A Healthy and Thriving Mind is Easy to Work Towards:
From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine a healthy Mind is easy to work towards but very challenging to “attain.” To put it another way; the goal is not to “achieve” a healthy Mind, but instead to move closer towards a healthy Mind. Each step closer frees up energy and blood for you to use to heal and thrive instead!
What does a person with a thriving mind look like?
A person with a healthy mind will spend the majority of the day being “focused” on each moment. When they go for a walk they just walk and appreciate the walk. When they eat they are present at the meal and enjoy the experience. When they lay down at night to fall asleep they are just laying and embrace the moment of relaxation.
When this person thinks they are able to be logical and creative at the same time and once they come to a decision they act on that decision with single minded intensity.
When this person experiences an emotion they recognize it and allow it to drive beneficial action while letting go of any judgement about the emotion or environment they are experiencing at the time.
For example they may become angry and when they do they recognize that they are experiencing an emotion and are able to act on that emotion (if beneficial) while still thinking clearly.
Compare this to a person whos mind is struggling to thrive:
This person will spend the majority of the day “thinking” about the moment rather than embracing it. This person might find themselves constantly thinking about events in the past or future.
When they go for a walk they might be “mindlessly” walking while absorbed in their worries or plans. When they eat they are “mindlessly” eating while thinking about how good dessert is going to be later on. When they lay down at night to fall asleep this person will frequently be re-living events throughout the day or dreading getting up the following day.
When this person thinks they are “double minded” frequently saying one thing and doing another. They often cannot make up their mind and often once they do they are liable to change it time and time again.
When this person experiences an emotion they often fail to recognize it. For example they may become angry but only notice that they now feel tense or are suffering from a headache.
If questioned about how they feel they may say something like “this is stupid” instead of recognizing that they are upset about something. Oftentimes this person is highjacked by their emotions and they may find themselves “lashing out” at others or reacting irrationally in a way that does not help them achieve their goals.
On the flip side they may be very aware of their emotions but are judging them as “bad” and trying to problem solve or figure out how to “get back to a better state of consciousness”.
If questioned about how they feel they may have an explanation for why they are feeling that way and a “plan” to work through it and feel better. (This is so common it has become a standard practice for many people and is seen as a “good idea” even though it causes a tremendous strain on the mental and physical body. Learn more about this on the drop downs under this tab)
Where would you rate yourself? How do you get from where you are to where you want to be? Find out on page 3!