P S Y C H O L O G Y | M I N D & B O D Y
8 A P R I L 2 0 1 5
You are not your mind, and you are most
definitely not your thoughts. However, your mind is a part of you, a tool for you to utilize as and when you need. You are not your mind, and you are most definitely not your thoughts. However, your mind is a part of you, a tool for you to utilize as and when you need. It is important that you look after it, and ensure that you are in charge of it, and that it is not in charge of you. You may feel as if you’ve walked into a science fiction novel here. How can my mind be in control of me? Isn’t my mind just part of me? Am I being controlled by some kind of alien mind force? What the…? Just take a moment to think about it. Your mind generates thousands and thousands of thoughts every day. In fact, on average, we each have around 70,000 thoughts a day. That’s a lot of thoughts. How many of those thoughts are you aware of? Not 70,000, that’s for sure. So, keeping that statistic in mind, I’m sure you can imagine how easy it can be for your mind to go into autopilot and take charge of what you’re thinking and doing. Become Aware Don’t worry, I’m not implying that you can or should be aware of all your thoughts. However, if you aren’t aware of any of them, or if you aren’t aware of whether they’re trending positive or negative, your mind may be starting to take control of you. And that’s not a good situation to be in. It’s important to have a healthy mind, with an awareness of our thoughts and of the effect these thoughts are having on us. Below are a couple of tips that will help to ensure your mind stays healthy and that you are able to keep your thoughts in check…… Keep the brain active. It can be simple and enjoyable to challenge your mind, and in the process you are taking preventative action to ward off diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia. These challenges may take the shape of new physical skills – dancing or tennis; or mental exercises such as crossword puzzles, learning a new language, reading a challenging new book, or understanding a new computer system. By exercising your brain you are keeping it healthy and less susceptible to deterioration. Meditate. It’s good for you! And there is plenty of evidence to prove it. After reviewing a lot of documentation, both online and off, here are just some of the benefits of meditation: i. Healing – decreased blood pressure and hypertension, lower cholesterol levels, improved immunity, reduced anxiety, and much more. ii. Reducing stress and burnout – regular meditation reduces accumulated stress and develops a state of restful alertness. iii. Enhancing your concentration, memory, and ability to learn – meditation is a powerful tool for awakening new neural connections and even transforming regions of the brain. You will find that when you can disconnect yourself from your mind life becomes much more peaceful, much deeper, and much happier. |
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