We’ve all experienced that frustrating situation. We’re trying to remember a name or a word and it remains just out of reach in our mind. We know we know it but we just can’t access it.* Lately, it’s been solutions to problems that have been sitting just out of reach in my mind. The harder I concentrate on the problem, the more my mind goes in circles around the same solutions that I’ve dismissed as inappropriate. The right answer is there. I know it. I just can’t grasp it yet. So annoying!
Digging Myself Deeper
Of course, the solution to remembering the name is to stop trying to think of it. Sure enough, a short while later, when you’re making dinner, it will pop into your head. I know this, but I have a difficult time accepting that if I stop fighting to find an answer to my problem, my brain will show me the answer. Maybe, it’s because I’m impatient for an answer? I’m not willing to allow it to bubble to the surface in its own good time. Maybe, it’s because I don’t trust my mind to find the answer? I think I have to keep pushing and searching. I think it’s both. I’m impatient and I don’t really trust the process, yet.
Relaxing Works
When I relax, I find that my brain is able to make those connections between ideas and problem-solve an answer. “When we relax, the flow of blood increases around our body giving us more energy. It helps us to have a calmer and clearer mind which aids positive thinking, concentration, memory and decision making.”** It’s no wonder my best ideas occur in the shower or on a quiet walk. I’m relaxed.
It does seem counter-intuitive to find something without trying. But I think that I need to remember that just because I’m not consciously trying, doesn’t mean that my sub-conscious isn’t busy at work. My sub-conscious, my wisdom, needs quiet and space to get the job done. I need to trust that it will do it.
*It’s called the Tip Of The Tongue phenomena. https://www.verywellmind.com/lethologica-tip-of-the-tongue-phenomenon-4154947 Click here to read more about it.
** https://www.wellbeingpeople.com/2019/04/15/why-relaxation-is-so-important/ Click here to read more about how relaxation helps.
Retired, and now what? 