Descartes,
the great philosopher, made his famous statement: “I think, therefore I am.”
Accordingly, we think and we become what our thoughts say we are.
Our
thoughts are based on our experiences, or rather our perceptions of
those experiences as well as our projections of those experiences in the
future. Our thinking minds continuously alternate between thoughts of our past
experiences and projections of those experiences in the future. Indeed, many of
us are compulsive thinkers; that is, we think continuously—even in our
sleep in the form of dreams in our subconscious minds. Because our minds are
thinking non-stop, we are constantly identifying ourselves with our thoughts in
our subconscious minds, whether we want it or not, causing confusion and
self-delusion—the source of mental stress. Therefore, it is important that we
need to stop our compulsive minds whenever we choose to, just as we turn
off our computers. That may be a little difficult, but not totally impossible.
Stress is mental
perception of fear based on our past experiences. Once the input is stored in
our subconscious minds, it begins to generate negative thoughts that control
our conscious minds, leading to anxiety and fear. Given that many of us
are compulsive thinkers, our non-stop thinking minds begin not only to dwell on
those thoughts of anxiety and fear, but also to believe in their realities. A
compulsive mind is a stressful mind that creates chronic stress.
The only way to stop a
compulsive mind is to stop the thinking process temporarily to give the mind a
break. This can be achieved through meditation, or simply practicing mind
training, such as mental attention or concentration on the present moment.
In
your everyday life, you can practice mind training to focus on the present
moment. Essentially, you are giving your full attention to what you are doing
at that very present moment. For example, you can focus your mind on your
walking. Pay close attention to every step, every movement of your hands and
feet, your breathing, and your body sensations while you are walking. Many
people do their walking while listening to their music, or worse, talking on
the phone; they are not letting their minds focus on the present moment.
Practice mind training to
stop the compulsive mind for stress relief and stress management.
A Course in Mind Power: Learn how to control your thoughts; instead of letting your thoughts control your mind. To live a stress-free
life, your mind has to be in control of your thoughts, which affect your
choices and decisions in life, which then become your life experiences.
Stephen
Lau
Copyright© by Stephen
Lau
