[Float Tank] Defragmenting Your Daydreams

Most people meditate to clear their minds of thoughts. I meditate to defragment the thoughts in my mind that chatter. I organize the idle ideas that linger loudly. Float tanks are specialized daydreaming spots for me, like the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in Dragon Ball Z, because that hour or four you’ve booked is reserved for you tending to your thoughts. Sensory deprivation chambers can be overwhelming if you’re not fully ready to declutter your mind.

How It Works
The tank really isn’t much different than a bathtub other than salt and persistent warm temperature. You’re not really locked in, though a float tank can feel similar in a small way, because it’s not a trivial matter of arriving inside the chamber. Booking the room is easy. Preparing to get inside the chamber and detaching from your daily duties for a time is hard. You tend to get used to being attached to stresses.

Stresses Of Life
It’s easy to get upset over the little things. Stress demons tend to consume our thoughts. When I’m particularly stressed out, my dreams will represent aspects of that stress. I had a job once where exposure to certain areas would make me sick instantaneously. My dreams had dangerous abandoned buildings I’d wander around. Float tank sessions are a way to get to that dreamlike state while being awake so I can explore those thoughts more.

Dreams And Goals
Part of the exploration process while in the dedicated brainstorming chamber, so to speak, is that I’ll think about what will make me happier or make my life better. Especially if I’m frequently thinking negatively or angrily. I’ve had some really breakthrough thoughts while floating. Compared to outside the tank, where I might have a few seconds to flesh out an idea before being distracted, inside I could easily spend thirty minutes developing one idea.

Worrying Over Mistakes
The major inhibitor preventing me from recommending sensory deprivation chambers to anyone is we’re zombies to this modern technojunkie society. We revel in sensory overload to forget the stresses of our daily lives. Shitty commute? Rude dudes? Unfulfilled life? Distract yourself with mindless entertainment! When you brainstorm at length, you start tugging away at that false foundation, where too much too quick can be overwhelming. Calm reflection is the warmup, float tanks are the workout.

Sitting With Thoughts
My approach is that hiding from a concern will not solve it. If you’re stressed out about something, you have to be willing to sit with the idea long enough to figure out what bothered you about it. That can take time, and over-analysis can be overwhelming, so that’s why most of your day should be spent ignoring the stresses that come up. They’re simply not worth your time.

When you get to a point where you’re in a positive mindspace, then think about some things that upset you, so you can file them away. These thoughts will eventually become less pervasive, becoming more like beacons, guiding you toward happiness.

My big goal is writing. My most important goal is writing "The Story." All other goals should work toward that central goal. My proudest moment is the most recent time I overcame some fear, which should have been today. I'm a better zombie than I was yesterday. I'm not better than you and you're not better than me. Let's strive to be better every day.