When your thoughts
Feel like a wild storm,
Worries flood in,
Tossing your mind like a boat.
Remember, there’s calm,
A quiet harbor
For your busy mind.
To break the chains
Of unhealthy thoughts,
Ask these questions,
Like a wise, kind friend:
“Do these thoughts help me now?
Should they be here right now?”
If not,
Let them float by,
Like clouds in the sky,
They can just fly.
They don’t need to stay.
With gentle awareness,
You’re the captain,
Steering your mind to calm seas.
Feel the steady ground under you,
Hear quiet waves lap,
See the clear, bright horizon.
Each peaceful moment.
Is a practice,
A patient art,
And a treasure.
Leave your worries behind,
Sail to the present’s soft light,
Here in the Now,
Let the warm sun of awareness
Melt away the fog of anxiety.
This calm is your home port.
The Mindful Voyage
Isn’t it interesting how our minds can be like stormy seas, but we always have the power to find calm? This piece beautifully captures the journey from mental turbulence to inner peace.
Epictetus writes, “Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions.” This principle is reflected in the lines “With gentle awareness, / You’re the captain, / Steering your mind to calm seas,” emphasizing our ability to guide our thoughts and reactions.
The image of thoughts as a wild storm reminds me of what Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, said: “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” Our thoughts may be turbulent, but we can learn to navigate them.
The poem’s advice to question unhelpful thoughts (“Do these thoughts help me now? / Should they be here right now?”) echoes Epictetus’ teaching: “When anything happens to you, always remember to turn to yourself and ask what power you have to make use of it.” Both the poem and Stoic philosophy encourage active engagement with our thoughts, rather than passive acceptance.
When I suggest asking if thoughts are helpful, it echoes what cognitive therapist Aaron Beck discovered about our thinking patterns. He found that questioning our thoughts can be a powerful tool for changing our emotional state.
The idea of letting thoughts float by like clouds in the sky brings to mind what Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh taught about mindfulness. As he put it, “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”
Furthermore, the imagery of letting thoughts “float by, / Like clouds in the sky” aligns with the Stoic practice of objective observation of one’s thoughts without being consumed by them. As Marcus Aurelius, another Stoic philosopher, writes in his “Meditations,” “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
The notion of being the captain of your mind reflects what psychologist William James meant when he said, “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” We have more control over our mental state than we often realize.
So what does all this mean? Perhaps it’s about recognizing that while we can’t always control our initial thoughts, we can choose how we respond to them. It’s about understanding that inner peace is a skill we can cultivate with practice.
Remember, every moment of awareness is an opportunity to steer your mind towards calmer waters. As meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg said, “Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it.”
So next time you find your mind in a storm, consider: How can you be the calm, wise captain of your thoughts? Because isn’t that what makes life more manageable? This ability to find stillness amidst the chaos, to create a harbor of peace within ourselves. Your calm center is always there, waiting for you to return. How will you navigate to it today?