The practice will keep your flexibility of mind in good shape. Over time, our new awareness of our thought process helps us become more attuned to when we’re slipping into fusion. The key signs to keep in mind are as follows:

1. Your thoughts seem predictable. You’ve had them plenty of times before, so much so that they seem to be part of who you are. Make a note of these thoughts, actually writing them down, and you can practice defusing from them over time.

2. You have a sense of waking up from a reverie. This means that you have disappeared into your thoughts for a time. You may even discover that a good deal of time has gone by and you’re now late doing something you were supposed to get done. When this happens, as in the leaves-on-a-stream exercise, try to back up your thoughts and identify the moment you disappeared. That will help with recognizing triggers.

3. Your thoughts become highly comparative and evaluative and begin wandering. When your mind is just noting what is effective—seeking functional coherence—once you notice it, the review quiets. If you find your mind going around in circles, or your evaluation becomes self-reflective and comparative, you’re due for defusion, as, for example, with this string of thoughts: “Can I claim that dinner as a charitable deduction? Yes, I think I can. I’m glad I thought of that. Others would miss it, but not me. I think even my tax advisor would have missed it.”

4. You catch your mind in overbusy mode, engaged in a wrestling match involving lots of contradictions, self-admonitions, and rules (“You are wrong, you do not need that donut! It will make you fat. Well, even fatter. That’s why people avoid you. Oh, come on, it’s just a donut . . .”).