The mind controls how and what you think, which is a completely different process from the actual brain itself. The brain is a physical organ, a glob of mass that’s wedged on the top of your skull. The mind is what makes your brain electrical.
Although the thinking mind is a creation of the brain, the mind can function somewhat independently, apart from the brain itself.
What’s even possible is the mind at times is capable of altering the brain. The proof is, you can monitor and control your brain when it’s reacting badly.
Without external interference from the brain, you can learn how to become more aware, by monitoring its nuances.
Mindful awareness is you observing outside your mind, as if you’re watching what’s happening remotely much like a movie, rather than experiencing it.
This is known as “observing ego,” where without emotion, you can view your thoughts and actions while applying a degree of impartial objectivity.
Conversely, what the “experiences” part of your mind does, is notices sensual impressions along with having an emotional reaction to them.
Mindfully Watching Your Mind
Recognizing what your mental habits are along with its activities, such as what your stories, fantasies, or your ideas are, is the first step towards calming down and altering your brain.
Learning to observe yourself becomes critical to monitoring your actions.
Begin by noticing what your chatter, what your self-talk from your brain is, and observe without judgment.
Notice if you worry or dwell about the same issues over and over again.
Do you self-talk to yourself in an encouraging loving manner, or is it negative angry and hurtful.
Sit back, observe and listen to what you say to yourself, and you’ll see your brain in action.
Eventually, what you want is to alter the thinking habits and patterns which are holding you back.
The Mind Running Wild
The mind is similar to a run away freight train, which is carrying a three-ring circus of clowns that’s out of control.
Recreational stimulants can contribute to this, such as caffeine, alcohol or Friday night mind alterants.
Look behind the scenes, and you’ll be aghast with the strange woolly weird things you think of, that goes on behind the curtain of your brain.
What you might come face to face with, is the sudden shocking realization you’re nuts, completely crazy and out of your mind.
Your mind is an insane uncontrollable shrieking madhouse, which accumulates like a snowball rolling downhill, completely out of control and helpless.
But don’t fret, you’re not alone, you’re no more whacked out than you were yesterday or the day before, or the person sitting beside you on the bus.
Lunatic Fringe Fest
Relax, what everyone has is this insane asylum running through their head, some more zany than others.
A mind that’s filled with wild fantasies, comedy, stories of terror and horror. Thoughts that are pointless and ridiculous.
What’s often been said by psychologists, is that the “mind has is it’s own built in mind.”
It’s thought your mind can’t be controlled, you can only learn how to harness and manage it.
Once you notice your mind is jumping hoops, endlessly spinning its stories and thinking of things to do, stop and say to yourself. Are they logical, or are they just ideas.
Make sure you put labels on them immediately, which will help you categorize all this mental chatter a lot more objectively.
Once you categorize them, you won’t take all this crazy talk as serious, which will calm you down.
This is a form of Zen meditation practice, that can be applied once the voices in your head starts spinning out of control.
The Mind Altering The Brain
What’s known is your mind can indeed alter your brain. This might sound outrageous, but once you begin creating your own thought patterns, what you’re actually doing is rewiring your brain.
The more you practice a new thinking habit, the more you’re training the same neurons to work together. What’s known is these neurons will then fire simultaneously.
What your efforts of directed mental activity does, is it systematically alters brain function. Begin by deliberately changing your self-talk.
If you happen to constantly wallow in frustration, hate or anger once you make a mistake, tell yourself. “Mistakes happen, so I will make it a habit in the future to learn from them.”
Make sure you write this down and recite it to yourself whenever needed.
How Emotional Words Can Alter Your Brain
If you’re angry, sad or anxious, whatever the negative emotion is that’s causing you distress, what recognizing and labelling them does is eases these bad feelings.
Doing so will also help you feel more in control of your mind and life.
The reason for this is once you label an emotion, what doing so does is it alters your brain activity from the “fight-or-flight” response, to thinking about it.
It’s amazing what just one word can do.
Once you feel a certain emotion is starting to overwhelm you, search for a word which describes that emotion the best.
What you’ll then instantly feel, is the emotion starting to settle down and dissipate.
Teach Your Brain New Tricks
What’s known is the default switch for the brain is always set on negative. This as a safety measure to protect ourselves from harm or getting hurt.
What the mind can do however, is alter this negativity bias, by we teaching the brain to be more positive and happier when feeling sad.
Negativity bias is the brain’s tendency, to react more favourably to bad things.
These can include threats, mistakes, physical danger or problems, instead of positive emotions such as pleasure, opportunity or joy.
Negativity bias helps us humans to survive, by alerting ourselves of possible threats, which also makes it difficult to relax.
To begin, become aware of your past happy experiences, and bring them to the forefront of your mind when feeling sad.
Linger on these “happy” experiences for 5 seconds or longer.
What doing so does, is it rewires your brain, forcing it to think more positive thoughts in the future.
Rewiring Your Brain
What enriching your mind by learning new things does, is it also rewires your brain.
Learning something new forces change in the “memory campus” of the brain, known as the hippocampus.
When practising an old skill or learning a new one, what happens is the existing neural connections strengthens, and over time, these neurons creates connections to other neurons.
It’s thought new nerve cells can then be generated and align with one another, which develops your emotional intelligence.