Mindful Hack #84

“Your thoughts are not reality,” I heard a wise man say.

Huh? Of course they are! They’re in my head and I’m having them!

But as variations of this idea repeated itself over the years, I saw that thoughts aren’t “real” in the sense that they’re not tangible, factual, or reliable. They often seem to come out of nowhere and disappear in the same way. They are as transient as the weather and yet their power is equally formidable.

It is so easy to get caught up in a spiral of thoughts, and all too frequently harmful ones. Predisposed with what’s known as a negativity bias, our default is to assume the worst in every scenario. For our ancestors, it was necessary to perceive everything as a threat for survival, but the same isn’t true today for most of us living in this part of the world, and yet our thoughts often tell us otherwise.

Most of the time we’re not aware of what’s going on in our heads, and we can become slaves to repeated thoughts which become beliefs. But with a little conscious effort, we can change that. Practicing “mindfulness of thoughts” is a wonderful way to become more aware of the inner chatter, and with awareness we gain control rather than be controlled.

Our brains are incredible thinking machines, capable of conceptualizing, problem-solving, innovating and so much more. They can be our biggest enemy or our greatest tool, and the difference lies in awareness.

Do yourself the favour of tuning into your thoughts from time to time. If you find they’re on the negative side, question how “true” they are and consider shifting to something you can feel good about. The more we practice this, the more a peaceful mindset becomes second nature. And who wouldn't benefit from that?

Mindfully yours,

Adriane