Our ego mind loves to chew on things, to think, to figure out, to fix. In The How and Why of Rewiring Your Brain, we learned that the human brain only knows the past. It stores our memories.
When one of the stuck places in our mind is a loop that is trying to figure something out, there are no new possibilities available, only old thoughts. You know what it’s like when your computer freezes, when that cursor just keeps spinning, or even when it spins for a long time before resolving the connection. This is your brain. It is a computer trying to complete an operation with glue in the operating system. All these old emotional attachments (the glue) slow or freeze the thinking process.
Stop for a few moments and just breathe. Your mind will not want to let go of its old pattern, but you have a choice now to shift your focus to your breath. Pay attention to your slow inhale and allow your mind to go loose as you exhale. Inhale…exhale…allowing your mind and body to relax. This simple shift may create enough space for something new to come to you, a new way to perceive the situation or a new possibility for change. Other contemplative practices can also serve as ways to shift your attention. Walking, listening to music or dancing may be your preferred way of letting go and allowing. If you are new to this, you will be starting the process of creating a new neural pathway, of rewiring the brain.
There are many emotional strings attached to your thoughts that keep you in fear, in the worry-mode of being. Shifting your focus from the mind’s loop to your breath is a good beginning. However, at times, awareness of your Self Talk, emotional release and a rewiring meditation will provide additional support in the process of gradually dissolving the loops your mind creates, the old pattern of worry. Dissolving the old magnetic attachments (the glue) to your thoughts can free up your mind to operate more smoothly. In today’s language, this can give your mind greater bandwidth. The more emotional attachments you release, the more space you are creating to receive higher perspectives.
These days, when I realize that my mind is chewing on something, stuck in a loop, I change my thought to “I wonder…”, an opportunity to open my awareness to something else. I wonder what the Divine can create from this stuck place. I wonder how this stuck situation will unfold. I wonder what it will be like once the problem is resolved. I bring in a new emotional experience of hope, faith, joy, excitement, or fun as I let go of my mind’s loop and allow joy to flow again. I feel the difference between trying to figure something out and allowing myself to be curious and open.
Allow yourself to let go of the old pattern of worry and open to something new, a world of possibilities in which you create your moments. Gradually you will come to realize moments you’re in a stuck place, a loop, and remember to shift your awareness to your breathing. As your mind and body relax with the breath, emotions may come up for release or you might find a higher perspective on your situation. Eventually, you will remember to go into “I wonder…” and enjoy the lighter experiences of curiosity and fun. And then you might remember to let it all go, knowing you have created a new neural pathway, a way of being where joy can flow.
Header Image courtesy of pixabay/spiral-jplenio
