One of my approaches in therapy is to introduce the concept of Mindfulness as a way of engaging with our thoughts. To be mindful in and of itself is, in theory, quite an easy concept, however in practice it can be awfully hard to adopt because we have gotten so used to engaging with our thoughts in a certain way.
To be mindful is not about emptying our minds or reaching a state of nothingness. On the contrary, being mindful is about being fully aware of all the thoughts that are racing through our minds, and being able to take a step back, observe our thoughts and choose which thoughts we wish to engage with. It is about being fully present and engaging with what is in the here and now, rather than coasting through because we are too consumed with past regrets or future fears, robbing us of enjoying every moment we have.
School children are now starting to have mindfulness introduced into their curriculums, but for many us we were not taught how to engage with our thoughts. Our thoughts do not own us and we do not need to give into them, but many of us are trapped in our thoughts on a repeated cycle.
I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in the concept of Mindfulness. It is an 8 week course that is packed full of easy to read theory, whilst also introducing weekly mindfulness exercises that you build on, to cultivate a more mindful life. One of the exercises involves eating chocolate, so hopefully that will spark an interest for you!