Brain Hamsters
Though I find it unlikely that you’d have come across the term before (given that as far as I know I just made it up…) if you think about it I find it likely that you’d be able to figure out what it means. Though, I am about to tell you…
Sometimes, my brain feels like it’s going in circles like a hamster is spinning a wheel with the same thoughts coming up over and over. Sometimes it’s about something that’s happened, sometimes it’s about something that I’m expecting to happen. And the hamster appears to have been given some kind of energy drink because it’s not showing any sign of slowing down.
I don’t really have answers for how to stop the brain hamster, but then, the point of this isn’t really for clear answers, more for ideas. Thoughts are wild and poorly understood creatures, and in some ways are beyond our control. Though I suppose that there are some thoughts on thoughts that I can share.
One is the concept that if our mind is filled with thoughts, other thoughts won’t have room to come in. Perhaps this is most strongly noticed in times of strong emotion such as worry or fear – and unfortunately not as often when felling joy. It is taught that it is possible to train your mind to filled with certain types of thoughts, which will preclude space for unwanted ones.
Another thought might be split into a couple of pieces, but it speaks more to the brain hamster. As difficult as it is, I feel like the first step is to be able to recognize that you have a brain hamster actively running in your brain. This can change the way you think about your thoughts. After that it’s a bit more nebulous.
You can attempt to put it aside and hope that it passes. This does not exactly solve the issue, though sometimes thoughts that don’t get air time will come less often and stay for a shorter period of time. Practically speaking though this will often work best with some sort of distraction.
You can attempt to think about why you’re thinking what you’re thinking. This can sometimes help you break out of the loop in a way that leans towards an actual resolution. Sometimes it’s a resolution in dealing with the thought, sometimes it’s a resolution to deal with an actual issue that is causing the thought.
This particular post has been fairly rambling. In the end, the concept that I’m trying to bring out is that just because a thought is sticking in our heads, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it has validity. Getting caught up in a certain thought or mindset (perhaps more on the difference later 🤔) can make a person feel stuck and ultimately lead them to making poorly thought-out decisions. However, as long as you’ve got a brain hamster it can be hard to recognize it for what it is. And generally speaking, brain hamsters aren’t awfully intelligent or helpful and taking that first step to identify them can make a big difference.
Can’t say that this made any sense, and I’ll probably be sticking some edits in at some point. But, as always – it’s just the idea.