Strategies for Maintaining Deep Thought

[Eido]

Over the past few years, I've noticed that my thought process has gone from being highly focused and deeper, to relatively shallow and somewhat vapid. Instead of contemplating the "bigger" questions, I spend most of my time thinking about my future or my personal life. I'm finding it slightly disturbing that my brain is becoming so seemingly stagnant and dull.

Has anybody experienced this before, and, if so, is there something you did to fix it?

 

[Coolydudey]

Haven't gone through this whatsoever, but try redeveloping an interest in these bigger questions. Then, by also going through some random philosophical (or whatever) ideas, find one you like, and don't just think about it then finish: think why? How? Consequences? What if? (this is a good one) and so on, so as to get you on an INTP-ish wander (if this makes sense). Just try to make the question flower out and connect with other topics. GIVE UP IMMEDIATELY IF BORED... Find something else to think about later on.

Good luck!

 

[lungs]

how old are you? my guess is you're probably growing up and having other, more immediately pressing concerns to worry about. being able to sit around and ponder is kind of a privilege.

i suggest reading, or continuing to read denser and more thought-provoking books if you are already. its kind of impossible for your brain not to focus on questions if you're reading about them. and to not be on the internet too much because ime attention span is the next thing to go.

 

[miggslives]

I have the exact same thing going on in my life. I graduated highschool in 2010, and ever since then I am no longer interested in those "bigger" questions. I have spent the last two years contemplating my future and my personal life. And they haven't exactly been positive things; I would say most of the thinking is anxious and worrying of the future. And It has kept me stuck and has stopped me from pursuing self improvement or thirst for knowledge. It has even created a writers block in my artistic life.

Where as in the past I would have been riddled with ideas and things to say and questions to ask, whenever I am given the chance now, my mind blanks out and I come out with "I don't know," or a "nothing." It has really hampered me in meeting new people and stuff like job interviews. And I too have found it extremely disturbing, because I used to be fabulous at things like that.

I would definitely like some advice as well lol. Being stuck in the mind can be great, but when the thoughts are gradually getting darker and scarier, it sucks. Especially as a type that doesn't always express to others, it gets bottled up, awaiting an explosion.

 

[nanook]

i think deep and big, whenever i'm born into a new world and as i get to know it, in general, figuring out what the rules of this worldspace are, what's possible and who i am in this world, who i could become.... the big affair lasts for at least a year or maybe up to three years, but over the following years urge and impatience to find another star becomes stronger, or in theory i might settle there and thus loose myself, for a prolonged lifetime of manifestation, but i have never done this, so far. haven't found "my" planet yet. being reborn into a new world is always a surprise, albeit it's preceded by inaccurate visions of what's to come and a conscious mix of feelings of (so far bearable) depression and despair and restlessness and doubt, as everything around you turns into death. and the dying world is like eggshells. it's breakdown is my next birth. reality takes care of the worlds.

 

[Eido]

how old are you? my guess is you're probably growing up and having other, more immediately pressing concerns to worry about. being able to sit around and ponder is kind of a privilege.

This is probably a major component to it. I'm going on 27, just recently finished college and am moving on to a more 'adult' life, with more adult responsibilities and worries. This might just be a natural progression, but I can't say I'm very comfortable with it.

Where as in the past I would have been riddled with ideas and things to say and questions to ask, whenever I am given the chance now, my mind blanks out and I come out with "I don't know," or a "nothing." It has really hampered me in meeting new people and stuff like job interviews. And I too have found it extremely disturbing, because I used to be fabulous at things like that.

This is exactly what I mean, it's as if you no longer have coherent thoughts about topics. I still think about these types of things, but the conclusions I form are incomplete or even illogical.

 

[DetachedRetina]

I know what you mean.

I am basically experiencing an Algernonian decline and have been for years.

One reassuring/depressing thing is reading my old journals, where I realize I wasn't that great to begin with.

Have you considered it may be rosy nostalgia?

