“My mind is driving me crazy!”
“I've got so much on my mind!”
“I'm out of my mind!”
- Do any of these expressions sound familiar to you? *Raises hand quietly at the back of the classroom.
I'm sure our “minds have driven us crazy” more than once or twice before, but actually (and ironically), we should be striving to be “out of our minds”. By “being out of your mind”, I mean being your authentic self, who you are beyond your mind. By “mind”, I mean your thoughts and feelings, the stories that we have created about ourselves and the world around us - our ego.
Only when we are “out of our minds” and in our true beings, can we find the peace that we crave when saying the expressions above. But how do we get there? What do you do when you need to “quiet your mind”? I can tell you what my answers would usually be: vent to friends, drink some wine, watch reality TV to numb the mind while actually projecting my own judgement on the characters to feel better about myse… Oops… See what happened there? Was my mind actually quiet during those moments? The answer is no, my mind was actually what was controlling me to do these things, telling me that they would numb me or make me feel better.
In reality, when I'm venting to my friends, it is often because my ego needs reassurance, not just to “let it out” as my mind would claim. If I truly wanted to let it out, I would observe my thoughts and feelings and let them pass, rather than fuelling them with more energy and importance, seeking validation from them. (NOTE: This is the opposite of surpressing your feelings, and I do not recommend that in any capacity, but more on that later!)
In reality, when I’m having a glass or two (or a few…) of wine, I'm doing exactly what I just said not to do - surpressing my feelings. And instead of “quieting my mind”, it has the opposite effect, it feeds the subconscious mind, which will be evident, particularly in the long term.
I reality, when I watch reality TV… Well, you know the rest!
Perhaps your answers would be similar to mine, or perhaps they would be more along the lines of what I believe would help me get “out of my mind” today:
praying
meditating
being aware
being present
being in your inner body
being one with nature
If they were any of these, we’re getting somewhere, and if not - don't worry, we will explore these more in the upcoming journal entries. Now, don't get me wrong, there isn't necessarily anything inherently bad about those other self-care methods I mentioned above. And who would I be to decide what is good or bad for someone trying to quiet their mind? That would be my mind judging, and certainly not being quiet. However, while I am not discouraging the aforementioned actions, I am encouraging us to think whether our actions truly do get us “out of our minds”, or whether we are using them as coping mechanisms that limit our true beings.
Question: When does my mind truly feel quiet?
Affirmation: I observe my mind and allow my thoughts and feelings to pass.
Yours Authentically,
Vanessa
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