We Are What We Think

To follow the success of the book: We Are What We Eat , we will introduce you to the psychological version: we are what we think. It’s definitely a fairly leading title, and it invites us to learn more about the relationship between thoughts, events, and the way we define ourselves. With the cognitive resources that it has to work with, the mind has a lot of power in all of this.

Our thoughts can change the way we behave, the decisions we make, and the emotions we experience. In short, they have a lot of influence on us, and more than we think.

The mind: friend or foe?

It depends on what. Of what you think! It is common to think: “I’m tired, I can not handle this anymore”, and immediately after, you feel like you want to sleep three days in a row. Do not forget that the body and the brain work to please you, and that the body in particular tends to do this in the short term. But it can also be like the spirit in the lamp obeying all your desires without protesting.

Contrary to popular belief, our minds do not tell us what to do or how to feel. It is the exact opposite! We are responsible for our emotions. We can not place the blame on the environment, politicians, the economy or our bosses. It all rests on us. Of course, it is much easier to find something or someone else to blame. That way, there is no opportunity to learn, change or improve.

It’s all in your mind

A marathon is one of the most physically and mentally demanding tests of endurance. In addition to good physical preparation, it also requires mental training. Why? Because as soon as the body feels it cannot continue, the mind helps it to continue.  Even though the pain is so bad afterwards that no pain medication can relieve it.

One does not have to run a marathon to test this theory. Think of the times when you were about to give up because of fatigue, exhaustion, or boredom over the routine, and you said to yourself, ” I can go on ” or ” I’m okay ” or ” I want to end this .” At that moment, you probably got new strength – which did not come from a cup of coffee – to complete the task and then jumped into bed to sleep for a few hours.

Nor does one have to be the most positive person in the world and go through life with a half-filled glass in any situation. One just needs to know that some thoughts help us while others hurt us. Stop paying attention to indifferent things, and focus on what really matters. If something keeps running around in your head, take the time to solve it and move on to the next task.

The mind accepts irrational things

If one cannot sleep because one’s mind is a whirlwind of ideas, one must have a small notebook on his bedside table and harness this spark of creativity. Then you can solve some of your problems. Do not waste your energy on the bad things that happen to you. It is better to use one’s time and resources to one’s own advantage to find a solution to one’s problems.

Remember that not everything has to be rational. Allow a little improvisation into your life! While some things in life stem from logic, there are many others that are more related to emotions and intuition.

Learn to live with insecurity, even if it’s just a little. Make decisions that involve a bit of risk and see mistakes as just another part of the rules of the game. Avoid pushing yourself, and accept the fact that you are imperfect. This will reduce your levels of fear and anxiety and as a result the number of mistakes you make.

How to use your thoughts to your advantage

An excellent exercise that can help you dispel your negative thoughts is to laugh at yourself. Our thoughts can be so absurd sometimes! Seeing the fun side of things happening to you will release some excitement and help you learn to see the positive in the situation.

Do you tend to talk to yourself? Do you go down the street and discuss with yourself? Or are you talking in front of the mirror as if there was another person in the room? Do not get caught up in the games your heart plays with you… It’s a trap! It is most likely that these thoughts are negative, capricious and selfish. All they do is make you feel sad, anxious, angry or vindictive.

If you ignore these words and focus on something else, you will be able to take control of your mind and prevent the powerlessness from taking control of you. Once you have taken control of the most powerful tool you have, you can spend more cognitive resources on things that interest you so that your mind and body can get better.