Problem-solving with ‘quiet mind’

by Ellen Sichel

Albert Einstein said:  “No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.”

Consciousness is a term used to refer to a variety of aspects of the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts.

What Einstein is saying, in other words, is that if there is no room in the mind for other approaches, then your mind can do nothing else than stay stuck in the problem.

We often try so hard to come up with the solution, only to end up even more confused and frustrated.  This happens because our minds are cluttered with the same old thoughts and perceptions.  We literally think our way to exhaustion.

Only when we quiet our minds are we able to stop the cycle.  This is why meditation practices are so important.  We need a clean slate to work with or we end up with a disorganized mess.

Einstein knew that his mind had to shift to solve a problem, and the evidence of what he achieved is a powerful testimony.

He took meditation naps during his working day to develop new theories.  He said:  “The really valuable thing is intuition,” and “Through meditation I found answers before I even asked the question.”

Rest assured, you don’t have to sit like a pretzel in lotus position and dip into the cosmos.  Everyone can meditate.  You don’t need a glass of wine or medication to calm your mind.  A few minutes of meditation will do the trick.

Meditation is simple, but not easy.  Simple, because all you do is concentrate on a single point to focus.  Not easy, because the minute you try to quiet your mind, you see just how crazy it is!

The purpose of meditation is to relax the body and quiet the mind. Think of your mind as a jar full of liquid.  If you keep pouring more in it will overflow, making a big mess.  First we need to clear our thoughts so we have an empty vessel to begin any decision-making.

For the purpose of problem solving, just a few moments of clearing your mind will go a long way to making the shift needed to get into the solution.   Think of it as rebooting the computer.

My attitude is:  If meditation was beneficial to Einstein, then it will certainly help me!

Next time your find yourself stuck in a problem, try this:

1. Get in a comfortable position – it can be a chair, the floor or the bed (dangerous, as you will probably meditate yourself to sleep!).
2. Focus on your breathing, without changing it in any way – simply notice you are breathing.
3. Find the most noticeable part of your breathing cycle: For example, the expanding and relaxing of your belly, the breath moving in and out through your nose, or your full breathing cycle.
4. Keep focused on that area.
5. If your mind gets busy, gently and kindly guide it back to focusing on your breath.
6. Practice this daily and work your way up to five minutes.
7. Keep practicing, even if you do not think it is helping.  Einstein and I promise it will.

Let me know how this worked for you.  If you did not even try to do it, what do you think is stopping you?

 

Editor’s note: Ellen Sichel, of Custom Calm, LTD (www.customcalm.com) currently creates and teaches programs and tools to support patients and caregivers in dealing with pain and stress at the Cancer Support Community at Northside Hospital.  She also is an E-RYT 500 yoga instructor.