Philosophers and neuroscientists alike have discussed and argued over the states of consciousness and the mind itself. Whether it's all just a bunch of cells working together perfectly or whether we have a soul that's behind it all. Obviously, these are some very big and difficult questions that I certainly do not have answers to.
However, I think they're fun to discuss and think about. The ideograph 'Consciousness' is interesting in of itself. How do we describe consciousness? How do we determine it? Are there varying levels of it? If you're interested in some philosophical talk then that's where I'm headed. Feel free to disagree, this is just me following a logical thought process.
I'd like to take the question of whether there are varying levels of consciousness into consideration. To begin, we need to state an axiom that there are different levels of consciousness. The subconscious is an obvious one (i.e. dreaming), and it will be deemed the deepest level of consciousness. It is on a level separate to others because it is very difficult to access and we do not notice it during our waking hours.
So, where we will really begin is at the other end of the spectrum, the most evident level of consciousness. When our attention is focused on the task at hand. Activities like working out, swimming, learning something new. Activities that require your full attention bring out this level of consciousness. There is no thinking ahead or worrying about plans later in the day, just the task at hand.
Leading me to the next level, time management and thinking ahead. This level of consciousness requires us to plan for the future. This goes along the lines of planning out a vacation, saving money, organizing a function. Thinking beyond what is happening at that moment.
The level beyond that, I would argue, is the voice inside your head, your inner monologue as it has been referred to. This is the aspect of thought that, when you think of an idea, tells you if it would be a good idea or not. For example, if I were to think 'I'm going to go outside in the snow with shorts and a t-shirt on' my inner monologue would say, 'hey that's a bad idea, you could get frostbite and seriously hurt yourself'. This level of consciousness makes decisions and is where abstract thinking occurs. It is easy to not notice it because, throughout the day when we make similar decisions regularly, it does not need to be depended upon as heavily.
The next level to be considered is the unconscious state of mind. This is where psychologists like Carl Jung and Frued studied the mind. Not a lot is known about it, except that it is where some deep memories can be stored. Typically, traumatic experiences may lie in our unconscious state. If you're interested more in this state I would recommend looking into reading or just how Libre Novus: The Red Book by Carl Jung was written. I don't have a lot of information about it, partially because I don't have a lot of access to my own unconscious.
None of this will help you solve any immediate problems. It is more for interesting discussion. It can lead to a stronger sense of awareness, though, which is always beneficial.
