Sitting at the dining room table talking with a friend about the days of drinking and all of the things that come with that brings me extreme gratitude and excitement, that I am not acting the way I used to. My best thinking when I was drinking (or using other mind altering substances) got me in major trouble in most domains of my life.
Specifically, my parenting, employment and relationships were affected and all driven by irrational emotion. I was out of options and my thinking was irrational although I wouldn't have believed at the time if you told me as much.
First what is clear and rational thinking?
Higher Education Digest says that rational thinking is a process. It refers to the ability to think with reason. It encompasses the ability to draw sensible conclusions from facts, logic and data. In simple words, if your thoughts are based on facts and not emotions, it is called rational thinking.
Rational thinking focuses on resolving problems and achieving goals. It is largely developed by the means of regular practice.
This concept requires different skill sets in different situations and is built on some essential parameters such as developing perspectives, making connections, and communicating ideas.
Rational thinking enhances analytical power. This disciple plays a massive role in improving ones vision. It expands capacity to easily grasp things and absorb them much faster. This in turn increases brainpower and helps them grow up to be more logical and reasonable people.
Rational thinking helps in framing individual opinions. Rational thinking is the ability to consider, access, organize, and analyze relevant information and then arrive at a systematic conclusion. Through this process, one can sort out different ideas, pick aspects they like best and also voice their opinions more confidently.
This in turn one can gain respect and attention from society, perform well academically and also align themselves to the demands of rapidly changing times.
Rational thinking widens insight and intellect. Rational thinking encourages minds to observe, think and question intelligently. This technique helps one to comprehend situations and problems more holistically. Widening the outcomes to consider, also enables one to stay prepared for both the best as well as the worst. This is an important trait that makes one fit to survive the outside world.
So, what are the tips:
Accept the challenge to develop your rational thinking. Becoming more rational begins with changing the way you process through events and the way that you think. Instead of looking at this change as work, try viewing it as a challenge or an opportunity to grow.[1] Begin to be more rational by trying the following.
Make a commitment out loud to yourself to grow. Try saying, “I will accept this challenge to change, to learn, and to grow by developing my ability to think rationally.”
Determine if you are operating from your “rational mind” or your “emotional mind.” In rational mind your thinking is focused and more logical, utilizing past experience, facts, and research to help you plan and make decisions. In emotional mind your thinking is reactive, sometimes illogical, and uses emotions to plan and make decisions.
Confront your cognitive biases. A key to thinking rationally is to be honest about cognitive biases you may have.[2] As a rational thinker, you will be called upon to make your own opinions and have the rationale to back them up. Make an effort now to confront any tendencies you may have to think in ways that detract from your good judgment or rational thinking ability. If you find yourself jumping to conclusions or making assumptions, you may have stumbled upon a bias you can work on.
Consider the cognitive biases that are possible for you to have such as availability heuristic, bandwagon effect, or confirmation bias.
Think objectively about what biases you may exhibit or experience.
Confront that bias and change it by consciously taking a step back and re-evaluating those assumptions.
Develop a system or approach to improve your rational thinking. After accepting the challenge to develop your thinking and researching and confronting your biases, you have already taken the first few steps in a plan to become a more rational thinker. Continue to develop and begin to enact a plan to achieve what you want. The key to working on this plan is to be consistent in your practice, whatever that may be. Try the following methods.
Keep an “intellectual” journal. Keep a journal separate from others you may have, and in it, describe situations that have occurred. Record your analysis by evaluating the situation, what happened in detail including what you thought and how you reacted. Write about what you learned about yourself, what could have gone differently, and how rational you reacted.
If you encounter a complex problem and are feeling overwhelmed, pause and break the elements of the problem down. Think through each element, figuring out and writing down your purpose in addressing that element, the question you are trying to answer, and what information you need to approach the problem rationally.
When you notice you are feeling a strong or negative emotion, again pause and analyze. Ask yourself what the thought is that is leading to the emotional reaction and how that might be flawed. Ask yourself what you are basing your thought on that is leading to the emotional reaction. Evaluate that information for reliability.
If you struggle with responding to situations rationally, it's extremely important to identify the reason behind that. Usually, it means that you're tired and need a break before making a decision. Or, it could mean that a value of yours is being stepped on or a need of yours isn't being met.
So, if you need support developing rational thinking skills please reach out.
In gratitude and respect to you for reading, Tiffany
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