Most of us have an understanding that it’s not “what’s happening” that triggers us; it’s how we think about what’s happening that’s really the crux.
According to research, the average person entertains somewhere between 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts each and every day, 95% of which are repetitive, 80% of which are NEGATIVE.
That’s A LOT of negative thinking, and that pattern naturally influences the responses that keep so many of us circling on the wheel of habit that then recreates the same outer circumstances of life. If we don’t know how to deal with those negative thoughts, we fall deeper into the traps of victimisation and feel as if the whole world is all doom, gloom, and against us.
We then spend a disproportionate amount of time in Fight, Flight, or Freeze mode. Nothing’s wrong to have those negative thinking and stress, they were built to protect us, but our minds are geared towards negativity bias, and our brain can’t tell the difference between real threats (tiger/fire) and perceived threats (daily stress/work stress/traffic/insomnia). If we don’t make an effort to change the paradigms that don’t serve us, all these stress and negative thinking take a heavy toll on our immune system, cellular function, and epigenetic expression …
I wish there was a shortcut to healing that didn’t involve “watching your thought” and “reducing your stress”. We can eat our rainbow vegetables, get all our lean protein and good fats, take all the expensive superfoods, supplements, and exercise 5 times a week but if we’re dealing with too much stress and negative thoughts and feelings, our bodies can’t heal.
But just because our nervous systems haven’t adapted to the fast pace, our brain get stuck in a loop, and constant stress of the modern world doesn’t mean we should have to suffer.
There are many ways you CAN do to change these patterns, create new habits, and PRACTICE them. You will amaze how they will change, not only, the way you look at things but your life. In this post I want to share 3 simple ways that you CAN practice making peace with your mind, getting out of the “victim mentality” mode, and creating healing for yourself.
STOP 
COUNT BACKWARD DEEP BREATHING: You may already know; a deep exhalation is calming to our nervous system and enhances relaxation response. But the combination of all the actions of STOP COUNT DEEP BREATHING will rewire the mind to the positive action and bring you to a space of calmness, balance, and letting go. This means, the moment you recognise the turbulent mind kicking in and starting the self-talk or when you feel overwhelmed with certain emotions, just STOP – make a PAUSE count 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 take a deep breath and extend the exhalation.
MEDITATION: I’m sure you hear this word a lot nowadays, but if you are someone who can’t meditate, or don’t like to meditate, or even don’t want to use the word “meditation”. I know many don’t and that’s fine. The word “meditation” is not easily understandable. The word “Dhyana” in Sanskrit and the word “Zen” in Japanese don’t have an exact parallel word in other languages. So why bother with words.
What you CAN do is sit silently and BE with WHAT IS. You don’t have to observe your breath nor pay attention to anything. You don’t need to change or try to improve anything. Just BE with your awareness and allow yourself to feel all the feelings that COME and GO, even with negative patterns. Try this 10-30 minutes a day. If one day things don’t work out the way you want to, try it again the next day. Be patient and gentle with yourself.
If you want to deepen your practice, there are many great techniques and effective methods you can learn that help rewire your nervous systems, cultivate long-term contentment, peace of mind, and self-compassion. They are simple but require practice and some effort on your part, but they are well worth it. If you are overwhelmed with too much information on internet, and don’t know where to start, find a teacher who can help you with some basic techniques and go on from there. And if you are suffering from unresolved childhood trauma, you should work with a therapist who can help you on your emotional healing journey.
GRATITUDE JOURNALING: is simply the habit of writing down a list of things that you are thankful for. This practice is not a cliché trend as you may have thought. Our minds are inclined towards negativity by designed. Far too often we think of what we lack instead of what we already have, or still have, or have gained. We have forgotten to appreciate a million simple, little things that we take it for granted each single day – a warm hug, a smile, a laugh, a nice talk, an interesting article, an inspirational book, a compliment, a tip, a nice smell, something to eat, sunshine, rain, love or simply being alive.
Reflecting on things that we are grateful for is a simple way to rewire our brain to focus more on the positive aspects of our life and send the “right” message to the Universe about what we want.
Learning to reset your nervous system is critical to increasing your energy, healing your physical and emotional pain, and transforming your life.