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How to work more effectively with your mind

Writer's picture: noblemasculinenoblemasculine

How do we learn to engage with the mind when it is helpful and disengage when it is not helpful?  The skills needed to consistently engage and disengage with the mind can be found in the 5 Essential Practices.

 

These are the 5 practices that allow us to balance and more effectively engage with both the body and the mind:

 

Observe yourself – Cultivate the ability to observe what is going on within your body and your mind, so you have awareness of your thoughts, feelings, sensations, and knowing.  This information is critical for knowing what’s going on and what’s important to focus on – what is true/right for you, as well as where you are stressed or noticing resistance.

 

Know your values - Know what is important and the interplay of these priorities in your life, and then use these to inform your plans and actions.

 

Do the stuff that's important – Your actions need to be in alignment with your values.  If they are not, what is getting in the way?  The challenge always is to find a way to move through/around/past the things that are impeding the alignment of your values and actions.

 

Calm yourself and carry on – Often when you are doing the important stuff, there will be moments where you will feel resistance, discomfort and/or overwhelmed.  There is great power in being able to calm and soothe your mind and body so that you can continue to do the important stuff.  There are lots of practices and methods for doing this, so find the ones that work well for you and utilize them as needed.

 

Redirection for unhelpful thinking – The mind can be a helpful tool in doing the important stuff (researching, learning, strategizing, planning, organizing, visioning, creating, problem solving). The mind can also be detrimental to doing the important stuff (unhelpful mental noise like worry, doubt, indecision, negativity, perfectionism, and self-criticism).  In situations where the mind is not helping you to do the important stuff, you would be well served to redirect your attention to the present moment by connecting to your body, your surroundings, and/or the task at hand (the important stuff).  Rarely do we get out of a mental trap by thinking more, even though that is what we often try to do!

These practices are deceptively simple.  

 

The mind can read through this information, and “understand” it, and then dismiss the practices as unworkable or unhelpful for any number of reasons.  

 

They are called practices, meaning that we need to practice them and apply them to our life in order to experience the profound impact that these practices hold for each of us. Understanding with the mind is not enough.  The invitation is to apply, engage and practice.



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