Brian Johnson shares breathing expert Patrick McGown's techniques for quieting mental noise. A USC study found we have roughly 70,000 thoughts daily, with 80-90% considered unproductive. Three methods work: nasal diaphragmatic breathing, focusing attention on your body, and staying present.
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You're listening to Optimize with Bryan Johnson. More wisdom in less time. Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another optimize plus one. Patrick McGown is one of the world's leading experts on optimal breathing. When I interviewed him recently, he made a very interesting point. He said that we spend all of our lives in school learning how to think, but that we're never taught how to stop thinking. Fact is, most of our thinking isn't thinking at all. We're simply looping the same unproductive thought over and over again. According to a study done at USC, the average person has 70,000 thoughts per day. And according to some experts, 80 to 90% of those thoughts are useless. That's crazy. Literally. It's also really enervating. We waste a ton of energy spinning our mental wheels, creating more stress and anxiety and fatigue while diminishing our performance and well being, which is not a winning combination. So learning how to stop thinking is a very important skill. Patrick's number one tip on how to master the art of not thinking. Breathe. Specifically, breathe through your nose deeply but lightly into your diaphragm. One of Patrick's big ideas. We'll talk about more in another plus one. It's the fact that we all breathe way too much, which paradoxically decreases the amount of oxygen released into our cells. For now, breathe through your nose deeply but lightly and ah. Our mind has slowed down. All that wasted energy is recouped. And by the way, two other ways to stop the mental chatter. Put your attention on your body equals number two. And the final tip from Patrick. Immerse yourself in the present moment. Let's think productively when it's appropriate to do so and then get really good at turning that brain off. To learn more about the 300 day Optimize coach program, visit Optimize Me Coach. Hi, this is Brian with some super exciting news. Optymyze is now absolutely free. All 600 philosopher's notes, the 50101 masterclasses, thousand optimize plus ones free. So what do you want to optimize today? Your productivity? Habits? Sleep? Mental toughness? We've got 33 categories here, each of which comes with its own Optimal Living. 101 Masterclass and a collection of philosopher's notes to help you go to your next level with more wisdom in less time. We've had tens of thousands of people from nearly every country in the world sign up for our premium membership offering, which we have now made. Did I mention absolutely free. Come join us. Optimize me more wisdom in less time. Let's optimize every aspect of your life so we can go out and change the world one person at a time, together. Starting with you and me today.
