A Guide to Mental Freedom
The most recent season of The White Lotus is set in Thailand, a country steeped in Buddhism. It's got me thinking about the Buddhist teachings around our tendency to overcomplicate situations and overthink problems.
Papancha is a term in Buddhist philosophy referring to 'mental proliferation, conceptual elaboration', or, the mind's tendency to overcomplicate things. I learned about this concept in The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin.
Our minds go to great lengths to fabricate unnecessary thoughts, stories, and attachments, leading to mental angst and confusion. We become caught in between the exhausting cycles of repetitive thoughts and the despair of constantly measuring ourselves against something or someone "better."
We overthink daily:
Replaying conversations with colleagues or bosses, interpreting tone in emails, or stressing about hypothetical scenarios
Repeatedly analyzing decisions you can no longer change
Imagining what people might think about your choices
Becoming consumed by news cycles, political disputes, and global crises beyond our direct influence (this was the inspiration for this week's writing)
The brain bugs race around our minds, distracting us. The overthink overcomplicates and leads to cycles of more of rumination.
Chronic thoughts zap mental energy, distracting you from the best of you.
The result of unchecked mental proliferation? Feeling out of control.
Regaining Control
Here's a quick exercise to help you take back control, focus on what matters and the future you want to create, and regain your footing on the roller coaster of thoughts:
Make a comprehensive list of everything creating stress, anxiety, or distraction in your life—business concerns, family matters, world events--all of it!
Divide your list into two categories:
Things within your direct control
Things outside your direct/immediate control
On the "not in your control" list, mark items you can still influence with a star ⭐.
From both lists, answer these questions about each item:
What can I START doing?
What can I STOP doing?
What do I want to CONTINUE doing?
You cannot change your circumstances, but you can change how you react to them. It starts by becoming aware.
You can take ownership of your focus, control, and inspiration.
Who you spend it with
What you consume
How you grow
Pay attention to what you're talking about, consuming, and how you're spending your time—these are within your control.
When life feels chaotic, be protective of your time and mindful of what you allow into your consciousness.
As Robert Glazer wisely said:
"If you don't control it, why worry about it?
Because you don't control it. If you do control it, why worry about it?
Because you control it."
Focus your energy where it matters—on what you can influence, change, or improve.
The rest is just Papancha.
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