Thinking About Thinking: joining the dots between senses and thoughts

We all think in different ways. Each of us has a unique mind with different ideas, beliefs and opinions ….. and the way we PERCEIVE our own thoughts is fairly unique too. Many of us connect the PERCEPTION of our thoughts with our senses.

Thinking about YOUR thinking ….. how do YOU think?

Pictures, images, visual symbols – Do your thoughts seem to be constructed of things you can see in the external world around you? When you think about a situation, do you have a mental image of what that looks like? Faces? Places? Objects? Do you see a ‘mental’ or internal movie playing scenarios from the past or future?

Voices, sounds, words – Do you hear your thoughts, almost as if there’s another person in your mind, or perhaps your own voice chattering away. Maybe you hear several voices chattering or arguing, a voice from your childhood of yourself or someone else, or maybe unfamiliar voices. These voices speak out the thoughts that go through your mind.

Feelings, sensations, movements of the body – Do you ‘feel’ your thoughts inside your head or your body? When you think about situations or recall events, do you feel the movements or sensations associated with them?

Smell and taste – The sense of smell is often deeply connected with memories. Certain smells can trigger memories, experiences and flashbacks without warning, whether pleasant or unpleasant. The sense of taste can be similar. We use phrases such as “That left a bad taste in my mouth” and “I smell something fishy here”, all of which suggest the use of these senses in the way we perceive our thoughts.

A lot of us will find that our thinking relies on all the senses at different times or in different ways, although one sense may be more dominant than the others. For example, you might notice that your thoughts often present as images – as if you can see them and almost reach out and touch them. But this might be combined with movement and sound, as if you are watching a movie playing out in your mind.

So my question for you is …..

Thinking about YOUR thinking ….. how do YOU think?

Discovering mountain biking as life’s ultimate parallel universe in her middle age, Kathryn Walton shares information and reflections in Daisy Spoke that connect, inspire and self-empower women to make healthy choices for themselves.

Mind Your Worries

logo240209Scaled2

“Mind Your Worries” is a 2-tiered workshop for parents and carers to build knowledge and skills around childhood anxiety. Feelings or emotions such as worry, stress and anxiety are normal reflections of how we experience our inner and outer worlds.

Learning how to navigate our emotional experiences involves complex skills which we continue to develop our whole lives. These skills include:

  • noticing body sensations and emotions
  • naming and describing sensations and emotions
  • noticing thoughts
  • making conscious choices about responding to those thoughts, and
  • consciously choosing constructive or helpful actions / behaviours (instead of simply reacting)

Developmentally children progress their skills over time. Parents, carers and educators play a vital role in supporting the emotional development of the children in their care. This includes having an awareness of their own emotional state and being able to confidently role model healthy strategies.

YellowDaisy

We are all human – we all experience emotional states that are sometimes challenging. A healthy emotional life does not mean we are always happy. It means we have a tool box of knowledge and skills from which we can choose various strategies or tools as we need them. Sometimes we choose a tool that doesn’t quite the fit the job, and we need to go back and make another selection.

As parents or carers, it’s important to have realistic expectations of ourselves and our children. Sometimes we think we got it right, and other times we think we got it wrong. By building a large collection of tools for ourselves, we’ll be better placed to support the emotional development of the children we care for.

purpledaisies

“Mind Your Worries” will help you towards your goal of growing your tool kit by offering you a practical, down to earth workshop that will build you knowledge and skills around emotional development.

Parents and carers are invited to register for the first tier of the workshop held during school hours at St Mary’s Parish Centre. Morning tea and lunch are provided.

You are invited to bring your children back to the venue for the second tier of the workshop after school.  We’ll demonstrate and practice some practical stress management and relaxation skills altogether.

The John Wallis Foundation has generously supported this event to minimise the cost to you. Each family is asked for a contribution of $20 to be paid when you register online. Contact Kathryn if you have any difficulties with your registration kwalton@condamineassist.com.au

Daisy Field

When: Thursday 13th October 2016

              9am – 2:30pm (Parents/Carers only)

              3:30pm – 5pm (Parents/Carers AND Children)

Where: St Mary’s Parish Centre Palmerin Street Warwick (between Wood St and Pratten St next to St Mary’s Upper Campus)

Fees: $20 per family

Registration Fee includes m/tea, lunch, a/tea and handouts.

To Register: https://www.trybooking.com/LXUU

Cancellation Policy: No refunds with less than 7 days notice. You reserve the right to substitute another person to come in your place. We reserve the right to cancel in case of insufficient registrations, illness or other unforeseen situations. In this case, a full refund will be provided.

JWFndnLOGO 3x1cm

This project is supported by donations to the John Wallis Foundation Small Grants Program, an approved project of the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR). FRRR is a government philanthropy partnership, supporting projects that benefit rural, regional and remote communities.