Restless Mind & Frustration | What Causes Anxiety?

When was the last time you looked at your thoughts? When was the last time you observed what they were doing? If you were to sit quietly for 60 seconds, what thoughts would enter your mind? Where does your mind take you?

You will find that your mind is constantly thinking. There is a conversation happening all the time, even while you are doing other tasks. When you are driving, taking a bath, eating — all the time, your mind is somewhere else. So why does the mind wander?

This has become the default state for us. When we are not engaged in complex tasks, our mind begins to wander. When it has nothing to focus on, it goes elsewhere. And what the brain does is it begins to remind you of the priorities in your life. For example, when you are washing the dishes, your mind will start thinking about other important things that you need to do during the day: I must call this person, I must remember to do this next.

It goes through what you have told your brain is important, and it feeds that information back to you. The brain reminds you: Don’t forget to do this, don’t forget to do that. Unresolved tasks or even unfulfilled desires come to mind. You might wonder what would happen if you won the lottery or relive an argument from the previous day, because your brain is saying: You’ve got something unresolved, and that’s the next thing to resolve.

How The Mind Wanders

Your brain is trying to be useful. It is giving you a list of things that need attention. Anything that is unresolved or unfinished, your brain brings it to your awareness. So, your brain and thoughts are often stuck in the future, thinking: What is the next thing that needs to be done?

If it drifts to the past, it might try to relive fond memories you wish to experience again. When there are no important tasks to think about, your mind becomes easily distracted. If you are sitting in a busy place, someone may walk past and catch your attention . Look at what that person is wearing , Oh, there’s my friend . Your mind is always eager to be distracted.

The nature of these distractions always carries some degree of desire or wanting. For example, imagine you're walking down the street, lost in thought, and suddenly a red Ferrari drives by. Your brain doesn't just acknowledge the Ferrari and return to what you were thinking. Instead, it starts to associate other thoughts with that red car: _Oh, my cousin wanted to buy that car , When was the last time I saw my cousin? , My cousin owes me money , I don't have enough money in the bank because my boss hasn’t given me a raise .

Before you know it, within about 15 or 20 seconds, your mind is somewhere completely different. You may now be thinking about climbing Mount Everest, visiting your grandmother’s house, or even craving a jam sandwich — all because of a passing red Ferrari.

The Consequences of Unresolved Thoughts

If your brain is constantly focused on something that is unfulfilled, it leaves you with a constant feeling of being unfulfilled. From the moment you wake up, the first thing you think about is what needs to be done. You run through all the tasks that need to be completed that day, and your mind is already unsettled.

Over time, your entire life becomes a series of tasks, and each day feels like a list of unfinished business. This creates a feeling of being perpetually unfulfilled. There is always something unresolved, always the next thing that needs to be done. And in this state, we set an expectation for how our life should be everything must go according to plan.

But life doesn’t go according to plan. Unexpected things happen, causing delays and interruptions. Sometimes people ask you to do things that disrupt your schedule, and because they don’t know your plan for the day, they become an obstruction. This leads to feelings of frustration, anxiety, impatience, and even a sense of being overwhelmed.

Overthinking, Distraction, and the Impact on Life

Overthinking seeps into every part of our lives. When you wake up with so many things to do, you might not have time to sit down and enjoy your breakfast. You rush through meals, eat fast food, and skip meaningful conversations because there’s always the next task waiting.

While technology allows us to complete tasks faster sending emails instead of letters, driving faster cars, eating faster meals we don’t gain more time. In fact, we feel like we are losing time, because there always seems to be more to do.

In all this activity and thinking, where are you in the process? With all these thoughts running around, where are you?

We tend to associate our identity with our thoughts. We say, These are my thoughts, These are my priorities , These are the things I need to do. We build a sense of identity around them. But are you really in control of all these thoughts?

In reality, the thoughts are jumping around, one leading to another, and you are simply following along. Occasionally, you may focus on a complicated task, but once the task is done, your mind wanders again. This wandering becomes the default state of your mind.

The Nature of the Restless Mind

The Gurus describe this restless mind as — unsettled, unreliable, and unpredictable. It jumps around in ten different directions, in love with external things, unable to be stilled or controlled. It runs after the distractions of the material world, and this mental wandering eventually consumes you.

The thoughts that continuously swirl in your mind are like poison. And with all of these thoughts, we say me, claiming ownership over them. We identify with these thoughts and say, This is who I am. But as long as you continue to associate with the content of your mind, you won’t find the peace you are looking for.

So, what can we do? Should we silence the mind? We sit in meditation, in prayer, or in contemplation, hoping to quiet the mind. But when silence doesn’t come, frustration arises. The more you try to silence your mind, the more difficult it becomes. The mind is like a child that won’t sit still.

Acceptance: The Key to Peace

So, what is the answer? Should we keep chasing silence? The truth is, the mind doesn’t want to be silenced. And the deeper truth is that within every restless thought, there’s a deeper desire for completion, for perfection.

There is a state of perfection deep within you, a state of completeness that your mind longs to return to. But how do we reach this state?

Guru Nanak Dev Ji in Japji Sahib teaches us: acceptance of the will. Not just for the big things in life, but for every moment. Accept that every moment is complete as it is, even if your mind tells you that things are unfinished. The universe is perfect right here, right now.

Remind yourself of this truth every moment: the universe is not imperfect, nothing is outside the will of the universe. Even if things seem incomplete, they are exactly as they are meant to be. Life is complete, and you need nothing more than what is right in front of you.

Your mind is constantly in the future or in the past, but if you stay in the present, you’ll realize something beautiful: life is passing you by, but the universe is already perfect.

Let this awareness become your daily practice, your reminder, your constant state of being. Because when you remember that everything is complete and in perfect order, all your desires and anxieties will be resolved.

This blog is based on one of the YouTube video , with some edits for improved clarity and flow.