Getting out of your own head

[Pacific_Loner]

i've found the best way for me is through meditation

it doesn't have to be sitting on a pillow chanting "ohm"

just doing something simple that captures your focus and keeps you in the present moment

could be running, like Kiwong said

the more you do that and get used to the sensation of existing in the world detached from your ego, the easier it becomes

then, once you're accustomed to it, and it feels natural, perhaps you'll be better able to get out of your head at will

I don't do meditation, but sport is what helped me too, for the reasons mentionned above. It's hard in the beginning because you feel really exposed and self-conscious, but as you get used to the sport (running, cycling, climbing, snowboarding, whatever - but I think it works better if you're not alone in the woods), you feel less clumsy, enjoy it more, you'll stop thinking so much that everyone around is judging you and as coyote said, you'll get used to the sensation of existing in the world and it will put your focus more on others instead of yourself.

 

[Sial Axetder]

any practice that you can involve yourself in that allows you to concentrate on your physical presence and take you out of your head

traditionally, the practice for many has been to sit still and concentrate on your own breathing

the idea is to focus on this and not on the thoughts that inevitably enter your mind

if a thought does occur, just focus on breathing, and allow it to pass away on its own, without giving thought to the thought

i find that it's easier and more satisfying to engage in a more physical activity such as walking, running, cycling, paddling, rowing, sweeping, raking, chopping wood, playing catch, etc...

i can focus on the activity - something simple and repetitive that doesn't require thought - and enter into a state of non-thought, just being aware of my physical presence in the moment

Yeppers, that works too. Physical repetition, completing tasks means mind is occupado.

If you feel energized and a pleasant restful feeling and an idea that things just make sense, that's a good meditation cycle.

 

[coyote]

or perhaps just plugging in your headphones and listening to something like this...

Straight, No Chaser - YouTube

or this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1GrP6thz-k

 

[Kiwong]

Distractions are what helps me get outside my head. Like I said running is a big one

Nature and Sports photography are other distractions for me. Concentrating on the right light and composing a photo takes my thoughts away from the less pleasant ones.

The other thing that has worked is focusing my thoughts on the things I enjoy. A few years back I was suffering knee pain, I started talking to my counsellor about my photography.

Then he asked me "How's the knee?"

In the time I was talking about my photography I hadn't thought about my knee pain.

 

[coyote]

one of the reasons i enjoy sexual intimacy so much

is that it can afford me the opportunity to be completely in the moment

and to live outside my own thoughts and inside my body

in the right setting with the right partner, the added energy and emotional charge

can lead to something more like a spiritual experience

 

[NP88]

^ Easier said than done. I live in my head also. I'm never "myself" because I live/act from inside myself.

Interesting way of putting it. I feel the same way, exactly.

 

[gustavofring]

I'm a bit late on the show, but I can totally relate to this.
Often my mind is so occupied, and I am so self-concious that others are generally much more observant, assertive and in the moment of the world then I am.
Even when I am working on something does my mind drift off, unless I am in an uber-concentrated focus moment, which is very rare.

 

[JustWannaLove]

i am almost crippled when it comes to really taking life head on and exploring its richness as so much of my energy and time is spent in my head.even with very good social skills when i socialize, most of the time im so far inside my own head, so focued on my own ideas that i find it impossible to actively engage with other people..

you put this perfectly. this must be how i am.
i think too much, i talk to myself in my head, i try to do everything alone
im so inside my head that i forget the people around me and the simplest things like being polite and saying "hello how are you?".
i'm usually out of touch with reality (i am happier sometimes like this) and some mornings i wake up feeling numb (neither happy or sad) only to realise i have to study and 'get on with life'.
it's like my thoughts will be good when i try to positively relfect on how to do thigns better next time, but other times they will be bad. i used to cry a lot out of the blue just from the thoughts in my head.
sometimes i dont wanna think, cause it just drives me crazy.

also, i'm also in a loop in my life. i'm not glad that someone is going through this, but i'm glad i'm not the only one who feels like theres a loop that sometimes feels like it's just ongoing

 

[dreamcatcher]

you put this perfectly. this must be how i am.
i think too much, i talk to myself in my head, i try to do everything alone
im so inside my head that i forget the people around me and the simplest things like being polite and saying "hello how are you?".
i'm usually out of touch with reality (i am happier sometimes like this) and some mornings i wake up feeling numb (neither happy or sad) only to realise i have to study and 'get on with life'.
it's like my thoughts will be good when i try to positively relfect on how to do thigns better next time, but other times they will be bad. i used to cry a lot out of the blue just from the thoughts in my head.
sometimes i dont wanna think, cause it just drives me crazy.

also, i'm also in a loop in my life. i'm not glad that someone is going through this, but i'm glad i'm not the only one who feels like theres a loop that sometimes feels like it's just ongoing

I'm with you two on this. I'm so stuck inside my head, worrying about what I'm doing or what other people are thinking. Sometimes I get lost in my own fantasy world. It's almost like my mind is constantly racing and I try to slow down but I can't. Especiallly when I'm talking to other people. I can never seem to just talk and enjoy the conversation. It's a never ending cycle :/

 

[Shyangel]

I really have trouble with the topic of this thread as well.

I don't no if there is a single moment where I'm conscious and aware.
I just feel like I'm reacting out of habit or reflex. I would give almost anything to feel like I was actually existing in reality. Instead of this fake world in my mind, it's not very full filling.

 

[Kiwong]

I ran 30km this morning. I ran to the point of exhaustion where my thoughts turned inward to basic needs like water and rest. I get so tired that anxious thoughts are gone.

 

[debi]

I feel like I'm trapped in my own head most of the time. With everything, not just socializing. Most of my concentration is directed at my own thoughts and not the outside world. I daydream all the friggin time. I have conversations with myself. I barely engage in life.It's as though I'm on autopilot. Like I'm running off habit alone.

Has anyone else felt like this? How do you break out? How do I make life about what's going on out there and not what's going on in here?

I could have wrote this word for word. It describes me to a T.