Rewiring My Mind
I write these blog posts that document my journey to becoming a better me, but writing is only half the battle. I still have to put in major work outside of these blogs because, simply put, life is real. I’ve come far on my journey, and I’m very proud of that fact. Yet in still, I have to put in work daily to keep up what I’ve achieved thus far. You wouldn’t stop exercising after you’ve reached your ideal weight, huh? I sure hope not…or else you’ll eventually go back to square one….and that’s the point many people don’t emphasize - the work to maintain your progress.
For instance, we are often bombarded with messages about the importance of shifting our mindsets and thinking positive. But rarely do we see messages that tell us how much work it is to do those things. Experts estimate that we have about 60,000-80,000 thoughts per day. Now take a second and think about the work you have to put in to tame all of those thoughts that run rapidly through your head. With that many thoughts shifting in and out of our brains, it’s so easy to let our minds get off track here and there. And because it’s so easy to go back to our old default settings, every now and then we have to do some rewiring.
We get so caught up in and bogged down by our everyday lives that sometimes we forget to be intentional with our thoughts. When you’re concentrating on paying bills, feeding people, meeting deadlines, fighting traffic, and listening to other people’s perceptions - controlling your thoughts may fall by the wayside at times. I know my efforts to control my thoughts definitely plummeted these past couple of weeks. I was so caught up in what was going on in the world because I messed around and saw some crazy stuff on the news (which I try not to watch often), so of course my mind began to wonder….”What if this happens? What if I never? What if it’s not meant? What if that and what if this?” Next thing you know, stress and anxiety were threatening my peace. Fast forward a few days later, the universe came to my aid and, out of the blue, placed me and a friend of mine in the same space (everything happens for a reason). We ate lunch and talked about our vibrations and how powerful the mind is and things that happen as a result of us not controlling our thoughts and the energy around us…..and then it dawned on me - my positive vibrations went awry and my mind reverted back to where I worked so hard to bring it from because I allowed the negative things I witnessed to occupy my mind longer than they needed to. The wrong thoughts began to consume my mind, and I had to put in the work to get back on the right path mentally. I had to dig deeper in my yoga class, continuously listen to uplifting music (no trap music for a minute), fall asleep with positive podcasts playing in my ear, read affirming words religiously, and have positive conversations with people who were on the vibrations I was trying to get back to. And you better believe my spirits were lifted again almost immediately.
Just like every other thing in our life that needs maintaining, our mind is no exception. We just can’t declare we want to think differently then sit and watch it happen. Or we can’t just work on our minds once and be done. It takes a lot of effort, faith, and daily work to train our minds to think how we want them to think. We’re going to slip at times, and we’re going to have to do some rewiring to rectify those slips….but as long as we understand it’s a constant practice, we are definitely on the right path….mentally.
Changing my mindset…..every second,
- Samjah Iman
Outfit Details: Yah is Dope Yoga shorts, Crop Top, & Fanny Pack // Boots
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Picture Credit: Welch, Inc Photography