Mind Training
The mind is an incredibly powerful organ, in my estimation THE most powerful and also the most untapped and undertrained. Much of my work in mindfulness and now Neuroplasticity and mediation concentrate on harnessing the potential of our mind to support our health and wellness. My approach is three-fold, and I fundamentally believe that without each one of these pieces long-term success wellness isn't possible. MIND*BODY*SOUL
Many people experience anxiety and depression I struggled for many years which is in part why I am so dedicated to helping others. The rising rate of addiction, suicide and general depression is alarming. One of the most critical skills and habits to cultivate is the ability to question the worries or fears your brain is generating. Logic and dialogue are two tools that help to combat the power and intensity of a fear.
Take the classic childhood fear as a great example of how this can work. Imagine a child who is afraid of a monster underneath the bed. Telling this child they have nothing to fear does nothing to lessen that fear and often makes it worse.
What is quite helpful is to begin a conversation about the worry. Play a game of investigation and analysis, anxiety hates logic and organized thought.
Question: Have you ever seen a monster?
Answer: No
Question: Have you ever caught a monster under your bed before?
Answer: No
Question: How long have you been sleeping in this bed?
Answer: 5 years
Great, this information helps in our investigation of what IS not what could be.
Let's look at what we know for sure.
1- You have never in your entire life seen a monster
2- You have never caught a monster under your bed
3- You have slept 1,825 nights in this bed and seen a monster 0 times.
That seems like pretty convincing data to me. Now it’s time to talk back to fear and anxiety. Play detective, play analyst, work with the events and data concretely. Bring logic into the place of emotion and help the mind reorganize in a way that is clear, concrete and backed by history.
This example although based on a child’s fear is the same method we as adults need to use when anxiety rears its ugly head. Begin to question the worry and direct the fear. You will almost always find the fears are not grounded in fact nor historical precedence.
Once you have determined that the basis isn’t solid you begin to approach it with a warrior mentality. Every time fear or anxiety arises you have the internal conversation that it isn’t based in fact, helpful nor allowed anymore. Imagine lighting it on fire, stuffing it in a vault, or burying it 200 meters underground. The more you direct, talk back to and refuse to play into anxiety the less power it has. This is training, just like an athlete trains their bodies, this is training for the mind. If you are consistent and diligent not to feed your fears and anxiety with energy and time they will begin to suffocate and rather quickly diminish.