Metacognition, thinking about what you think about
Metacognition may be the missing link. It may be the one thing that you need to practice that you never knew about. It could be the glue that binds all your self improvement efforts together.
What is metacognition?
Psychology Today defines metacognition as “the practice of being aware of one’s own thinking.” That’s deep and philosophical but it’s rooted in science. Neuroscientist Tara Swart wrote an entire book about mastering the practice of metacognition.
In her book,“The Source” Swart writes, “Developing metacognition, or ‘thinking about thinking’ and becoming ‘aware of one’s awareness,’ rather than functioning on autopilot is one of the main objectives of The Source.”
Swart believes that metacognition is all encompassing and includes consciousness, memory monitoring, self regulation, and self awareness. “Crucial capacities to regulate our own thinking and maximize our awareness and our potential to learn and change” are all part of the metacognitive process,” Swart writes.
That’s all there is to it. It’s such a simple and obvious concept. Of course we all practice metacognition and of course we’re fully aware of our own thinking.
Or, are we?
There’s a lot of thinking to think about
According to a 2020 study at Queen’s University in Canada, the average human being has about 6200 thoughts each day.
There’s no way you can possibly be aware of them all and there’s certainly no way you can think about all of them.
Fortunately, the human brain is designed to filter out most of those thoughts. You don’t have to deal with the ones that aren’t important to you.
What about the thoughts that you do care about?
Thoughts that slip past the gatekeeper, whether conscious or unconscious, have the power to affect how you feel and what you do. Fleeting negative thoughts can ruin your day and persistent negative thoughts can ruin your life.
Metacognition can help you amplify positive thoughts. It can also help you notice, reframe and rethink negative thoughts.
How to practice metacognition
There are lots of ways to discover, nurture and improve upon your metacognitive efforts. Here’s a just a few
Observe your thoughts - In his book “Modern Wisdom Ancient Roots” Srikumar Rao introduces this quiet practice. Sit comfortably and quietly, close your eyes and pay attention to your thoughts. Don’t judge the thoughts, just become aware of them.
Ask yourself the right questions - Consider asking yourself self reflective questions about the things that you’re thinking about and about belief systems that might be holding you back.
For example: What thoughts reinforce the belief that I can’t become a millionaire that I can’t achieve that promotion? Are there circumstances that, or people who influence what I think about myself?
Accurate thinking - Are the things that you think about true?
For example: Have you really tried “everything” to lose weight? Do you really believe that the person who insulted you is an ‘idiot”? Does it really matter that the guy in the pickup truck cut you off twenty minutes ago?
Utilize the power of Neuroplasticity - In metaphorical terms, your brain has the ability to rewire itself, no matter how old or how young you are. Every time that you think a new thought your brain creates a new neural pathway to support that thought. Each time you re-think the same thought, your brain reinforces the network that’s already been created. Using metacognition gives you the power to change, delete or solidify throughts, thus giving you the power to change your brain and subsequently your life.
What’s the science?
According to Swart metacognition is a function of the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. Located at the front of the prefrontal lobe, Very Well Health says that the area affects behavior, personality, and executive function.
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“The PFC monitors sensory signals from other regions and uses feedback loops to direct our thinking by constantly updating our brain depending on what is playing out in the outside world,” Swart says.
Our Thoughts
Metacognition is another human superpower. If we’re not using it as a tool to monitor and improve the quality of our thoughts, we’re meandering through life on autopilot. Ritu and I frequently utilize Srikumar Rao’s technique of observing our thoughts. It’s an incredibly powerful and wonderfully simplistic exercise. The effort not only provides an opportunity to become aware of what you’re thinking, it creates separation between you and your thoughts.
We so often forget that we are not our thoughts. You are not all the negative things that you might be thinking about. Just watching the thoughts pass by on the screen of your mind creates separation. That separation, that recognition that you are not your thoughts may just be the metacognitive game changer you’ve been looking for.
The Synergy newsletter is powered by Envisage Wellness. At Envisage Wellness, Ritu Chib-Eiven and Mitch Eiven approach psychotherapy and coaching a little differently. In both areas our objective is to give you the tools to empower you to discover your own healing or your own path toward achievement. This newsletter is designed to be an extension of that effort. We’ll keep it short and helpful.