Mindfulness at Agile Work – Day 5: Watching the Waterfall – Mindfulness of Thinking

From Pausing to Breathing to Body and Emotions. Today THINKING. Learn how to notice your endless stream of thoughts and not getting caught up by them. Including a 5 Minute "Train your mind"-Practice.

Welcome to Day 5 of your Mindfulness at Agile Work Mini-Course!

In our mindfulness journey so far, we have explored:

• power of pausing (Day 1),

• awareness of breath (Day 2),

• awareness of body (Day 3),

• awareness of emotions (Day 4)

Today, we turn our attention to something even more elusive—our thoughts.

A major insight that often emerges early in mindfulness practice is just how incessant our thoughts are.

They form a continuous, never-ending stream of judgments, plans, worries, and memories.

Noticing this has been described as seeing the waterfall—the constant rush of mental activity shaping our perception of reality.

The Mind’s Home Movie

Imagine your thoughts as an ongoing home movie, starring you as the main character. Studies estimate that we have about 60,000 thoughts per day, and 95% of them are repeats from the day before. We live inside this mental cocoon, replaying the same themes.

A simple experiment can reveal the power of thought:

1. Mentally repeat the word “trouble.” Notice how it feels in your body and mind.

2. Now replace it with “kindness.” What shifts within you?

This small exercise illustrates how thoughts shape our emotions and, ultimately, our experience of life. If our habit is to generate anxious thoughts, we will live with anxiety. If our thoughts are filled with self-criticism, we will feel inadequate.

The Brain’s Negativity Bias

Evolution has hardwired us to be vigilant about threats—a phenomenon called the negativity bias. Our brains naturally prioritize worries and judgments, often trapping us in cycles of stress and fear.

Neuroscientist Jill Bolte-Taylor offers a fascinating insight: It takes just 90 seconds for an emotion to pass through our nervous system—unless we fuel it with further thoughts.

She explains that when an emotional reaction occurs, it triggers a biochemical process in the body, lasting approximately 90 seconds. During this time, chemicals such as adrenaline or cortisol are released, creating physiological responses like increased heart rate or muscle tension.

After the initial 90 seconds, any continuation of the emotional experience is driven by thoughts and mental narratives that re-trigger the response. This feedback loop can prolong the emotion indefinitely if one keeps engaging with the triggering event mentally. The concept emphasizes emotional self-awareness and suggests that individuals can choose to stop fueling emotions beyond their natural lifespan.

This means that we have more power than we realize. Mindfulness allows us to step outside this mental loop. Instead of being trapped in our thoughts, we can observe them, question their validity, and choose whether to engage with them.

Mindfulness of Thinking: The Key to Mental Freedom

Mindfulness doesn’t mean stopping thoughts; rather, it means recognizing that a thought is just a thought—not reality itself. This distinction is crucial. Once we understand that thoughts are mental constructs, we gain the freedom to decide whether they serve us.

Even just four days of mindfulness practice can:
✅ Improve cognitive flexibility
✅ Enhance attention span
✅ Strengthen working memory
✅ Reduce habitual negative thinking

Now, let’s put this into practice.

Mindfulness Practice: Noticing Thoughts

1. Find a comfortable posture and allow your body to settle.

2. Take two or three deep breaths, feeling the air move in and out.

3. Bring your attention to your anchor—your breath or body sensations.

4. Imagine you’re a cat, waiting at a mouse hole. Stay alert and simply count the thoughts that appear.

5. When a thought arises, acknowledge it and let it pass.

6. If you notice you were lost in thought, gently return to your anchor.

Some people have recognized just a few thoughts; others, many. There’s no right or wrong. The key is noticing that thinking is happening.

Listen to the practice

Today’s Mindfulness Homework

During your workday, pause and observe your thoughts:

• Notice the recurring themes in your mind.

• Are these thoughts useful, or do they add to stress?

• When negative thoughts arise, remind yourself: This is just a thought, not reality.

• Anchor yourself in the breath and allow the thoughts to pass like clouds in the sky.

By practicing mindfulness of thoughts, we shift from being lost in thought to witnessing thought—a profound step toward inner freedom.

What thought patterns did you notice today? Let’s reflect in the comments. 👇

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See you in Day 6, where we explore SELF JUDGEMENT and how we might become more resilient through mindfulness practices.

For now, let’s practice how to work with our thoughts, with kindness and curiosity.

Here is Day 1: Pause for Presence

Here is Day 2: The magic of your own breath

Here is Day 3: Mindfulness of body

Here is Day 4: Emotions

Here is Day 5: Thinking

Here is Day 6: Self Judging Mind

Here is Day 7: Beginner's mind

Here is Day 8: Compassion and Empathy

Here is Day 9: Power of intention

Coming soon Day 10: Listening