Thinking

2-4 minute read

Lately, I’ve been having difficulty deciphering my own thoughts and feelings. Sure, I know what I’m thinking and can “hear” my thoughts like most of you probably can. However, it occurred to me when trying to explain to someone close to me exactly how I felt that I... well, couldn’t. This was frustrating, and it didn’t end very well for either of us. I began to wonder why I couldn’t explain myself. What’s going on inside my head, exactly? And while no one really knows, I think I might have an interesting explanation.

We don’t think in language. Thoughts pass through our mind as electrical impulses, and we decipher what we can and translate it into our native language. For example: you might have an internal dialogue with yourself about what to wear in English; but in the background, your entire consciousness is working in a much more rapid and intricate manner. One that human language simply cannot keep up with. You may have experienced something similar if you’ve tried practicing mindfulness.

So imagine then, taking complex notions like emotion and philosophy; and then add translation to the mix — all before having to transmit that data to another person. This makes it exceedingly difficult to express yourself in a true-to-life manner.

Have you ever been trying to explain a concept, a feeling, or a dream to a friend, and in frustration thought or even said, “I wish you could just be in my brain!” That right there is the phenomenon of being unable to translate your very own brainwaves (for lack of a better term).

So, if you’ve ever struggled with explaining yourself properly like I have, you may now have an answer as to why. Our thoughts are visceral, volatile, and in an entirely different language on top of it all. Translating your thoughts can take time before it makes sense, so don’t worry. If you feel like you can’t properly express yourself, take however long you need to fully decipher your ever-changing thoughts.

Making decisions can be hard, and what’s worse is living with the opportunity cost. That is, the other choice. I remember picking Squirtle in Pokémon after much deliberation only to restart and pick Charmander not too long after. Some decisions can be easy, of course; and some people get stricken with decision paralyses more severely than others. Sometimes, you need to take the decision-making process out your hands entirely.

I like to choose heads or tails before flipping a coin. Not that I like to leave decisions to a coin flip, but as the coin is flipping through the air I’m usually hopeful for a particular outcome. When I look at the result I immediately know whether or not I feel disappointment. In that moment, I’ve given myself the answer without having to translate anything. After all, feelings are distinctly not language.

Now I feel like I should have a disclaimer here, if your having trouble deciding on something life-threateningly important, maybe stick with the time and deliberation method. But chocolate or vanilla ice cream? Coin flip.