“ If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place “- Lao Tzu
We are all well informed now a days on the importance of daily exercise and good nutrition as a way to support a healthy productive life. Good food fuels us and exercise energizes us and that equates to all sorts of positives without a doubt. From good health to increased productivity, the benefits are endless.
But here is the thing; real wellness and fueling your potential encompasses more than just eating right and exercising. The benefits that accompany investing in mind support will bring clarity and an awareness that will empower you on a whole new level.
When you clear your mind and change your thoughts, quite literally, you can change your life.
These 10 simple practices will help you to support and clear your mind every day.
Remember, the sky is not the limit, your mind is.
Harness The Power Of Your Mind – Simple Strategies That Can Change Your Life
1: Rise and really shine
You have the power to set your mood for the day as soon as you open your eyes. When you wake, your brain is coming out of a slower brain wave state. What does that mean? It means that your mind is susceptible and receptive to your ideas and thoughts.
Before you get out of bed, decide what sort of day you are going to have.
Ask yourself, “What kind of day am I going to have?” Are you going to have a good day or a great day?
You actually create your mindset for the whole day while you are still in this slower brain state, quite simply by making a choice.
2: Cultivate the habit of being grateful
Instead of hitting that snooze button on your alarm for an extra few minutes of sleep; spend the time focussing on all the things that you are grateful for in your life. You could even invest in a gratitude journal and keep it by your bed. Gratitude can transform an ordinary day into an exceptional day. When you start filling your mind with all the wonderful things in your life, you may actually realise that you are richer than you think.
3: Positive thoughts attract positive life experiences
Start paying attention to your thoughts. For the next 24 hours, really pay attention to what you are filling your mind with. This will assist you to firstly recognise if and how often you are having negative thoughts and secondly it will also begin the necessary process of interrupting this destructive habit.
Negative thinking can be an easy habit to develop, especially if you are surrounded by negative people or are just feeling overwhelmed. Like any other bad habit, you can actually break it, but the key to change is to identify the habit and acknowledge how often you are doing it.
There are so many simple ways to disrupt negative thoughts –
Sometimes negative thinking is the result of poor perspective. Take the time to consider how you might be viewing a challenging situation. Reframing a negative can change the situation instantly.
For example – You might be thinking that life is hard. Instead, reframe that thought to, Life is challenging but I am working through it day by day and I am getting stronger minute by minute.
When you recognise that your thoughts are in a downward spiral, go for a quick walk or get up and move to another location. Often a shift or change of scenery can shut down those destructive thoughts in a heartbeat.
4: Mind noise – Turn it off
With social media, the internet, phones, emails, texting, we are continuously available to the whole world. Anyone can connect any time anywhere. We have access to each other continuously. Are you online and available 24/7?
How often do you –
Check social media and messages when you are eating a meal with someone?
Check social media and messages when you are in bed?
Set boundaries for yourself, friends and colleagues when it comes to connecting after hours. When you are at home, commit to being present with your family and loved ones. Don’t get distracted by interruptions and other people’s status updates. Invest in your life not someone else’s. Just remember, other people can control your mind if you don’t.
5: Meditate to calm the mind
Meditation is a beautiful way to still the mind and stop that annoying constant mind chatter. When you stop this internal dialogue, the mind can truly settle. Quite simply: meditation gives you peace of mind. There are enormous benefits from meditation. It helps to alleviate stress; it energises you and improves your focus as well as your attention span.
Find time to meditate every day. There is an old zen saying –
“ You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you are too busy and then you should sit for an hour.”
6: Visualization – your invisible power
Don’t underestimate the power of visualization as one of the most important ways to improve your mind power. The subconscious mind accepts the thoughts that you often repeat. When it accepts them, it changes your mindset accordingly, as well as your habits and actions, so just as positive thoughts can change our lives, so can visualizing positive scenarios and images.
When you think about it, man’s ability to visualize has been responsible for so many wondrous achievements and inventions that we all benefit from today. The key to improving your life may just lie in your ability to visualize so invest some timeout in mental imagery and be open to the power of visualization.
7: Manage your mind energy
The quickest way to drain your mental energy is to focus on things that you have no control over. The more you focus on a problem that really isn’t your problem, the less mental energy you will have. Worrying continuously about something that is out of your control is pointless.
You always have a choice on how you react and respond to any challenge, so if you are genuinely facing a problem, find a solution and then take the necessary steps to move forward and achieve the best result possible for a positive outcome. Thrashing about and worrying about something will not change the situation, but positive actions will. Be sure to manage your mental energy wisely.
8: Get back to basics
It is easy to reach for a calculator when we have to add and subtract. Instead of reaching for some other way to solve a problem, stop and use your brain. Exercise it and keep it in good shape.
9: Sleep state
An overactive mind before bed can cause a restless night’s sleep. An exhausted mind leads to an exhausted body. Create an atmosphere that is conducive to a beautiful, peaceful sleep. Your sleep environment serves as the basis for a mentally calm sleep so create an atmosphere that promotes relaxation and tranquillity.
10: Let it go
Those last few minutes before you fall asleep are just as important as your first few waking moments. Make it a habit every night to focus on all that is right with your world and let go of what’s not. As you drift off to sleep, flood your mind with positive thoughts.
Your mind is your greatest power. If you really want to change your life then you must really change your mind.
