Garbage of the Mind: What Are You Feeding Your Thoughts?

Where Do Thoughts Come From?

It’s wild to think that something as small as the human brain—roughly 3 pounds—can generate around 70,000 thoughts a day. That’s nearly 49 thoughts a minute, every single day, all streaming from the most complex organ in your body. While many thoughts are automatic responses to what we see or need—like noticing the weather or craving a snack—others are shaped by our past, our beliefs, and yes… even our social feeds.

Some thoughts feel helpful. Others? Not so much. In this blog series, we’re focusing on a category we call “Garbage of the Mind.”

🧠 The Brain Acts Like a Muscle (and a Sponge)

While technically an organ, your brain behaves like a muscle that strengthens with repetition and a sponge that soaks up whatever you expose it to. It takes in data from every experience, conversation, app, and interaction, and then uses that data to shape your inner dialogue.

The challenge? Not everything we consume is healthy—or even true. And when you regularly feed your brain negativity, self-criticism, or comparison, it starts to believe and repeat those patterns without question.

🗑️ What Is Garbage of the Mind, Exactly?

“Garbage of the mind” refers to the unfiltered, unhelpful, often toxic mental clutter we accumulate from daily life. It’s the voice that says “You’re not good enough,” the jealousy sparked by someone else’s curated Instagram reel, the hopelessness after watching back-to-back breaking news alerts. It’s any thought or pattern that steals your joy, muddies your self-worth, or clutters your clarity.

This mental buildup doesn’t just feel bad—it crowds out space for the thoughts that actually serve you: peace, gratitude, confidence, curiosity, and rest.

🧹 Clear the Clutter, Reclaim Your Mind

The good news? Garbage can be thrown out. In upcoming posts, we’ll explore practical, therapist-approved ways to identify the junk, interrupt the cycle, and replace toxic thought patterns with ones that support emotional wellness.

Because when we clear the garbage, we make room for purposeful, powerful thinking—the kind that leads to growth, not guilt.