“It was always ‘thoughts’ that got in your way!”
52 Mind Strength Training Techniques for Those Tired of Life's Revolving Minds
* Yes24 Crema Club Humanities #1

Based on the latest discoveries in neuroscience, author Jiyoung Byun has provided us with psychological knowledge for practical application in our lives through works such as 『Going to Save My Future Self』 and 『Time to Read My Mind』. Her book 『To Me Who Thinks Too Much』 has been published, which guides modern people who are tired from thinking too much to escape from the prison of thoughts.


People who often feel tense or anxious, people who feel regret or guilt while thinking of false assumptions such as 'I shouldn't have done that', 'It's because of that', 'I could have done it', 'I should have done it then', people who think too much about things that haven't happened yet and spend too much energy planning by thinking of every possible scenario to prepare for a certain situation, people who are stuck between excessive regret and worry are all people who are trapped in a 'prison of thoughts'.
People trapped here are unable to fully focus on the present moment, suffer from anxiety, and fall into negative thought patterns, ultimately leading to severe self-denial.
Why on earth do we willingly allow ourselves to be imprisoned in this prison of thought?

The answer is simple.
Because the human mind is a master storyteller.
Humans constantly weave stories about ourselves and our lives using the threads of thought, emotion, and sensation.
While these aspects of the mind are certainly useful, they never tell the whole story at any given moment, and ultimately leave us trapped within them.
This book is a guidebook that helps us break free from the 'thoughts about thoughts' that we are trapped in, and provides specific mental practices that can help us escape from the prison of thoughts.

In fact, the other person's actions are in the other person's domain, and my actions are in my domain, so the other person's actions are not in my hands.
No matter how close you are, such as with your spouse or children, each person's actions are their own responsibility.
It's not a question of who can change who or what can be done.
Besides, just because the other person did something doesn't mean I have to do it the same way.
For example, just because the other person swears, there is no need to swear back.
My reaction is a matter of my own making.
--- From "What I Added"

Modern people's chronic anxiety, emptiness, and loneliness are related to alienation.
Alienation is often thought of as a social phenomenon in which relationships between people become superficial, formal, and distant, but all alienation begins with one's relationship with oneself.
Alienation is the inability to fully connect with one's own experience.
It is not possible to feel and accept each moment of experience as it is, but to judge and control the experience through quick judgment.
It's hard to experience anything properly to the end because we jump to conclusions before even experiencing it.
--- From "Chronic Anxiety and Emptiness"

To understand yourself, you must first take a close look at how you react in real time to the circumstances and conditions in which you find yourself.
The starting point is always ‘my reaction’.
Self-understanding ultimately means understanding my own actions.
We need to bring our attention inward by asking ourselves questions like, "What is bothering me? What is happening inside me right now?"
Observing my reactions and actions with a warm and curious attitude is the starting point of self-understanding.
Everyone in the world has the right to speak and act as they please.
I can't force you to be kind to me.
But why do those words and actions particularly bother me and make me uncomfortable? I need to figure out the exact reason.

--- From "How I React"

Emotions and pain have a lot in common.
The most representative thing is that the more you try to force it away, the bigger the obstacle it becomes.
The more you suppress it, the stronger and more prominent it becomes.
My thoughts are similar.
It's a bad thought, so let's not do it. If you forbid or suppress it, it will come to mind more.
Why is that? There are several psychological principles that explain this, but simply put, it's because attention is more focused on that area.
The moment you say to yourself, "I shouldn't do that!" your attention shifts to the clue, "What?"
If you say, "You shouldn't be depressed!", you will focus more on depression, and if you say, "You shouldn't be anxious!", you will automatically become more sensitive to cues related to anxiety.
It's like trying to avoid something only to get caught up in it more.
--- From "The more you try to avoid it, the more it comes back"

The reason you're not satisfied with your current life isn't because you haven't accomplished more.
Because you didn't see it as it was.
Because we keep creating desires to obscure the truth.
To see the truth as it is, you must stay still in this moment, without running away or covering it up.
That's the practice.
True relaxation occurs in the exhalation.
Exhalation is letting go, emptying, and surrendering.
You need to know exactly what you're putting down.
Can you jump without knowing what's beneath your feet? You can't put something down if you don't know what you're putting down.
Meditation without proper understanding is nothing more than a sitting posture exercise or an attention training.
--- From "As It Is"

Self-understanding is ultimately about understanding one's own subject.
I'm talking about a deep understanding of what my breaking points are, my vulnerability buttons, and how they connect to my experiences and other characteristics.
It is an understanding of the life I have lived and also an understanding of the actions I repeat.
The question is whether they will get angry and lose their temper when something is touched, become stubborn and stubborn, run away in a panic, or close the shutter and block the scene.
When is that time? What is the situation? And how do you react? That's where your "self-theme" comes in.
--- From "Exploring Your Own Topic"

Breathing is the most powerful way to stay present.
So, you can use your breath as a rope to enter into an intense emotional experience.
If we forget to breathe and rush into those feelings, we can become overwhelmed.
You may feel suffocated and overwhelmed by your emotions.
But if I can keep breathing with that feeling, I can experience the feelings that arise in my body as they are, without being overwhelmed or buried.
--- From "Relationships with Painful Experiences"

When we say we think too much, it's usually because we're obsessed with the past or worrying about the future, trying to prepare for it, rather than living in the present moment.
When I focus on what's happening in my body and mind right now, it's hard to have long thoughts.
Because the current state is constantly changing.
To notice change, you have to be conscious of the here and now.
So, if you focus on this now, you'll avoid having your thoughts spiral out of control and your story will continue.
You add thoughts to thoughts and follow those thoughts, then come to your senses and come back to the here and now.
I get lost in one emotion and chase after the emotion and thoughts, wondering why that emotion is happening, but then I come to my senses and come back to the here and now.

--- From "In that case, it's like that"