WEED YOUR MIND LIKE YOU WOULD WEED YOUR GARDEN
Most of the time, the thoughts we have are the same old limiting beliefs that keep us stuck where we are. Unless we are aware of the power of our thoughts can hold us in a place of rumination, procrastination, fear, or anxiety – whether we are awake, or late at night trying to sleep.
We all understand the benefits of looking after our bodies, but there is another important aspect of ourselves that we sometimes ignore – the health and agility of our minds. Unclogging, decluttering, and cleansing your mind is just as important as keeping your body healthy. Just as we care for our bodies, we can also benefit from doing an intentional detox of our negative thoughts.
It is repetition of old, draining thoughts that keeps us imprisoned in the past. Think of this as your ‘monkey mind’ – a Buddhist term which refers to the constant, undirected thinking that often brings anxiety, worry and distraction into our everyday lives.
We tend to dwell more on negative thoughts than our positive ones and the negative ones make a greater impact on our mental health. When you can intentionally tip the scale to the positive, you can gain more confidence, be more assertive and have a healthier mind set.
You know that tape that endlessly plays negative thoughts in your head, like how over weight you are, how you could have done better, not smart enough or how life has dealt you a blow, you’re not good enough…. The repetition of judgement and negative thoughts is habit forming and robs us of new possibilities into our lives.
If you repeat a behaviour over and over you strengthen that neural pathway and it becomes the automatic route of choice. With practice, you can learn to tame negative cycles and build the muscle of positivity.
DETOX YOUR MIND
IMPACT. Unsubscribe from anything that drains your energy, Social media, TV, News. Only allow a stream of information from people who make a positive impact on you, who motivate you and inspire you to be the best version of yourself.
CLEAR. Your physical surroundings impact how clear your thoughts are.
DE-STRESS. Take 5 minutes before you get out of bed and when you go to bed to observe your thoughts and then bring your mind to observe your breath. Once you observe your breath, thoughts will begin to fade away.
OVERJOYED. Get together with friends who bring great meaning and energy to your life. Practice creating positive conversation. Make a conscious effort to get to the group meetings with other service users, share your experiences to help others.
NATURE. Spend time outdoors. Observe the sounds and sights, ignoring the distractions of your mobile device. Learn walking and sitting meditation. Pay close attention to the sounds close by, and far away without labelling them or judging them or preferring one over another.
POSITIVITY. Observe any judgemental thoughts about yourself or others and use an affirmation to help train your mind to the positive. Affirmations are positive reminders or statements that can be used to encourage and motivate yourself or others.
Pick a few that resonate with you or simply write your own!
I give myself permission to do what is right for me.
I am confident in my ability to…………….
What I love about myself is my ability to………………..
I feel proud of myself when I………………
BE PRESENT. Be in the present moment, meditate, In the Zone… Its all the same thing. Practice yoga and guided meditation with other service users, plant seeds of positivity and learn the power of Coherent Nose Breathing and how to change mind limiting beliefs.
Simply join us with an open mind and practice regularly. Over time you will notice how much more calm your mind is, how much more aware of your breathing and stress response. This awareness will enhance your response to challenges for the better and be more positive, happy and healthy.