 

[Eido]

I know what you mean.

I am basically experiencing an Algernonian decline and have been for years.

One reassuring/depressing thing is reading my old journals, where I realize I wasn't that great to begin with.

Have you considered it may be rosy nostalgia?

Rosy nostalgia is always a possibility.

 

[shrub77]

Just remind yourself that there are infinite possibilities in the universe. And so, your thoughts are on an infinite level. Anything is possible within your mind.

And Daydream alot, about anything

 

[pernoctator]

... my mind blanks out and I come out with "I don't know," or a "nothing."

... the conclusions I form are incomplete or even illogical.

I agree it could be "nostalgia". That the conclusions that once would have been more definite now seem incomplete could be because you are thinking deeper.

"I don't know" is a valid conclusion.

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MmpUWEW6Is

 

[DetachedRetina]

"I don't know" is a valid conclusion.

Can this be the INTP catchphrase?

 

[walfin]

Yes, me too.

The problem seems to be an inability to incubate deep thought in the way other humans can, especially extroverts, because some can "think deeply out loud" (I'm talking about EN**), which I can't. The rest (S) simply prefer obvious conclusions rather than non-obvious ones.

Journals aren't an accurate reflection of thought. They use words.

 

[miggslives]

Journals aren't an accurate reflection of thought. They use words.

I think there might be something to this. Because, I am still deeply thinking ALWAYS. But, when it comes to the expression aspect, or when I [try] to tell someone how I feel, there are no words that exist that could accurately describe how I truly feel. No matter how each and every person describes their life, there is no possible way that one could ever TRULY understand the way someone else feels, or the other way around. I think therein could lie the issue: there are no words to put to justice the intricate and complicated thoughts trapped within our minds.

So when it comes down the the question...we blank out. And all we can say is "I don't know."

 

[DetachedRetina]

I find that although the snippets of phrases and drawings and such in my journals are not clear enough to convey ideas to other people, they act as decent enough mnemonics for me to say "Oh I remember what I was thinking/visualizing."

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Over the past few years, I've noticed that my thought process has gone from being highly focused and deeper, to relatively shallow and somewhat vapid. Instead of contemplating the "bigger" questions, I spend most of my time thinking about my future or my personal life. I'm finding it slightly disturbing that my brain is becoming so seemingly stagnant and dull.

Has anybody experienced this before, and, if so, is there something you did to fix it?

Reality has a sobering effect on the mind. I would say drop out from everything for awhile but your responsibilities might not allow that, but then again that is the whole point isn't it?

I think there might be something to this. Because, I am still deeply thinking ALWAYS. But, when it comes to the expression aspect, or when I [try] to tell someone how I feel, there are no words that exist that could accurately describe how I truly feel. No matter how each and every person describes their life, there is no possible way that one could ever TRULY understand the way someone else feels, or the other way around. I think therein could lie the issue: there are no words to put to justice the intricate and complicated thoughts trapped within our minds.

Have you tried other mediums besides speech? Forms of communication that involve more visceral sensing I find are better for expressing to another what your words might mean, how you might feel, and what emotions, however faint and ambiguous, you might be processing. For example, music.

 

[DetachedRetina]

Have you tried other mediums besides speech? Forms of communication that involve more visceral sensing I find are better for expressing to another what your words might mean, how you might feel, and what emotions, however faint and ambiguous, you might be processing. For example, music.

Yeah I often use illustrations to explain things to my girlfriend. e.g. "You don't really have to think outside the box when you're trying to write because your box is already different enough from everybody else's box." *draws overlapping cloud of cubes* "Everyone's got their own perception of things and what seems mundane or 'inside the box' to you may well be outside the box to another."

I picked that example because it's easy enough to picture floating overlapping boxes without an actual drawing, but sometimes it really helps. I even draw graphs and such.

I wish I were skilled enough at making music to accurately convey my feelings through it, but sometimes finding the right song that someone else has already written can help.

