Everything that shows up in our physical world begins to take shape internally (or mentally) before it shows up externally in our reality and understanding. This is a key to effective living. The mind – which is unlike the brain that it is often compared and confused with – is actually not a thing, but an activity. Mind is a verb not a noun, and it refers to the thinking process.
When this process feels chaotic and random, it can make life miserable and be a source of much mental, emotional and physical duress. While it’s naturally non-stop (and by nature difficult to control) what we can do is learn to separate ourselves from its activity. Most importantly, we want to be aware of it by its byproducts, which are thoughts. Much of the day, we’re thinking thoughts without paying attention to them. While we may not know that those thoughts are there, they still have an impact. Thoughts may be subconscious to us, but they’re not to the body, which is intimately aware of them . The body can respond with high blood pressure, suppressed immunity, psoriasis, acne, eczema and insomnia, among other health challenges.
To become aware of what you’re thinking, practice spending time noticing your thoughts for a couple of minutes a day. Instead of thinking thoughts or, even worse, believing them, try just being aware of your thoughts without being attached. Just observe thoughts go by from a detached point of view. When you’re able to watch your thoughts from this perspective, you’ll begin to control their impact on your body, and you’ll experience a sense of physical well-being, peace and freedom from an out-of-control mind.
