Think Less and Live More

"Think Less, Live More" : simple and powerful, this phrase I found in a book has inspired the last few weeks of this August and made me realize how easy it is to fall into the trap of my seductive mind.
I love thinking, I love reflecting, I love finding solutions, I love articulating ideas and creating new mental connections, I love feeling prepared for "what next" ...My mind is used to working at full speed all day long: I read, analyze, imagine, structure… and very often I lose myself imagining the richness of the future, without fully embracing the abundance of the present.

For me, thinking is precious and important, but also so addictive.

So I tried to “lay my thoughts out in the sun,” stretching them on a deckchair and letting them rest for a while, while I focused on the sensations of the body. The sun, soft like a caress or sharp like a blade. The wind, brushing lightly or shouting in bursts with its force. The wave lifting your body like a leaf without effort, then pulling you back in its undertow, like a lover unwilling to let you go. The dampness of the morning grass under my feet. The smell of thyme along a country path. The chatter of children in the neighbour’s garden. I collected dozens, hundreds of sensations, forcing myself not to judge, not to label, not to think about what I was feeling—but simply to feel it fully.

The experience was truly surprising, rich, and fulfilling. When I don’t attach judgments, sensations flow more freely, but they are also fuller, rounder, more satisfying. At the end of the day, I feel more nourished, but also calmer and more at peace. It’s as if I had really lived more.

I realized that thought is a wonderful tool, but not the only one. It’s like holding a flashlight: it lights up one specific spot, but if we always and only stay with that light, we risk missing the sunrise happening all around us. When I let sensations, sounds, and scents enter without filters, life expands. It doesn’t become more complicated—it becomes more real.

I invite you to try it too. Especially if the thoughts that capture you are negative or limiting. Step out of the cage of your mind and try to feel without judging what you feel. Let the sensations move through you. This is the life you are immersed in now, and you already have all the resources to navigate this moment with serenity.

I've truly experienced that thinking less doesn't mean being deprived, nor even unprepared to face what's to come, but rather it's like turning down the volume of our minds to turn up the volume of our lives. If we allow ourselves to inhabit our bodies and hearts, we discover that true life isn't about waiting for great future events, but about fully enjoying the here and now in every breath.

(Pic Credits - Noah Silliman for Unsplash)