I really think it's pretty tough to have a thought that you can't convey at all. It is difficult to convey some things, and it may take a painting or a novel but you can do it.

Imagine if Kafka had just said "I have this notion of the way things are (Kafka-esque) but I just can't describe it. Oh well."

It is tempting for me to just give up on trying to convey what I'm thinking especially when it's a visual thought or a mood that I'm trying to describe, but it's part of the whole creative drive right? You can't just dismiss your ability to communicate and others' abilities to listen.

 

[DetachedRetina]

IMHO Nothing is ineffable.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Yeah I often use illustrations to explain things to my girlfriend. e.g. "You don't really have to think outside the box when you're trying to write because your box is already different enough from everybody else's box." *draws overlapping cloud of cubes* "Everyone's got their own perception of things and what seems mundane or 'inside the box' to you may well be outside the box to another."

I picked that example because it's easy enough to picture floating overlapping boxes without an actual drawing, but sometimes it really helps. I even draw graphs and such.

I wish I were skilled enough at making music to accurately convey my feelings through it, but sometimes finding the right song that someone else has already written can help.

The initial part makes more sense to me with the illustration, so yea it really does help. The latter explanation also works.

I wish the same, especially though for mental music patterns I come up with and want to produce. This goes for others forms of art too, I've had visual ideas, including ones in motion, that either suffer crappy drawing skills or forgettance.

I know enough songs to usually find a suitable one for my mood, so I'm grateful for that.

There is action also, as a form of expression.

I really think it's pretty tough to have a thought that you can't convey at all. It is difficult to convey some things, and it may take a painting or a novel but you can do it.

Imagine if Kafka had just said "I have this notion of the way things are (Kafka-esque) but I just can't describe it. Oh well."

It is tempting for me to just give up on trying to convey what I'm thinking especially when it's a visual thought or a mood that I'm trying to describe, but it's part of the whole creative drive right? You can't just dismiss your ability to communicate and others' abilities to listen.

I think incommunicability can lead to an unique expression all of its own, but it'll be probably largely driven by frustration and maybe symbolize it too.

This makes me think of experimenting with different methods just to see what would come of it.

Oh, as an afterthought, it's probably possible that someone understands and could translate for you(?).

 

[miggslives]

Have you tried other mediums besides speech? Forms of communication that involve more visceral sensing I find are better for expressing to another what your words might mean, how you might feel, and what emotions, however faint and ambiguous, you might be processing. For example, music.

Well, I have drawn like, literally my whole life, and I have always been told I am naturally talented at it, because I have never had any formal art training but still have skills. And I have been into photography for the last five years, and am much more than just some kid who bought an expensive camera and figured it'll take awesome pictures. But, it is this writer's block that comes along with this change in thought.

I have trouble drawing new things and always revert to drawing the same things I have always drawn, which leads me to not want to draw. I used to take A LOT of pictures too, but that was because I was with friends. Nowadays when I am out and about alone, I do not always pull my camera out for a shot.

Now, when I try to draw something say..relevant to my life or meaningful (as opposed to a picture that is just aesthetically pleasing), I end up doing it halfway, stopping, and never finishing it. And it sucks! I also like to write poetry/rap but there is something about the way I work that I do not like to finish something unless it is amazing. So even when i comes to blogging, I end up writing whole essays, then end up deleting them because I didn't absolutely love the structure of it. So idk, it's kind of tough cause it brings along with it a writer's block.

 

[RockinLollipop]

Oh, I definitely know what you're talking about. This happened with me just recently. For me, the cause was that my community doesn't understand my thought process, so I was pressured to think in more mundane terms, like they do. To get through this, talking with NT types online helped get me back in my game. I suppose you would have to find the cause for your deep thoughts decaying and work from there. Something else you could try, though, is researching religion. You may not be a religious person yourself, but there are definitely some thought-provoking subjects in there, especially in Eastern religions and Alchemy.