So I was scrolling through some weird self-help forums last night, avoiding actual work, when this “Ockham Mental Language” thing kept popping up. Sounded like nonsense honestly – another internet guru trying to sell snake oil. But hey, curiosity killed the cat, right? Figured I’d waste 20 minutes seeing what the fuss was about before going to bed. Spoiler: I stayed up way too late.
My First Try: Pure Awkwardness
Found a free intro guide – not paying for anything yet. Basic idea? Strip your thoughts down to the absolute simplest words. Like, caveman simple. Forget fancy vocabulary or complete sentences in your head. The claim? It cuts out all the mental noise and makes thoughts clearer.
Sat on my couch, tried thinking about my messy kitchen. My brain immediately went wild: “Ugh, that overflowing sink is disgusting, why do I always let it pile up, need to scrub the counter stains probably should use vinegar this time maybe baking soda…” Total chaos.
Ockham method says: Nope. Gotta force it super simple. Tried again:
See sink?
Sink full.
Dishes dirty.
Put away clean?
Clean counter.
Felt dumb as hell. Like I’d lost half my IQ points. But weirdly… the frantic panic about the kitchen chores actually quieted down. The messy pile became just “Sink full.” One problem, not ten tangled together. Okay… maybe not total nonsense.
Actually Using It On Real Stress
Next day, work email hits: client unhappy, deadline moved up. Classic stress spiral started brewing in my chest. Here we go:
First thought tornado: “Oh crap they hate the work it’s gonna take all night to fix this maybe I messed up maybe they’re unreasonable how do I explain this to my boss…”
Forced Ockham mode:
Client email.
Wants changes.
Deadline sooner.
Do what?
Make changes.
Again, felt ridiculous. But? That choking anxiety lightened a bit. The mountain of worries shrunk into three actual, doable points:
- Read email again slowly.
- List needed changes.
- Reschedule tonight’s work.
Where It Actually Stuck
Kept practicing for a few days:
- Meeting anxiety: “People watching” became “Talk points. Listen.”
- Deciding dinner: “Fridge chicken? Cook? Order pizza?” instead of debating recipes for ten minutes.
- Argument replay: Changed “Why did she say that, that was unfair, I should have said…” to “She angry. Why angry? Need to ask.”
The big win? It’s not about thinking less, but thinking clearer. All that messy internal monologue, the background mental noise trying to do fifteen things at once? Ockham forces it to do one simple thing at a time. Less mental vomit, more mental notepad points. It’s strangely calming once you get past feeling like Tarzan. Still sounds kinda stupid explaining it, but hey, my head feels less crowded. I’ll keep using it.
