Strategies for Training Your Mind
Thursday, April 28th, 2005Today’s fast paced existence or life if you could call it that often puts every one of us in difficult situations where fear and anxiety dominate our day. The frequency and complexity of problems that arise and need to be dealt with weakens both our minds and our bodies, making us incapable of finding the right solutions.
There are several ways to improve your power of concentration and to learn how to relax your mind and prepare it for future struggles. Your body responds to what your mind dictates, but most of the times it does this on a subconscious level. If you manage to tap into this vital resource, which is your subconscious mind, you get an extra edge in dealing with all problems that surround you. Fear paralyses us and makes life more difficult than it should be.
Firstly, try to change your daily regime. Not much, just a bit, but be very conscious about the changes. In the evening, try to recall all the events that took place in a day. This has been used by all spiritual people down through the ages and can be looked upon as taking an inventory of your day. Quickly analyze the highlights of the day and check for any gaps in your memory. If you fail to remember details about an issue you want to recall this is a good indication that you momentarily failed to concentrate during that timeframe. In essence you were asleep, unconcious, not in the sense that we normally think of it but because you were not aware of what was going on around you this tells you that you had retreated into some fantasy/daydream or negative patterns of self talk which are very destructive.
It is also a good idea to write down the positive and negative aspects of your day with the view to making improvements. Writing them down alone will make this task a lot easier and will program your subconcious mind to get to work at a deeper level.
You may also try to diversify the way you live. Again, changes don’t have to be drastic. If today is no different than yesterday and the day before you might want to include new elements in your life. You could start practicing a sport or maybe giving a shot to a hobby you never practiced before. Repetitive and dull actions slowly push your mind in a state of semi hibernation, which slows down your responses to the issues around you.
Stimulating your mind by engaging it in a new activity always has good results. You don’t have to play heavy mind involving games (such as chess, for example) to do this. Try the simple things first: take a different route on your way to work, buy another brand of laundry detergent. Try to travel by bus, if you normally use a car and stand up on a chair to have a different perspective of your bedroom.
The mind is so used to the same old routine that we are like walking talking robots. We are essentially programmed to behave in a certain way and even the simplest of activites can be difficult to change. This is where you need to take the first steps.
You can also engage your mind in other interesting activities such as meeting new people or seeing old friends. Give a call to an old high school friend and go out for some coffee or a beer. Your talks will surely trigger a chain of events that you store in your mind but almost never utilize. Still, this would be a good exercise for the mind and, more importantly, a pleasant experience for you.
There are many things you dislike or despise in life. Give them a chance, try to view them from another perspective. If there is a person you hate try to put yourself in his or her shoes for a few minutes. Try to see yourself through the eyes of people around you and objectively observe your actions and beliefs. Try to let a clear mind analyze events that you find annoying and ignore the preconceptions that urge you to judge a person or event in a certain way.
All of the above are just some simple exercises that will help you face your problems better prepared. Do not over do any of them and let them integrate naturally into your way of life. You may soon look in the mirror and see a happier you!
Visit our home page:
Conceive and Believe
And discussion forum:
Self Improvement Discussion Forum
Popularity: 20% [?]