Spending time thinking rather than being mindful of your surroundings

[Elizabeth CP]

Going for my walk today (see Walking shoes Thread) I noticed that I spend a lot of my time thinking whereas others are more mindful of their surroundings. This got me thinking about which is better & when. 

Mindfulness helps you focus on the here & now thus stopping run away thoughts which is a benefit that I acknowledge even though I don't do it enough.

My question is should I be trying to be more mindful of my surroundings or is there a place for allowing thoughts to flow particularly when doing something like walking which doesn't require a lot of concentration. Sometimes having time to think is good because at home there are so many things needing attention so thoughts are focused on coping with what is happening now. Maybe allowing thoughts to flow gives the mind a chance to sort out what needs to happen without the restrictions imposed by focusing on what is needed right now. 

I'm not sure if I am making sense but wondered what others thought 

[white knight]

Hi Elizabeth

For me thinking can be a trap. Thinking, particularly when I ponder issues like my mental health, what this or that person said, can manifest itself to the point whereby my walk has no benefit to my mind.

The other way, to focus on nature, birds, koala, echidna (in my town boundaries) what others are growing in the garden and so on is to guarantee the distraction away from these other topics that fall into the worry field. But some like yourself might not view it as worry. I do.

I also have the benefit of my wife and our little dog as company and those two keep my concentration in check.

Just a side note. Back in my 20's my then girlfriend and I would go walking and hiking. On every occasion she would discuss her issues surrounding her psych visits or relationship issues. I didn't enjoy the walks at all. Her preoccupation with those topics seem to me at the time to be - not living life. Maybe a balance is required? Some walks might require that time spent pondering such deep thoughts, to clear your head. Then pledge to yourself that the next one will be filled with sightseeing?

Tony WK

Tony WK

[Maureen]

Hello Elizabeth and white knight. I find that I do both on my walks. I often think things through during my walks however when I notice that I'm more worrying or repeating the same thoughts i revert to mindfulness. I have noticed however that I enjoy my walks more if I am mindful.

[Elizabeth CP]

Thank you Tony& Maureen for your answers. I agree balance is required & Maureen, Your suggestion of stopping negative repetitive thoughts by using mindfulness & noticing what is around you is a good idea.

[JessF]

On this one I come back to the question asked in CBT, are the thoughts helpful?  There's a difference between needing thinking time to sort out a problem and just ruminating.  Maureen is on the right track for mine, going on a walk is I think intended to be a mindful activity, and if you're doing it on autopilot then you're probably not going to see the fullbenefit.