The 30-Day Mental Diet

I’m about to undertake a self-improvement challenge that is far more difficult than any weight loss plan. Starting on June 1, 2012, I am putting myself on a 30-day mental diet. And I invite you to join me.

That’s right. For 30-days, I am going to break my ingrained, life long negativity habit. After these 30-days are up, I am going to be negativity-free…permanently. Notice, I didn’t say that I’m going to “try to” break my negativity habit. I said I’m going to do it. See how positive I’m already being?

What’s involved in a mental diet?

A mental diet involves only thinking positive thoughts. If you think this will be easy, for you if not for me, think again.

You see, negative thinking is automatic for most people. In fact, I’m so steeped in negativity that I don’t even recognize my negative thoughts. See if you recognize yourself in any of these scenarios:

-          Your boss asks you to give a speech in front of the Board of Directors, and you think, “I can’t do that. I’m terrible at giving speeches!!!”

-          A driver cuts you off on the freeway and you automatically judge him (or her) as being rude and selfish.

-          A co-worker makes a comment that you feel is critical of you and you get defensive, feeling that the co-worker is either jealous or out to get you.

-          You look in the mirror at your overweight self and get depressed, thinking that you’ll never be able to lose that weight.

Do you recognize the negativity here? No? Well, some of it is subtle. In fact, you may think that you’re just stating a fact when, in fact, you are being negative. For instance, is being terrible at giving a speech really a fact, or is it a negative concept of yourself? See what I mean?

Stopping Negativity

Of course, it’s unrealistic to think you will be able to stop all negative thoughts instantly. They will creep in. But the key is to change the negative thought to a positive one as soon as you recognize it.

But you need to be vigilant in catching negative thoughts. And the only way you can catch them is to recognize them.

Here is a passage from the classic, consciousness-raising book, “Three Magic Words,” about what kinds of thoughts to ignore on a mental diet:

“What are these thoughts that we are going to refuse to entertain? They are any thoughts that might in the smallest or greatest manner cast into a pessimistic or poor light yourself, your family, your friends, your social group, your state, your nation, or the entire human race. They are, in short, negative thoughts of any type, regardless of whether they seem personally aimed at you yourself, or even at an inanimate object.”

This is a tall order, but we can do it if we really try.

Why go on a Mental Diet

Perhaps I should have explained the reason and benefits of going on a mental diet upfront—thoughts are things. What we think about, day in and day out, is what we will produce in our lives. Whatever we think about ourselves, we will become. We can, indeed, change our lives by changing our thoughts. As Dr. Wayne W. Dyer says, “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at changes.”

So while it seems that we may be in denial when we say that the world is a peaceful, loving place (for instance) we are actually creating this world according to our thoughts.

So won’t you join me for this 30-day mental diet? I would love to hear your experiences!

That Voice in Your Head

Have you ever noticed that voice in your head? It talks almost constantly. One thought leads to another and another and another…

The voice in your head evaluates everything, judges everything. It never shuts up. When enough isn’t happening right now to keep it occupied—and, let’s be honest, the now isn’t where we are most of the time—we think about the past or worry about the future.

The chattering inside our heads is constant, giving us no piece at all. Why, if most of us were locked inside a room with a person who talked constantly, we’d go mad. Yet, because the voice is our voice inside our head, quietly hidden from the rest of the world, it’s okay. We continue along in the madhouse we call our minds.

But it’s not okay. The constant chatter of your mind hides the real you. Your mind, based on experience and stories that you tell yourself about events, gives you a false sense of self.

You are not your personality.

You are not your faults.

You are not your strengths.

You are not your profession.

You are not your achievements.

You are beyond thought.

You are beyond form.

You are beyond opposites.

You are the great I AM

But you’ll never get to meet I AM until you settle your mind into stillness. However, before you can get to the stillness, you must learn how to handle your thoughts so that they don’t influence or bother you in any way.

Yesterday, I ran across this YouTube video by Matt Kahn. In it, he poses an interesting suggestion on how to deal with your thoughts. Watch it and let me know what you think!

Witnessing your Thoughts

Image by Artem Chernyshevych

Oh, those pesky thoughts! It is estimated that the average human has 70,000 thoughts per day.

Our minds are very busy places. Little wonder, then, that most of us think that are thoughts are us. We identify so strongly with out thoughts. Just think about it…

When we think angry thoughts, our bodies feel the anger.

When we feel fearful thoughts, or bodies feel fearful.

When we think loving thoughts, are bodies feel all warm and fuzzy.

But…

We are not our thoughts!

We are the ageless, timeless, eternal spirits who use thoughts to create, but we are not our thoughts.

Becoming the Witness of your Thoughts

So…in order to free ourselves of the stranglehold that our thoughts have over our true self—the spirit, the soul, the thinker—we need to separate ourselves from our thoughts. Only then will we be able to control our thoughts and not have our thoughts control us.

It’s called becoming the Witness, and here is a meditation technique that helps you to do it:

•Go to a room where you will not be disturbed for at least 20 minutes.

•Sit down in a comfortable char. Keep your spine straight.

•Close your eyes.

•Begin breathing slowly and deeply.

•Relax your muscles and clear your mind briefly, and then…

•Let your thoughts flow freely.

Here’s a good explanation, written by Chuck Gallozzi, that explains what to do next:

“Do not analyze them [your thoughts]. Above all, don't be judgmental. Merely observe and accept. If a negative thought arises, don't say to yourself, ‘I'm too negative. I need to change.’ Just observe; don't judge. But if you do start criticizing yourself, that's okay, too. Witness your self-criticism. Step back and observe, just like you're watching someone else. In fact, that's what you are doing. You are observing someone else because the thoughts are not you. The thoughts come and go. They fade away and change. But your True Self is changeless.”

Oh, you will find being a dispassionate witness or observer of your thoughts almost impossible at first. But keep at it. Start out doing 5 to 10 minute sessions of witnessing your thoughts, and then gradually extend that time to 20 to 30 minutes.

I have been assured that, in time, your thoughts will not have the power over you that they once did. You will be freed of your thoughts. You will control your thoughts and they will no longer control you.

I have to admit that I am such a slave to my thoughts that it’s pathetic. But I’m going to start this technique of witnessing my thoughts and see what happens. Won’t you join me? Try this technique and let me know what you think.

“So Hum” Meditation

Image by Tosaporn Boonyarangkul

The most difficult aspect of meditation is stifling the thoughts that run rampant through your mind. It is not until you try to meditate, in fact, that you realize just how noisy your mind is.

But there are many ways to still those pesky thoughts. My favorite such method is one that I learned from a book by Deepak Chopra. It’s called the “So Hum” mediation. Follow these instructions and you will soon be meditating like a pro, your mind relatively silent.

Step 1: Go to a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for 20 minutes.

Step 2: Close the curtains or the blinds.

Step 3: Sit in a comfortable chair. Make sure that your spine is straight and your feet are flat on the floor.

Step 4: Close your eyes and begin breathing slowly and deeply.

Step 5: Concentrate on each breath as you inhale and exhale. With each exhale, feel the tension leave your body. Relax your muscles.

Step 6: As you slowly inhale, say the word “So” silently to yourself.

Step 7: As you exhale, say the word “Hum” silently to yourself.

Step 8: Continue breathing like this for 20 minutes, saying “So,” on the inhale and “Hum” on the exhale.

Step 9: If your thoughts wander (and they will) gently bring your attention back to your breath and to your repetition of “So” and then “Hum.”

The “So Hum” meditation calms your soul and quiets your mind. Try it and start meditating--for real.