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Photo by Sarah Pflug from Burst

5 Steps to Mastering Your Own Mind

Mastering your own mind can seem like an insurmountable task for some. But by developing the right set of mental skills, you can lead an easier, stress-free life. Mental mastery is the gradual process of achieving complete control over your own mind. It offers solutions to managing stress, developing a sense of unwavering resiliency, and operating at the highest possible level. Achieving full mental mastery can rewire your brain to allow you to convert stress from your biggest weakness to a positive tool for change. Your biggest fears can become your biggest assets. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, continue reading to find out more. 

Listen to your body 

If your body is trying to tell you something, you should probably listen. Our bodies have subtle ways of letting us know that something is wrong and that we need to take immediate action. For example, if you feel like your stomach is in knots, chances are you are nervous. A headache can prompt you to drink more water. A cough? An early warning sign that you are about to develop a cold. By listening to our bodies, we can learn how they operate and take the relevant steps to give them what they want. The best way to do so is to become mindful of our bodies and what they are communicating to us. Our mind is the only way our bodies can relay information to us at speed. By listening to what they are communicating, we can make the correct response and action. The process of mental mastery can help you enrich your life and form a better relationship between your mind and body. 

Listen to your emotions

Now that you know how to listen to your body, you must also listen to your emotions. By learning how to intercept your feelings, you can be on your way to mastering your own mind. Your emotions can let you know when you are happy, but they can also let you know when you are straying from the right path. By becoming mindful of your emotions, you can lead a happy, fulfilling life. The process of mental mastery allows you to capture any negative emotions before they have a chance to impact your mental well-being. By latching on to any preconceived notions of negativity, you are destined to repeat the same process again and again. This is where mental mastery can help. Whether you are sad or angry or anxious or scared, you must stop and evaluate these feelings before they have an opportunity to gain momentum. Over time, this allows you to acknowledge why you feel a certain way and how you can let go of these emotions. 

Know when to stop 

We could all benefit from knowing when to stop and take a breather. Whether you let your negative thoughts run away with you or find it difficult to compose yourself in a moment of panic, putting your foot on the brake can allow you to step back and assess the situation at hand. By repositioning yourself in the present moment, you can acknowledge your thoughts and feelings for what they are instead of what your mind perceives them to be. You may even envision a physical stop sign in your mind or find it helpful to say the word stop out loud. Everyone has their own method of mastering their own emotions. Once you find something that works for you, repeat the process until you are confident you can achieve the same results again and again. This particular step requires a great deal of time and patience, but it is worth it in the long run. As soon as you know what it takes, you can access your mental stop sign on-demand and give your mind and body a well-deserved break. 

Use positive affirmations 

We can be our own worst enemy. By reassuring our mind that we are doing a great job, we can trick ourselves into avoiding an onslaught of negative thoughts. Just as a healthy balanced diet is beneficial for our physical health,  self love affirmations can nurture our mental health. Some may even argue that our mental health is more important.  Some may even argue that our mental health is more important. As often or as little as necessary, positive affirmations can remind you that you are the master of your own mind. Whether you achieve this through a mental pep talk, physical post-it notes, or by reading a series of online quotes, you can give yourself the best possible chance of keeping track of your thoughts. All it can take is one little reminder to prevent you from obsessing over negative thoughts and letting them cloud your vision. By maintaining this practice regularly, you can achieve a higher sense of self-worth over time and prevent a wide range of health conditions related to undue and excess stress. Positive affirmations can also help us change how we respond to stressful situations in our day-to-day lives. By gradually increasing our self-esteem, we are more likely to believe that we can overcome any obstacles or challenges that may stand in our way.

Don’t sweat the small stuff 

Don't sweat the small stuff
Image by Lectionary on Flickr.com

Overthinking and overreacting can feel as if your own brain is working against you. By learning not to sweat the small stuff, you can take one step further towards achieving full mental mastery. There are several ways in which you can control your emotions and stop making mountains out of molehills. Research has proven that obsessing over small, minute details can decrease our lifespan. It is not necessarily the size of the problem that wears away at you over time but how you choose to respond to it. By learning to take things in your stride, you could protect your health and even prolong your life. This can also have a drastic effect on our physical health. Chronic stress and anxiety can lead to a wide range of health conditions. These include high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, and insomnia. Realizing that these things happen regardless of how we choose to respond can also allow us to react differently whenever the same situation arises again in the future. Mastering the art of being cool, calm, and collected can lead to a longer, happier life in the long run. 

Mastering our own mind can be a challenge. Without the right tools, we can be doomed to fail. By following these tips, you can be on your way to achieving full mental mastery and stopping any negative emotions in their tracks. With so much time and money spent on ensuring our physical state reflects the best possible version of ourselves, we may be putting our mental health at risk. Taking steps to master your own mind can benefit you and those around you in the short and long term. We must prioritize our mental well-being as much as we value our physical well-being. By doing so, we can be in full control of our bodies and be ready and waiting for anything life may throw our way.  

Featured Photo by Sarah Pflug from Burst