Mind wandering--“Do you resort to this ?”

Yes, just focusing on the mind and writing down or brainstorming all thoughts that occur to the mind, not matter what they are can enhance creativity. As a therapist, I have helped many of my clients explore the power of their minds in this way. Stilling the mind in meditation can do this also, even though it doesn't seem like stopping all thoughts can be creative, but once the meditation session is over, the creativity can flow. _Derek

hi kalav, I too agree that "An Idle mind is Devils workshop",that is old proverb,in those days there is no opportunities to develp human mind,so people are not keeping their children to be idle,but now there are different scopes in different field,so now one cannot sit idle,he or she is thinking their future and planning future,can you send the links to me by pm seperately so that i can watch the shows,have a nice day

It is a question of what one is doing when the mind wanders. If it is at work or driving a car, then that might not be the best time for creativity. But if one has some idle time, that is a terrific time to let the mind wander. When on myLot, that would be a good example, rflol!

Yes, my mind wanders when reading a book.But that happens when the reading gets boring and uninteresting.Similarly when a discussion with a friend becomes insipid automatically the mind looks for its solace elsewhere.

I have often been found guilty of being a mind wanderer. I don't see anything wrong with it. In fact, I see it as a positive attribute. When my mind is wandering the most is when my creative forces are at their best. My self expression is ten times greater when I just let my mind drift away. Try it sometime. You might just be surprised.

A mind that dreams is never idle. And neither is a wandering mind. In fact a wandering mind is busier than a mind that is concentrating on just one matter. An idle mind is a mind that is blank and so the saying that an idle mind is the devil's workshop needs to be revisited!

Hi Kala! Our Mind always wanders, it just cannot remain idle, those who manage to reach a state where mind becomes thoughtless, they reach near meditation. People like me, cannot do meditation, because my mind keep thinking many things at the same time, the flow of thoughts does not stop. It would be unfair on my part to brag that I fully concentrate on the task am doing, sometimes, despite best efforts/concentration, my mind wavers and I commit mistake inadvertently. I think, 'continuous thinking' help us solve some of our problems, as new thoughts keep coming in our mind. I think it is very difficult for me to control my mind so that it should not wander here and there...........lol!

I also have the habit of imagining myself in many situations and in a variety of roles.My mind also resorts to wool gathering quite often .When I read the advantage of this habit I was really thrilled.But I keep planning the future too much ahead .I will in fact go through the situation as such in my mind Quite ahead .A friend of mine whose husband is a psychiatrist was told by her husband that I was a person who worries that there are no worries .I do imagine many occasions before it happens.Sometimes they are accompanied by negative thoughts.

My mind is all the time wool gathering too.But I thought it is because I plan things too much ahead .I imagine myself in so many wonderful situations and I worry of many things regarding my family's future.My friend 's husband who is a psychiatrist just looking at me told her that I am one who worries that there are no worries.I dont know whether this is what is the result of too much thinking and dreaming.But I felt consoled when I read about the advantages of day dreaming.

It happens to me sometimes. Mostly when Im reading a book. It just happens when Im not that engaged in the story. There are those books that seems to blabber on about details that really dont contribute that much to the main story or conflict. When Im thinking of going to get something, while walking to get it my mind wanders that I completely forget the item that I was originally looking for.LOL Or Id get distracted by something and just do another thing entirely, only to realize later in the day that I missed doing what I was supposed to do. Most of the time though, when Im doing something I focus on it until its gets done. Unless Im not really serious in finishing it then my mind does wander off and ultimately do those distractions instead. That's just me anyways.^_^

Hi Kala ! Thanks for this post which says that mind wandering is a virtue.But excess of anything is bad and I was an eternal daydreamer.But with practice I have been able to limit it to moderation.It is also important to stay focused sometimes.Concentration helps to tap the subconscious mind and bring out creativity while wandering mind can lead to dissipation of energy.I followed many techniques to control wandering mind of which my favorite is one suggested by Robin Sharma in his book called megaliving.He suggests to watch the seconds needle of the watch with full concentration for 2 minutes.Sounds simple but is a very effective tool. But as you say it can be a creative tool too.Many poems and literature might have been conceived this way.The flights of imagination must be the inspiration to many inventions.After all , all ideas are born in a dream.

