Putting the mind to better use
The mind will likely drive up the fears by bringing up unwarranted comments like “oh no, you’re going to be broke” or “it’s a bad market now, you’re never getting a job” or “you’re going to lose your car and your home”. The idea is to stop the mind from its incessant fear-mongering and establish a consensus by having a chat with it. For example:
You: What is the worst that can happen? Mind: You will be broke and homeless. You: Is that the case now? Mind: No. You: So, there’s still time to figure things out, correct? Mind: Yeah, I guess. You: Ok, so let’s do that now.
This way, we put the mind to better use in finding a solution or making a plan to deal with the situation. Even as you’re making the plan, the mind may have instances of buts and ifs, just put aside the planning and deal with what comes up by questioning it until the mind quietens and works in your favour.
> Discern between the mind and you You are not the mind. How do you know this for sure? Try to quieten the mind just for a minute or two. Do you notice that even as the mind is quiet, there is an awareness of everything around you and even of the mind? That awareness is you.
The mind is just an instrument that records everything that you experience and perceive in life. It’s a programme that influences you in how to deal with the world.
You are above the mind, the being that can control the mind and who is capable of seeing the world with fresh eyes in the present moment without letting past baggage, fears and judgments to cloud your perspective.
If you really want to overcome a fear or limitation, which is the cause of so much of the stress in our life, just be aware as much as you can and notice the tendency to react or behave by habit to a completely new situation.
For example, you’re used to attending stressful meetings at work. If you go in expecting stress, that is what you will get. Try, going in to the meeting with a fresh outlook.
Leave your past experiences outside the door before you enter the meeting. Give it a chance that it can go well.
You will find to your surprise, your experience to be different from the past ones. This is when you realise how the mind has tricked you.
> Think differently Every time you think, a few neurons gets triggered. Repeated thinking triggers 500 neurons. According to neuroscience, neurons that fire together, wire together and form neural pathways. It just takes a person eight to 21 times thinking about something a certain way, to create a neural pathway. Belief is actually a neural pathway in our brain. So we have two choices in overcoming our negative beliefs Ω continue to believe it or choose to think differently. When we think positively, a new neural pathway is created and the old one will eventually be eliminated
> Know your foundation One of the methods that is often recommended to train your mind is positive affirmations. However, first ask yourself what is the foundation of your positive affirmation. For example, if your affirmation is to attract wealth, ask yourself if you are feeling there is a lack of money in your life. If your mind or you only know the feeling of lack, your affirmation won’t work. In this case, the best practice is gratefulness. When we are grateful, we feel abundant and thankful for what we have. That gives the mind the understanding of what abundance is and is able to help you gain more.
> Meditate If you are looking for a “quick-fix” to train your mind, the easiest way is actually through meditation.
The practice helps to rewire your mind naturally, it increases your awareness and helps you attain a more stable and controlled mind.
When we have conquered our minds, we are not seeing through rose-tinted glasses per se. But we see possibilities, even in challenging situations. The opposite, limits the way we look at things and closes us off to opportunities to living a more meaningful life. At this stage, our mind is open and so is our heart.
Information for this article was taken from several sources including a talk by ‘Thought Therapy’ founder Dr Niyas Meeran for CanSurvive Centre Malaysia. Meeran is an ayurvedic doctor and an international speaker on wellness, motivation and thought power. CanSurvive is a support and information service for cancer patients.