Be Present and Intentional With Your Mind

I’ll be the first to admit—I’m a chronic overthinker. I worry, I ruminate, and I often find myself trapped in the mindset that life would be better “if I just had x, y, or z.” But deep down, I know that happiness doesn’t live in some distant destination. It’s in the journey. I’ve spent enough time in therapy to become extremely self-aware—sometimes even too self-aware, as my therapist once gently pointed out.

But recently, something my dad said really stuck with me:
“You’re in charge of where your energy goes…”

That simple phrase hit me harder than I expected. It made me pause and ask myself: Where is my energy going? Am I being intentional with it, or am I slipping into what I’ve started calling "screen saver mode"—just letting my mind drift wherever it wants?

Screen saver mode isn’t always bad. Sometimes, we need to zone out, to reset. But when I’m not grounded in a routine or acting with purpose, that mental drift can spiral into anxiety, self-doubt, and wasted hours. It becomes easy to let go of the reins and let my brain wander to places that don’t serve me.

So I’m working on a new habit, a new mantra:
“Am I putting my energy into things that serve my highest good?”

It’s not about forcing productivity every moment. Some of the things that serve us most—like rest, play, or simply being—don’t always look productive. But they nourish us. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s awareness. I want to be more intentional about where my thoughts go, how I spend my time, and what patterns I reinforce.

We’re not robots. We need breaks. But we also need to check in with ourselves. Notice. Reroute when needed. And gently guide our minds back to what matters most.