How Our Mind Contributes to Shaping Our Reality
Our mind is a very powerful set of facilities that direct our consciousness, and hence determine how we respond to certain situations determining our ultimate reality. Whenever we attempt to comprehend our present reality and solve obstacles that may arise in our lives, we are often overlooking the root cause of the problem which lies in the past experiences and events stored within our subconscious mind. Thus, it is crucial to understand how the mind works in order to understand its contribution to our reality, and hence evolve as individuals into better phases of our lives.
A Roman philosopher had once said, “It is the power of the mind to be unconquerable.” (Seneca, n.d.)
Whenever we as humans attempt to comprehend our present reality and solve obstacles that may arise in our lives, we are often overlooking the root cause of the problem and hence, attempt to solve the problem using our brain, an organ that is indeed operational through millions of neurons and various synaptic processes, however, is run by the mind. The mind is a very complex structure that we as humans endeavor to comprehend and take control of as it is the mind that makes us the reason, feel, perceive, and judge. Through various studies, some cognitive scientists have also referred to the mind and the brain through computational metaphors such as, “ The brain is like computer hardware whereas the mind is the software” (“The Mind as the software”, n.d).
As mentioned earlier, the mind itself directs our consciousness and directs our reality making it crucial for us to understand and take control of it in order to ultimately take control of our reality and let go of any negative emotions, thoughts, or experiences that one has held onto. However, in order to understand and take actions that help you gain control over your reality, it is important to understand the components of the mind and how our mind works. Fundamentally, the mind is composed of the conscious mind and subconscious mind; the conscious mind constitutes 10% of the mind and deals with the logical aspect of our reality including present reasoning, decision-making, and analytics, whereas the subconscious mind constitutes 90% of our mind and fundamentally acts as a ‘data bank’ storing every single memory, past experience, thoughts, feelings, and skills as well (Mayer, n.d).
Now, whenever we see or experience something, our subconscious mind monitors and processes the stimulus, and then sends signals to the conscious mind based on the reaction you might have had previously in your life, allowing one to react or make a decision ( Mayer, 2018). Although this may be extremely beneficial when it comes to having a daily routine or making some daily decisions, it can at times be detrimental especially when you want to heal from a past trauma that you would have experienced or you want to let go of a fear or emotion you might have when encountering a certain situation or person.
Ergo, it is extremely important to be aware of the universal law, which states that our reality is essentially a mere reflection of our beliefs and perceptions encoded very deeply within our subconscious mind. Our reality, or in other words, the situations that we encounter are shaped through what we conclude from our memory as it is merely a reflection of our own beliefs stored within our subconscious mind.
As a result, the key to taking control of our reality lies in three simple steps:
- Deciding what part your reality you don’t like and would like to change
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Understanding which memory or past experience in creating this
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Deciding to tackle that memory or experience (the emotions you felt, observing that memory through the present lens) to evolve and grow into a better phase
One thing that needs to be explained to you is that in order to take control of your reality, you need to be willing to accept that whatever uncomfortable experience or memory you might have, it is always us. In other words, it is always what we ourselves make out of the event that occurred, and hence, whenever we encounter the same or similar situation in the future, we tend to react indifferently, preventing us from evolving, a thought Adler’s psychology also explores. Hence, it is important that we truly understand this and try to face it without judgement to try and lift ourselves into our ideal phase of life.
Laila Saif, a well-renowned hypnotherapist and life coach who has successfully attempted to better the mental well-being of many has explained a simple exercise that can allow us to try and take control of our reality which includes:
- Decide what aspect of your reality (what situation, stimulus, environment) is bothering you which you would want to change for the better
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Visualize that you’re in that situation and truly try to discern how that situation made you feel
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Decode the experience to something physical (heart palpitations, heat in the head, shivering, tensed muscles, etc.)
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Take it back to the first time that you felt this way and observe the perspective of the ‘younger self’
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Understand that it’s not the current situation but this belief that you had made out during the first experience that is causing you to feel conflicted in your present life
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Now, try to view the experience from the adult perspective and see it from that perspective. Try to see how that past belief or reaction is playing out in your present reality
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Once you’ve shifted your perspective, see how that affects your adult life. In this time, you will begin to understand that this is merely a projection of disbelief
Once you understand the workings of the mind, especially the subconscious mind, it will become easier for you to tackle any aspect of your reality and achieve an easy and peaceful life.
Also Read: How to Tap Into Your Subconscious Mind
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