So I’m taking a walk and thinking about an issue that’s been on my mind lately, when all of a sudden I take a mental step back and say to myself, "Wait a minute. Am I really thinking about this again?" Because, of course, I’ve thought about it before, several times, and already worked it out as best I can. So why is my mind going back over this familiar territory?
I think the mind is sort of like a lab rat running a maze. The rat tries various avenues in an attempt to reach the cheese. Eventually he finds one that works. From that point on, he runs the same route over and over.
Similarly, the mind tries to work its way to the solution of a problem. When it’s found a solution, it keeps going over the same mental pathway again and again — not because there is any utility in doing so, but because the path is familiar and leads to the desired result. In this respect, much of our everyday thinking is no more creative or inspired than the lab rat’s hunt for cheese.
And yet we do have an advantage over the humble rat. It is possible for us to jolt ourselves out of this mental rut and to realize that what we’re thinking is merely a repetitive series of thoughts produced reflexively by the mind. We can step back and see our thoughts for what they are — just thoughts, not reality, not anything we need to attend to, not anything that matters.
Just thoughts, which we can take or leave.