A thought is not an inert object. A thought is a living thing: it is both propelled and goal-directed. Thoughts bring into being the unanticipated. Thoughts activate neural connections and open up worlds. Reducing thoughts to objects takes the life out of them – stops them in their tracks, unable to continue on their path, spread activation, and open up worlds.

Sometimes we want them to stop – but that is a matter of the particular case, not a general rule.

Linguistic conventions keep tripping me up when I write about thoughts and thinking. It sounds like there is a little homunculus in the head listening to thoughts, encouraging them to proceed, or directing them to more worthwhile topics. Often if you try to do anything to or with thoughts, the thinking process will  stall. Just like with “choking” in sports: if you pay the wrong kind of attention to an action, you will disrupt its fluid unfolding.

Some behaviors are best performed on autopilot; scrutinizing them stops their flow. Behaviors require attentional resources, but this doesn’t mean the behavior itself should be the main object of attention. To focus on a behavior is to withdraw attentional resources that are best directed elsewhere – as required for the behavior to be successfully performed.  Baseball pitchers need to be aware of where they want the ball to go, which is impossible if they are focusing on the micro-movements of their throwing arm. The attentional field of speakers includes the facial expressions and movements of their listeners.

Focus on the thought and close off access to the well of inspiration that continually feeds into the thought. Focus on the thought and stop the thought. But the water will resume flowing soon enough.

Some thoughts and thought-streams lead to slightly lower mood – so what? A slightly lower mood isn’t the end of the world. If a line of thought leads to identification of problems, unresolved issues or as yet unrealized goals, fine – that realization may not make you jump for joy, but it’s still good to know. Going from an 8 to a 6 on the happiness scale isn’t a tragedy. Occasionally dipping down to 3 or 4 on the happiness scale doesn’t portend general unhappiness.

Some patterns of thought are like family. A few words out of their mouths and you know where they’re going. After a while, you know that when Uncle Fred starts talking about those damn Republicans, he’s just going to go on another rant, which doesn’t help anyone’s mood or increase their understanding. So you learn to nod, confirm, and then gently steer the conversation elsewhere. So it is with thoughts.

Words point to something beyond themselves. When you “accept” a thought, that means you have not resisted an arbitrary stopping point in the potentially endless signifying. But the last thought is not the last word is not the full story; it’s just a snapshot of one spot in the stream of meaning-making.  When does a “thought” begin and “end”?  Who is to say that a few mind-words constitute a full “thought”? When you “accept” the beginning of a thought but then redirect attention to something in the external environment, you very well may be nipping the thought in the bud. At some point, you decide to stop the spreading activation. That’s a decision – often a good decision. It’s not because the possibilities have been exhausted but that you’ve decided pursuing them is no longer worth it.

“Being” with the flow of thoughts and feelings, and not trying to cut them off through redirection of attention, can generate good things and bad things. Sometimes it helps to “be” with thoughts and feelings, to let them carry one along for awhile, for them to work themselves out, or for us to become desensitized to them, or for us to learn or change through them. But cutting them off is also fine, depending. Sometimes we want to focus on the task at hand. Sometimes we’ve heard the same old song many times before and find little value in listening once again.

Making it a general principle to “accept, then redirect” thoughts –  that is, to accept the initial manifestations of a thought stream and then redirect attention to the “present” –  reflects low regard for what thought streams have to offer. The technique of labeling moods and emotions reflects a similar devaluation of emotional life. To label is to engage in shallow processing. This is sadness; this is anger. These are all ways of constraining thoughts and blunting emotions. To label is to reduce, to make small. It’s no accident that labeling people is considered rude – it’s diminishing and a sign of prejudice.