Conscious Choices in Managing Thoughts

In one of my sessions, a client asked me:

“How do I figure out that I am actually not ignoring a thought, only for it to come back

later and make me overthink it?”

If you’ve ever had a similar question in your sessions or even in your own self-reflection, let me introduce you to a simple yet powerful concept I call “conscious choices.”

Imagine this: all the thoughts that come to you or that even exist in the world are part of a huge market, a thought market. Now, I hand you a thought basket to fill with ingredients for your daily thought recipe. Would you take every single item from the market and dump it into your basket? Of course not. You would carefully select only the ingredients you truly need for your recipe that day.

Thoughts are just like that. You cannot control what shows up in the market, and in the same

way, you cannot control every thought that enters your mind. Some will be useful, some will be random, and some will not serve you at all. But here’s the key you can choose which ones to place in your basket. You get to decide which thoughts deserve your time, focus, and energy, and which ones do not.

This process sounds simple, but let’s be honest, it isn’t always easy. It requires consistent

practice, gentle reminders to yourself, and a lot of patience. Unhelpful thoughts will keep trying to jump into your basket. That’s what minds do. But when you practice conscious choices, you don’t have to fight them or push them away. Instead, you acknowledge them, decide whether they belong in your basket today, and then move on.

And this is why it’s not the same as ignoring or suppressing a thought. When you ignore

something, it lingers in the background, waiting for the chance to resurface and drag you back into overthinking. But when you consciously decide that a thought doesn’t need your energy, you’ve already processed it. You’ve filed it away almost like sending it to the “unwanted” or “spam” folder in your mental inbox.

Over time, this small shift can make a big difference. Many of my clients have found this

approach helpful, because it breaks down the overwhelming flood of thoughts into a simple two-bin system:

1. Put my energy here

2. Does not require my energy

That’s it. Just two choices.

The beauty of this practice is in its simplicity. You don’t need complicated strategies or long

checklists. All you need is awareness and the willingness to pause for a moment when a

thought appears. Ask yourself: Does this belong in my basket today? If yes, give it space and

attention. If no, let it pass through without investing in it.

It may not happen perfectly every time, but that’s not the goal. The goal is to gradually train your mind to recognize that you have the power to choose. And once you realize that, you’ll notice how much lighter your thought basket feels, and how much calmer your days become.

So, try it yourself. Experiment with the thought market, practice filling your basket with only what you need, and see how this conscious choice-making works for you

About the Author:

Khushi Rawal is a counselling psychologist with a Master’s in Applied Psychology. Her

professional journey has taken her across hospitals, research labs, classrooms, and community initiatives, allowing her to work with diverse populations and concerns. From body image issues to pre-surgical assessments, she has engaged with individuals across different stages of life, each with unique stories and challenges. She her also contributed to the GARIMA Project by Gujarat Police, supported teaching and research, and worked with children with special needs. Her approach is rooted in empathy, evidence-based practice, and the belief that every story matters.