Understanding your mind is one of the most challenging things to do since immemorial, but fortunately it is not entirely impossible. It’s true that our brain is multifunctional and can sometimes become a confusing mess. Think of it, how many times have we found ourselves with mixed thoughts, feelings, ideas, solutions, and memories while trying to stay focused on something else?
Cognitive psychologists have tried to make sense of this for many years and have finally come somewhat closer to constructively understanding and defining one’s mind. This article will list down some easy ways to better understand your mind to gain clarity in life and the decisions you make.
Read and Research
Reading and researching are one of the best ways to understand your mind. There are many different books written about the art of psychology and persuasion.
Calm Clarity by Due Quach, The Performance Cortex by Zach Schonbrun, The Leading Brain by Friederike Fabritius and Hans W. Hagemann, Brain Food by Lisa Mosconi Ph.D. and The Brain Warrior’s Way by Daniel G. Amen, M.D. and Tana Amen BSN, R.N. are some fantastic books to start with.
Interestingly, some religions like Islam and Buddhism have a wide variety of literature and preachings that reflects and describes the more esoteric nature of the mind. Similarly, there are also some cultural and distinctly unique philosophies native to each country on how one can understand their mind and thoughts.
They may be opposite to those in the west, but these contrasts are an excellent way to increase understanding of how the mind works and how to listen to it.
Meditation
Meditating is another underrated or overlooked way to understand your mind and soul. In simple terms, meditation is the act of observing your thoughts. It is one of the quickest and most widely recognized ways to listen to your mind. This is precisely why meditation is an essential part of Buddhist philosophy and practice that is extremely concerned with the mind and its various delusions, misunderstandings, and cravings.
Even if you may be intelligent or smart, to progress and collect your thoughts, you need to be able to stand outside yourself and isolate your mind. Otherwise, you will repeat the habits and thinking patterns, not being able to truly interpret your thoughts.
If you need help with how to meditate, there are plenty of youtube videos online teaching basics to advanced types of meditations for your mind, soul, and body. Including yoga or going to yoga classes as part of your wellness routine can also help you better understand your mind. While meditation is not the same as yoga, it is part of the yoga lifestyle.
Learn From Your Emotions
Your mind has the power to generate your reality. Our emotions are the perfect response to how we feel about a particular situation or current-environment. Emotions are the real-time natural, sophisticated feedback system that lets us know if we feel happy or sad about the things happening in our life. If you need professional help in learning your emotions, then an emotional coach is a reliable choice to get started with.
Understanding your emotions makes it easy to match your thoughts and clearly distinguish between what matters to you and those that don’t. It helps you steer clear on which events need a reaction and those that don’t.
That alone makes it simple to define your thoughts and confidently make decisions. While this may sound confusing, with time, you will be able to understand how intricate and effective your emotional system is in serving to guide your thoughts and decisions in life.
Besides that, you can also seek professional help through a psychologist from a wellness clinic who can set the right foundation and provide you with a roadmap on how to understand your mind and effectively interpret its thoughts.
