Let your mind wander

I read Elle Metz’ article on the BBC website where she referred to the US Department of Homeland Security and the UK Department of Transport ban. Passengers flying from certain areas of North Africa and the Middle East can no longer carry electronics larger than a smartphone on flights. Funny enough The Royal Jordanian airlines seemed to offer an alternative to our lifestyle of tablets and laptops and such. They asked their passengers to use such down time to analyze the meaning of life.

How do we begin doing that when we have grown accustomed to feasting off the information we read every two minutes? It does not matter if we are mentally tired, in need of a sleep; in need of a quiet time. No! We are addicted to those devices, and it will almost take a ban to take these out of our palms.
So what does analyzing the meaning of life mean?

Elle noted in her article that as people have downtimes, they allow their minds to wander, to go to places that they have not consciously allowed it to go. Elle went on to reflect on a 2012 research paper which deduced that allowing your mind to wander can lead to better creative problem solving. From Einstein to Nobel Prize-winning chemists to the inventor of the Post-it note, many of the world’s great thinkers have espoused the benefits of giving your mind a rest. And perhaps you too have noticed that your best ideas come in the shower or while out for a walk.

According to Amy Fries, author of Daydreams at Work: Wake Up Your Creative Powers and a writer and editor for Psychology Today; she states that when your mind is able to wander, it is accessing memories, emotions and random bits of stored knowledge. She concludes that Daydreaming is how we access our big-picture state of mind.

If there is such a positive link between putting down that smart phone, that ipad, that laptop and entering the bed of creativity that God had intended your mind to be, which will you choose? Rather than always rushing to the computer, I feel a great need to quiet my mind and think. I want my mind to go where it has not gone in a while; even spending more time with God. You can only do so with a quiet mind; a mind bombarded by info is always churning the newest info. But if we will allow our minds to roam, reflect, be – then our minds will be able to meditate on the goodness of God; the wonders He has done; the memories we have of friends and family members; memories of mistakes that we have made etc. Such times of reflection enable us to activate our natural creative ability according to the design of God. As we think creatively without the strain of binge-information, we begin to think of how we can make things better in our lives; rectify errors; straighten crooked paths; make amends. Yes, we are also able to create new things, new ideas, new visions, and new dreams. More reflections exposes us to making better decisions.

Linda Faith

 Linda faith is the Editor in Chief of Jewels Magazine. She has authored eight books. She is a prolific writer and powerful speaker, inspiring many women to be all God has called them to be. She is the founder of Joy Women’s conference which reaches out to empower, inspire and motivate women in their faith walk. She was a software developer before she started writing.