel and see tangible results that are marked and etched in our “book of accomplishments.”  Leading a purpose-driven life and living into that purpose creates greater clarity and a sense of who we are. A purpose-driven life focuses us on how we should behave and how we strive for greater harmony for ourselves and others.  A purpose-driven life isn’t really an endpoint so to speak. It’s not easily measured but a person living a purpose-driven life is evident when we observe or get to know them.  I know when I see a person living like that, there’s a level of awareness and tranquility that I admire and want to emulate.  That’s peace and joy in action.  That’s true vitality and a display of life the way we know it is meant to be lived.

Let’s apply this lesson in thinking to a much talked about problem: insomnia. One of the greatest challenges I see as a health care professional is how difficult it is for people to sleep.  So many people are plagued by insomnia. Why is that so?

A very common complaint I hear, especially from insomniacs, is that they “can’t shut their mind off.”  They get so used to thinking that they feel they need to keep on thinking, even when they don’t need to think anymore. I think (no pun intended) these people think that thinking saves them or protects them from problems that might occur in their future.  They also analyse past situations and analyze what that means to their current circumstances. This can be done consciously or unconsciously subsequently taking them away from being present in their current environment.

Constant thinking has been cultivated into a habit not only by people who have difficulty sleeping, but generally by many people in the Western World.  We are immersed in a culture of people who live in a state of thinking. We feel we need to.

In terms of normal biology we do think when we are asleep, but it should not be abnormally persistent and at a constant level that interrupts a good, restful, and replenishing sleep. In my experience, the majority of patients who have trouble sleeping tell me they watch TV before going to bed.  They watch shows of violence (including the news).  When they reveal this, I ask them how they feel about television.  They all say “it helps me relax and stop thinking about the day’s events.”

This may seem to be the case for them, but this is in fact an illusion. People have this illusion that watching TV helps them stop thinking and makes them relaxed. They think television moves them into a state of relaxed presence – a state of being more mindful. Television tricks us into a sense of ease and openness in which we are alert and attentive to the present situation. However, when watching TV, this is not really  what’s occurring.  All that is really happening is there is a shift in thinking from our thoughts to allowing someone else’s thoughts (the TV program) to come in and take over indirectly.  Unconsciously you are the receiver of their thoughts, ideas, and opinions – whether they are constructive or not.  Shows that depict violence, horror, or negativity take influence.

Let me illustrate with a case example.  Margaret, a very kind elderly woman, came to me with her issue of chronic insomnia.   When I discovered she “loved” watching crime shows before going to sleep, I knew this could be a turning point to increase her awareness and identify the potential root cause for her difficulty of getting to and staying asleep.

What I did next might surprise you! I turned to the large window that I have in my exam room and pointed to a random person walking in the street.   I asked her, “What if you saw something violent happen to that person right now?  You can think of something horrible that could happen to that person that would either leave them severely injured or worse…I’ll leave it to your imagination.  Margaret, do you think you would have trouble sleeping tonight”?

She said “Yes, of course! That would upset me greatly. I’d be thinking about that horrible event all day and at least the week. I’d be all shook up!”

I then replied, “The glass between this office window and the glass on your TV screen is not a whole lot different. We, the viewers, feel we are detached  from television because our world is separated by  a virtual distance. We believe the actions of violence or suspense we are seeing won’t affect our psyche, but in reality they do.  Those images, events, and thoughts are being registered in our subconscious and that plays on us whether we believe it does or not.  Watching shows of violence and suspense are interesting because they create in us a level of intrigue, stirring up a variety of emotions within us. These shows allow us to explore other curiosities of human situations we may otherwise never experience; however, they can also cause internal unrest and distortions of how we see the world. Suspense can be entertaining because it distracts us from our current state of boredom or frustration. However, we, the viewers, pay a price for that in terms of the quality of sleep we get and how we see other people in the world.”

So much happens at our subconscious level of which we may simply be unaware or can’t articulate clearly. I then gave Margaret an example of how I had watched something on a TV show that revealed how one character committed a horrible crime.  The crime was merely talked about and not even displayed. That story of violence disturbed my sleep for several nights.  After that increase in self-awareness, I vowed not to watch that kind of programming again.  That show didn’t add or create a greater sense of purpose or contribution to my thinking or how to add value in the world.

I asked Margaret if she would be willing to stop watching that type of programming, and even better, not to watch any TV, especially 60-90 minutes before sleeping. I let her choose the duration of what she felt she could handle, even if it was just for 20-30 minutes before going to bed.  She made a commitment to me that she would abstain from watching TV for the last hour before bedtime for at least one month.  Importantly, I also asked her to substitute that time with an activity that was life-giving and positive.  I shared with her why this was a healthier approach and how it would keep her off sleeping medications.  I also provided examples of activities she could substitute for TV watching, as follows:

1)
Read a positive story, or book that creates hope or shows acts of benevolence, gratitude, and kindness.

2)
Journal about your life and find all the great things that you can be thankful for, now or in the past.  Create a paragraph of gratitude nightly.

3) Focus on breathing and doing light stretching.

4) Go for a gentle walk or stroll.

5)
Talk to a positive friend who nurtures your natural joy

6) Read or collect passages that make you laugh

7) Grow and nurture a plant

8)
Create a gentle environment with low lighting and relaxing music

9)
Create and build something that allows you to see some tangible progress so you feel it`s worthwhile, like a craft, a scrap book, a gift, painting etc.

10)
Write down how you can help someone tomorrow or in the week that will create joy in their life, and that will bring you joy to your life.

It was of key importance in our agreement that she avoid all electronic screens whether it`s a cell phone, electronic tablet, computer or television in the hour before bedtime.  It’s really important for all of us to find a better way to connect with purpose and slow our mental pace down; this is not only for Margaret, I know I need to also.

The ten suggestions above are designed to “dial down” our constant thinking and move us into  a place of peaceful stillness and presence. Activities that promote creativity increase our state of presence. It`s okay not to think all the time. It’s actually healthy to not think. Non-stop thinking is analogous to leaving your car running all the time…it gets tired and worn down.  The mind needs and wants to be still. We can do this if we choose to allow this to happen and be patient with the process. Be like a young child who sleeps in deep peace with very little thought. Doing so will allow you to awake fresh and revitalized like they do.  There`s plenty of time for thinking the next day. It`s okay not to think…your health depends on it.  It’s through this stillness routine that greater awareness comes to us. It’s through stillness that greater harmony can occur within us and in the world around us.  We have more patience and abilities to make better choices.

What is the one action, whether it’s in the list above or not, that you could do to help create a greater awareness and presence in your life?  What is the one gift that could allow you to have a greater quality of restful sleep? If you have a suggestion of your own and would love to share it, I’d love to hear it.  Until next time, live into your joy, create a greater presence, and choose to live in greater health. Your choices do matter. (email it to info@magicandmedicine.ca)