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Your mind’s internal narrative and default resting state, resilient or bleak or somewhere in between, is the culmination of your subconscious memories, thoughts, beliefs, and feelings. Most of your mental chatter is made up of and based on memories and programming from your childhood — mainly your wounds, fears, and pain. As you grow up, you unconsciously integrate this negative material into your belief system about the world, others, and yourself. This subconscious filter becomes the lens through which you view life and interpret everything that happens around you.
Your brain remembers, holds onto, and directs your thoughts and actions according to this negative subconscious narrative in an attempt to protect you from having similar experiences in the future. It is really just doing its job trying to keep you safe — like when our ancestors remembered a deadly predator’s territory and avoided it. This subconscious stream influences how you make sense of and respond to the world and largely determines your relationship with yourself, impacts your behavior, guides your decisions, and ultimately shapes the direction of your life.
Think about that for a minute.
It means that you are living your life and making decisions guided by your fears and pain rather than your aspirations and goals. So, as an adult, you basically live your life viewing the world through the wounds of your childhood — that is until you take control of your mind and intentionally alter your mindset.
And you can do this at any time, and you can start today.
It will change your brain and life for the better.
So, how do you put a stop to the constant negative internal voice and find some peace and happiness when even your brain is working against you?
You have to intentionally become aware of and work with your mind. That’s how.
You can’t control the random thoughts that pop into your head. That’s impossible and trying to do that leads to its own kind of suffering and guilt because you will inevitably fail at it. However, you can control how you respond to those thoughts. That is where your power is. Instead of going wherever your mind goes, you can consciously take control of and guide your mind in a different direction that supports, encourages, and calms you by working with your thoughts.
Over time, when you consistently and consciously change your thinking patterns, you can alter default pathways and calm your brain through the process of neuroplasticity. Developing an awareness of your mind is at the heart of mindfulness, and neuroplasticity is the fundamental process through which mindfulness changes your brain. But if you don’t like the idea of practicing mindfulness, you can just think of it as a mental health practice.
