Mental Wellbeing
Trust the intelligence of the lifeforce that animates us.
An intelligence that has produced the astonishing resilience that is you.
Embrace the mystery of your being.
You are an aperture through which the universe is experiencing itself - George Thompson
The societies we grow up in shape the way we think. Our early life’s experience moulds how we emotionally experience the world. The people we grew up with hand us a rule book on how life is lived. Most of our thoughts and opinions are not really our own. They are planted into us throughout our lives. Guardians, gurus, peers, and the media. They all play a role in how we are programmed. As young people, we have little ability to influence our way of thinking. Later in life, we believe our drives, values, and emotional patterns constitute our personality.
What dictates our habits and our emotional reactions?
What moral code of judgement do we lean on?
Do we project our subjective thinking onto the words and actions of others?
Are we aware of when our actions are driven by fear?
Are we subconsciously held back by our preprogrammed behaviour and repetitive thoughts?
We don’t often stop to ask these questions.
There comes a point when a spanner is thrown in the works forcing us to question our ways. These catalytic moments stem from difficult times in our lives; the death of a loved one, a relationship breakup, sudden illness, loss of an opportunity we deeply craved, and others of similar gravity. On occasion, we may even be inspired by envy.
Every life crisis carries within it the kernels of a reversal, a renewal, an expansion, a leap in consciousness, a letting go of the old, and a birth of the new - David R. Hawkins
Tough moments have the energy to inspire resilience, institute change, and foster growth. They motivate us to arise, and become better versions of ourselves. Tough moments inspire us to observe that voice in our heads, and learn that the biggest battles we wage are the ones we fight in our head, with our preconditioned selves.
The personal development that comes from healing our emotional wounds, correcting our pre-programmed habits, and addressing our limiting beliefs, helps us live with intent.
It helps us live with respect and compassion for ourselves.
It helps us share love with others without condition.
A good book is sometimes what we need to help us understand ourselves better. Here is a selection of books that helped me along my own growth journey.
- Authentic Happiness - Martin Seligman
- Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It - Kamal Ravikant
- Waking the Tiger - Peter Levine
- Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behaviour - Thomas Erikson
- When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress - Gabor Maté
- Don’t Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking Is The Beginning & End Of Suffering - Joseph Nguyen
In short version is this.
- Be kind. Both to yourself, and to others.
- It may sound corny, but love is the answer. Love unconditionally.
- Be grateful for the cards handed to you in life. No one has them all good. No one has them all bad.
- Bless those that treat you with indifference. They help you grow.
- Comparison steals your joy. Focus on yourself and your personal development.
- Let go. Create life goals from inspiration and not desperation. Engage in thought, not thinking.