Habitual Thinking and Inner Wisdom

The mind is loud. We have to slow down to hear the wisdom of the heart – Jeff Foster

When I was reminded that we are innately wise (we all actually know it at some level), I found it helpful to distinguish between my inner wisdom and habitual thinking.

Thinking Wisdom

Judgmental and rigid Curious and flexible

Limited thinking - based on personal Expansive - fresh in the moment,

experience, history and habit creative

Black and white thinking, labels and Knows what it knows and is

scripts completely comfortable with what it

doesn't know

Dramatic - the worst ever, this will be the Calm - I am hurting, I am ok

death of me, what has been done to me

Repetitive - Am I going to be ok? Knows what it knows

Are you sure I am going to be ok? Maybe I Quieter

should check if I'm ok? Chatty

Predictable, sees situations through the lens of Out of the blue, sees situations with

of the past. Gets upset about the same things freshness and

over and over

I can't feel anxiety, anger, or boredom Emotions are always moving, like the

Avoids feelings with habits or constant waves of the ocean

busyness Wisdom knows resistance gives

anything more energy

Fearful, mistrusts, defensive Trusts and understands

Takes things personally Knows that humans experience life

through their personal thoughts

Attempts to control and manipulate Lets life happen

Plays nice, says nice things because it is Kind and connected

what good people do

Also the body is a great GPS of wisdom. My chest, shoulders, and neck get tight when I'm seeing life through my habitual thinking. It's like I put on an armored vest of thinking.

There is nothing wrong with thinking, we need it to function. We innocently and quckly mistake habitual thought for truth.

Determining thinking vs. wisdom helped me begin to use my brain as a tool, rather than reacting to it habitually.