Hi, Wandering and ruminating are two different things to do. When your mind wanders away it switches on one thread of thoughts to other, often not in any systematic manner. But when you are contemplating, your mind follows a specific rule, a few very definite logical steps. When your mind wanders away, this is often because you are not enjoying what you are doing. When you are reading a book, your mind gets engrossed in it and you can actually see those things happening in your imagination. That is not wandering away. That is called focus and getting absorbed. To get some creativity out of your thoughts you must stay within a logical boundary. Even in imagination good things are produced as a result of disciplined pondering. A total restless mind is of no use. Even if it creates something, that is to be considered mere coincidence. Thanks. God bless you

Thanks kalav for this very interesting discussion. I am a dreamer as well. When I read a book, it is like a movie that's played on my head. Everything seems so real. On the other hand, if I'm too familiar with the book or the article or the dialogue I'm reading or I don't know what the reason is, my wild imagination seems to travel to places it shouldn't be at that moment. Also, when someone is speaking to me and the topic seems to be not so interesting or his dialogue is too long, or the speaker isn't that interesting at all, or again, for a reason I do not know, I unintentionally think of some other things. Reading your post is a different thing because when I read a discussion here, I tend to focus on the details as I'm kind of mindful if I miss some details and might not respond appropriately - LOL. The last example I can give you is when I sing and dance which I also mentioned in some other discussions. I internalize every line of the song and I feel every step I make to the beat of the dance song. Not when the dreaminess sets in. My mind seems to be thinking of a fantastic travel, or anything there is that my mind can possibly think. I'm glad that I'm not the only one in this world.. Cheers =)

I don't have much to say that hasn't already been said. I have a horrible problem with daydreaming. It seems like I could spend entire days doing it. Even if I am trying to focus on something very important, I still fall into daydreaming. I have no control over it. I wish I could tell my brain to stop thinking and just focus.

I'm a dreamer too, and my mind often wanders. Thankfully I was never told nor thought about that as a negative thing. That would have taken the pleasure of many years of mind wandering LOL It is indeed true that creativity and lateral thinking can come from it. ANd it's also a good defense mechanism for when things don't always go that well in life. It's kind of a break within the storm. I often let my mind wander when I am doing something alone, but make sure that I keep it in check if I am talking to someone else - which can also be a sign of ADHD :) - While reading posts sometimes I am reminded of something else and let myself think about it a bit. After all this is not a race so I don't have to worry about posting right away :)

This is very interesting...What? Sorry my mind wandered...I am kidding but it is not too far from the truth for me! I often day dream and it is only when I ‘come back to planet earth’ and don’t remember why I just walked into a room or if I’ve just done something that I become aware that I just wandered off to some other place or time. I used to be annoyed at myself whenever I caught myself day dreaming but at the same time those dreams are my creative ideas, solutions to problems and allow me to re-live precious memories too. Like everything else in life I think we need balance and there are times when being grounded and in the moment is crucial such as when driving or using machinery but sometimes when our mind flies to another place we ought to, perhaps embrace it and consider that there may be a very good reason for it.

Oh! Yes it happens to me a lot, I was punished by my teachers many a times for not paying attention in the class! Couldn't explain them enough that I am a Wanderer! Good to know that it can be useful hope I had this piece of information then could have shown my teachers afterall it isn't that bad as it looks.

Yes it doe, especially if there is a something that resembles something in my life. Then it just moves out on its own. :)

I believe you must concentrate only if you must. It is not possible to remain creative, constructive and objective all the time. While I am not concentrating, I allow my mind to wander into harmless domains. I do not allow it to indulge in fantasy because the fantasies that give pleasure to your mind are dangerous. It would allow you to sow such ideas into your mind, which after they proliferate would bring forth fruits that would make you reap the fruits of bitter harvest. While you allow your mind to wonder, do not entertain ideas that would do more harm than good. These ideas would be connected to your good ideas and pollute them as well. Such ideas later would warp your thinking. It is true that the mind wanders off even while you are talking to someone, watching a movie or reading a book. Do not let them venture into the realms where it would go and wake up the wild animal in you.

I sometimes daydream but only if i get bored of a subject someone is talking about like in a lecture of documentary.