# Are you able to think about nothing? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 24, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743 "2017-10-24T17:26:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/21 "2017-10-24T22:44:03Z")
My brain is most peaceful when I’m driving and listening to really loud music or when I’m reading (I read for pleasure 4-5 hours a day). Otherwise, my hamsters are going full speed in their brain-wheels. And yes, I’ve tried meditation and it was a terrible, anxiety-inducing experience. I’m really tired of folks insisting that it works for everyone . . . it doesn’t, I hate it, my brain doesn’t work that way, so just STFU, meditation people (not directed at anyone here, it’s some villagers in my meatbag world). ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/22 "2017-10-24T23:06:01Z")
I go “automatic” during my walks. Stop me during one of those spells, and I probably wouldn’t be able to tell you what I was thinking about. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/23 "2017-10-25T00:19:03Z")
Lying in bed I try to count my breaths–or rather half breaths. Once in while I get up to 100 without losing my place and once I got to nearly 200. Perhaps I should stop trying to make it unbroken, but it does measure how long I can go before my mind wanders. ---
**Author:** ![I.Dunno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9f8e36/32.png) [@I.Dunno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I.Dunno)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/24 "2017-10-25T02:13:23Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > any time I try to think about nothing, Kramer pops into my head and distracts me. For me, it’s the Stay Puft marshmallow man. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/25 "2017-10-25T04:17:51Z")
I can’t go totally blank but I can focus on a single point, or even nothingness in a sense, to the point that it takes a sort of effort to come out of it and respond to other things including things like pain. I was never one of those who could do it for extended periods of time however. I got into it originally through martial arts but have used it since as a sort of cleansing exercise before prayer and more religious forms of meditation. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/26 "2017-10-25T05:18:07Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > I don’t know if anyone can truly achieve a state of complete thoughtlessness. It seems to me that this is an impossible state of mind. Not only can I do it, I can do it from my normal waking state without needing to try to meditate first. Not _consistently_, mind; if you ask me to clear my thoughts right now, maybe a thought will pop in. But certainly I can sometimes just stare out into space, without focusing on any particular object, and have no conscious thoughts whatsoever. Alas, it has never made me one with the universe and given me magic powers. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/27 "2017-10-25T09:33:46Z")
> [@Saffer](#): > > I been a hearing a bit about the topic of mediation lately. Where did you hear about this meditation? ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/28 "2017-10-26T00:37:08Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I go “automatic” during my walks. Stop me during one of those spells, and I probably wouldn’t be able to tell you what I was thinking about. I often do when riding my bike. I value it. ---
**Author:** ![Saffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saffer/32/6440_2.png) [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/29 "2017-10-26T09:29:29Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Where did you hear about this meditation? I heard about the details (the ostensible objective and the technique) from a colleague. But I’ve also been noticing the topic on various media such as the news, YouTube etc. Probably what is happening is my level of exposure to the topic has not changed, rather I am just not ignoring it as much. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/30 "2017-10-26T11:02:46Z")
Meditation seems to me to be an unnecessary bit of pseudo-hippy nonsense. > [@Grumbacher\_Red](#): > > The closest I get to any kind of zen state is when I am doing something creative, like sewing or painting. This is the best way to do it. Heck, simply going for a walk in the park or listening to some gentle music will do the same thing, much easier than forcing it through some dopey trance. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/31 "2017-10-26T12:37:02Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Meditation seems to me to be an unnecessary bit of pseudo-hippy nonsense. Pseudo-hippy? It’s been practiced in various forms since at least 500 BCE… Many people are predicting Mindfullness becoming the next big health trend. I know, personally, that it has really helped me. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/32 "2017-10-26T13:01:52Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > Pseudo-hippy? It’s been practiced in various forms since at least 500 BCE… So has human sacrifice. Where do you think hippies get half their stupid ideas from? Misappropriating ancient history. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/33 "2017-10-26T13:20:47Z")
uh ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/34 "2017-10-26T19:32:05Z")
If it weren’t for nothing thoughts I’d have no thoughts at all. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/35 "2017-10-26T20:59:35Z")
I am a very busy thinker, which is great when my thoughts are productive and positive - it helps me create and have fun. But when my thoughts are occupied with bullshit from work, it can mean I lose a night’s sleep going over the same unproductive, unresolvable nonsense. I recently learned a technique (which I know is far from new) whereby I can push out such unproductive thoughts - not by thinking about nothing, but rather, by crowding them out with trivia. I think it’s a pretty common meditation technique - it basically consists of just sitting there in a chair focusing on the feelings of sitting in a chair - feeling and thinking about every contact point between my body and the chair - thinking about the sensation of my feet being on the floor - the sensation of gravity pressing me into the chair and floor - and if these thoughts aren’t enough to fill up my brain, breaking it down into feeling each of my toes inside my shoes, each of my fingers on the arm of the chair, etc. Before long, my brain is filled with nothing more than thinking about the moment (plus the supervisory thoughts of the process). I have detached the conscious thinking about whatever it was that was stressing me - it still exists when I surface from this practice, but it’s almost like it’s there at arm’s length - and as I surface, I have a choice about what thoughts I allow to enter my mind - I am aware of the possibility of allowing the negative stuff back in, but it’s a choice, not an obligation. I am in control. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/36 "2017-10-27T00:19:22Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > So has human sacrifice. Where do you think hippies get half their stupid ideas from? Misappropriating ancient history. Hippies practice human sacrifice? Who knew? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/37 "2017-10-27T01:49:13Z")
A person doesn’t need to be motionless in order to meditate. A person doesn’t need to be motionless (whether meditating or not) to be able to think of nothingness, either. I first tried meditation in my teen years when a friend found a book about it. I was not able to sit still and focus for long enough to get anywhere with the book’s lessons and suggestions. Later, while in high school and participating in cycling, fencing, and martial arts, I would find myself operating without thoughts. This would occur when I was riding on a familiar stretch of road (e.g. going up the hill from Ocean Beach to Point Loma) or when I was in a fencing match or sparring class. Originally those combat situations would worry me as I would find that I had defeated my opponent by NOT thinking about what techniques or feints or counter-attacks to perform. Later, after reading much more about the philosophical side of martial arts, I realized those situations were sort-of the goal for all that rigorous and strenuous activity, and the resulting fatigue often seemed to foster the no-mind condition. It was like, rather than actively _think of nothingness_, we wanted to allow our minds to not think (actively or passively). One of the reasons Tai Chi Chuan is casually called “Moving Meditation” is because when a practitioner has gone beyond learning the positions and memorizing the sequences, he can find himself performing Tai Chi without actually thinking. Part of this is muscle memory and the practitioner may simply be letting her body move without thinking about the moves. However, part of it is truly a ‘no mind’ state of consciousness. –G! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/38 "2017-10-27T02:08:48Z")
I listen to soft instrumental music to clear my mind. Focus on the music and relax. I can’t really say I’m not thinking about anything. My focus is on relaxing and pushing away distractions. That takes some effort. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/39 "2017-10-27T05:17:39Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > Hippies practice human sacrifice? Who knew? :rolleyes: Don’t deliberately misinterpret my post and then roll your eyes at me. How fucking rude. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743/40 "2017-10-27T06:05:55Z")
If I were selected for human sacrifice, you better believe I’d be meditating like a motherfuck beforehand. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-able-to-think-about-nothing/799743.md?page=3)