I have begun editing my students’ papers in a new-fangled, old-fashioned way: Using pen and paper. Actually, being an Apple aficionado, I use my iPad and my Apple Pencil. But, I’m still putting pen to “paper.” After many years of using track-changes in a word processing program, inserting comments and re-writing problematic sentences and so forth, I decided to change things up. I noticed that, using the track-changes method, I felt stuck in the thick of the trees and bushes. Each time I tried to climb up to get a view of the forest, I’d get snagged on a branch, see some garbage that needed to be removed, trip over a tree root, step in a huge pile of dung, or get sprayed by an angry skunk. Or, in reality, I’d get so caught up in the way the student was organizing and expressing ideas that I’d lose sight of the bigger picture – the overall aims, message, and flow of ideas. When I edit the new, old-fashioned way, I attain a little more distance from the details. I’m able to see the bigger picture more easily, consider the flow of ideas, and so forth. Moreover, I am able to let go of my attachment to re-writing imperfect writing. Instead, I make comments or use examples to help the student figure out how to convey her or his ideas more effectively. I also seem to have more mental space to think deeply about key ideas. In other words, I think more clearly. There are probably many explanations for this. Perhaps the time I spent in my younger years putting pen to paper rather than fingers to keyboard was a formative period for the development of thinking skills; hence, electronic editing will never quite measure up.
I also think this experience relates to mindfulness practice. The regular practice of stepping back and attaining some distance from our thoughts, sensations, and emotions can help us avoid getting stuck in the thick of the forest. After enough practice, we might realize that we don’t really have to change or get rid of thoughts or emotions that we don’t like; we can simply experience, notice, and let them go. We can attain some degree of mental space to accommodate the fullness of our experience of the present moment. Instead of getting snagged on particular experiences, we are able to appreciate and understand the bigger picture. With enough practice, we can start to apply this bigger picture mindset to challenging situations in everyday life, such as being stuck in traffic, waiting in line, being criticized by others, feeling lonely or rejected, and so on.
Interestingly, this bigger picture mindset can start with the smallest detail, the most basic practice: Simply sitting and observing your breath. This is one of the simplest (but hardest) mindfulness practices. Observing your breath can be done in many ways, but a common way to start is to pay attention to the sensations of breathing while counting your inhales and/or exhales. You could count “one” on the inhale, and “two” on the exhale, just count on the exhale, or use some other counting method, or no counting method. The counting is there to keep your mind a little bit busy. That way, you might be less likely to get caught up in thoughts. Whenever you get caught up in thoughts (or feelings, memories, and so on), as we all do, just gently guide your attention back to your breathing. Don’t try to get rid of the thoughts; that would be like walking through the forest and trying to prune or chop down the trees you don’t like. Instead, look at your thoughts, allow them to be the way they are, and when you’re ready, gently return to your breath. Try this for even 1 minute per day, and build from there. See if you notice any difference in your ability to think and see clearly. ~ Alexander L. Chapman, Ph.D., R.Psych.