In our everyday lives, there are certain thoughts we do need to pay attention to—it's hard to get anything done if you're not thinking about what you're doing. But we also have endless thoughts unrelated to whatever we're engaged in.
For home practice this week, whenever you start having thoughts unrelated to what you're doing at the time, practice simply being mindfully of these thoughts, noticing and observing them, and then letting them go and returning your attention to whatever you're doing. Whether it's relatively neutral mind wandering and daydreaming, or negative thinking such as worrying about the future, dwelling in the past, or self-criticisms, simply notice these thoughts and then, as best you can, let them go.
Our thoughts are much more difficult to let go the longer we allow them to gather momentum. This is why it's so important to notice when we first start getting caught up in our thoughts, and practice letting them go as they're coming up. rather than waiting until we’re already fused with them. This is particularly true if we're feeling anxious and starting to worry, or starting to dwell or ruminate on some negative thoughts like we do when we're feeling depressed or angry, or having some other thoughts related to a strong feeling or emotion.
Whenever you do find it difficult to let go of your thoughts for whatever reason, you can practice some cognitive defusion techniques. For example:
Then, once you've defused from your thoughts a bit, see if you're now able to let them go.
Take a break before continuing to the next section. If you'd like to finish the session later, this is a good place to stop for now.