Awareness of 'different' selves

[JonW]

I've been thinking about Sally's original question about us not being our thoughts.
I guess the way I feel about it is that there's a difference between our conscious thoughts and what Jon Kabat-Zinn describes as our "thought stream".
If I'm crossing the road and I see a car speeding towards me I consciously think that I need to walk faster to avoid being hit by the car. That's a useful thought for me to be having, not least in terms of my very survival.
Looking at my dog now, I'm thinking that he will need walking in a few minutes. That's a useful thought for me to be having in terms of my dog's comfort and the fact that I would like to keep my carpet clean.
For me those are examples of conscious thoughts that I am obliged to act upon.
An example of the thought stream might be something like this: One of the magazines I write for is getting a new editor in a few weeks. I could easily start ruminating about what that might mean for me. If the new editor doesn't like my writing, will I get any more work from the publication? If not, how will I make up the shortfall? If I can't make up the shortfall, how will I be able to pay my rent in three months time? Etc., etc...I could easily ruminate on this scenario all day and it would make no difference to how the new editor rates my work and how it's going to affect my life. So I will try, compassionately, to see the thoughts about the new editor in a different way than I see the thoughts about getting out of the way of the car or walking my dog. I might see the thoughts about the editor like clouds in the sky. Or, my own preference, like soapy bubbles blown from a child's plastic bottle. The thoughts appear, float in the air, burst and evaporate completely.
So, maybe it's about the difference between thoughts that I need to act upon and thoughts that ought to be treated simply as fleeting mental events. The latter kind of thoughts I don't need to get attached to and I don't need to act upon them.
Does anyone have any further thoughts on this?
Thanks in advance, Jon

[here]

Very philosophical. Yes, who is "I" and am "I" pushing "my" thoughts away from "me"? Incredibly complex and I do know what you mean.

Probably best to just focus on the breath again lol!

An example of the thought stream might be something like this: One of the magazines I write for is getting a new editor in a few weeks. I could easily start ruminating about what that might mean for me. If the new editor doesn't like my writing, will I get any more work from the publication? If not, how will I make up the shortfall? If I can't make up the shortfall, how will I be able to pay my rent in three months time? Etc., etc...

Ah, yes I love this. Very true...and we can end up going from our real situation to the next imagined moment, to the next imagined moment so many times that we end up far, far into the future and all of it is in our minds! And as you say, it's "if A happens, then B might! And if B happens, then C might! And if C happens, then D might!". Each possibility seems to become definite as we imagine the 'next' possibility in the stage, and so on. And mindfulness can help us realise that, I believe.

[JonW]

I love that Mark Twain quote:
"I have lived a long life and had many troubles, most of which never happened."

[larorra]

I have always been a worrier. Used to eat myself up about the things I done wrong in the past, the hell I put my parents through, how things might have turned out if I had stayed with my ex husband, wouldnt have had the struggle to bring up 3 chuildren on my own, and the anguish I went through because my ex was in the states and I deprived him of his children. The way the kids turned out, could I have been there more for them? My youngest a single Mum at 16, never worked, I saw it my way of putting things a bit right to practically take over the upbringing of my grandson. The apple of my eye. I became completely stressed out between working full time in a job that I hated and coming home and "taking over" with my grandson and weekends having him the whole time and juggling that with helping out the rest of the family.. The strain took its hold last year and i was off work for 5 months with stress,, I attended phsio and my therapist suggest looking up mindfulness on you tube and I was intrigued. so thats where it all started and havent looked back since. Its a learning process, at the beginning I tended to chastise myself alot when I got angry and shouted and lost my temper as if because I was practising I should be a reformed character but it doesnt work like that. I now notice when I am becoming worked up about something and can stop myself from shouting (usually at my daughter!, we clash alot) and am often surprised at how calm I remain at the bombshells she throws at me, which this time last year would have left me in pieces, so this is for life, best thing to have happened to me and whoever reading this and is new to the practice, don't give up, don't be too hard on yourself and don't expect miracles, expect subtle changes slow but surely and good luck in your mindfulness journey.

[JonW]

"This is for life, best thing to have happened to me and whoever reading this and is new to the practice, don't give up, don't be too hard on yourself and don't expect miracles, expect subtle changes slow but surely and good luck in your mindfulness journey.:

Amen to that. So glad to hear it's made such a big difference to your life.

[larorra]

Thanks Jon. Glad Its helped you too .