Hiten Bhatt, Founder – Be Great Training
Everyday we are mostly bombarded with negative news stories about catastrophic events happening in the world and whilst it is important to be informed, consuming too much negative news/media on a daily basis is bound to make us feel more anxious and more negative.
We need ways to bolster our mental wellbeing, we need to find ways to be happy and calm in the midst of crises that we all face at times, here are my thoughts on how we can do that.
Everything begins in the mind
It has been said that everything in the world is created twice, in what way is everything in the world created twice? First, it is created in the mind as a thought and then it is created in the physical world, your laptop, phone, the house you are sat in and the clothes that you are wearing did not just appear, they were created, designed in a human mind. Our internal world of thoughts, ideas, feelings and emotions shapes our external world of physical things and circumstances, but the starting point, the beginning of everything is our mind.
Science tells is that all human DNA is pretty much identical, we share 99.9% of our DNA with all other humans beings and only something like 0.01% makes up for our individual ethnic differences. Physically we have more in common with our fellow humans than we have differences but there is one area that we can see a vast difference between people, the way in which each of us think, the internal world of the mind.
What is the story you have decided to tell?
Two prisoners looking out of the small window of their prison cell were asked, what they saw, one answered he could see the mud and gravel in the prison yard and the other answered he could see the beautiful night sky glistening with stars and a perfect moon! One was looking down and the other was looking up. How can two people who experience the exact same event have two very different experiences?
Have you or someone you know ever been miserable at a party? A party is supposed to be a fun external event yet the story we tell ourselves in our mind can change the way we experience the party. Our internal dialogue, the voice in our heads, our own narratives absolutely shapes the way we feel and act in the external world.
A mind that is filled with negativity is not a mind that can problem solve. Solution focused creative thinking comes from a positive mind set, a self-narrative that says, we can get through this, we are strong, we are going to be ok. There are many techniques for changing our internal dialogue but the starting point is to become aware of our thoughts and how we are choose to interpret our external circumstances. The story that tell ourselves is very important and we can choose our script!
Taming the monkey mind
In recent years the practice of Mindfulness has gained more prominence and popularity but Mindfulness and Meditation techniques have been an ancient practice to gain control over our minds and negative thought patterns, many analogies have been used to describe the mind, such as a monkey that never sits still, an ocean with turbulent waves or a hurricane whirling with destructive force.
These analogies point to a psychological reality, that the mind is not stable, emotions and feelings are constantly changing but what if we could tame the monkey? What if we could sink to the bottom of the ocean where turbulent waves could no longer be felt? What if we could sit peacefully in the eye of the storm?
Meditation and mindfulness techniques is one of the ways in which we are able to centre and still our thoughts and emotions. These techniques work through shifting our awareness and attention, to learn how to observe our thoughts and feelings with a sense of detachment and not just identify with them.
If you are interested in exploring in more detail how meditation and mindfulness can help you then please do drop me a message using my details at the end of this article, as I am offering some webinars and online tutorials exploring these ancient yet highly relevant techniques in more detail.
Make a schedule – Get back control
In these times it is all to easy to feel powerless and it is all too easy for negativity to take a grip over our minds. One of the most powerful ways to gain control back is by making a schedule. A schedule and a things to do list will do wonders for our psychological wellbeing.
With so much uncertainty in the world, we want to do the simple small acts that give us certainty and order, getting organised, having a schedule, a things to do list, keep us focused and keep us productive. The feeling of having some control over our lives will do wonders for our mental wellbeing so make a start and get super organised.
Bounce back more conscious and harmonious than ever before
Remember the thing that really makes the difference between people is the way they think and the story they tell themselves, make sure your story is one of empowerment and positivity.
Hiten Bhatt is a coach and author of The Leadership Adventure based in the UK.
If you would like to find out more about Hiten’s training/coaching around leadership, wellbeing, soft skills and personal development….
Please Email: hbhatt@begreattraining.com
Website: www.begreattraining.com
Subscribe to YouTube Channel: @begreattraining
Connect on LinkedIn: Hiten Bhatt
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The Leadership Adventure Book available on Amazon