Doing Nothing (ππππππ) β On building a better relationship with your self
Trust is one of the fundamental prerequisites for love.
So if we're striving for self-love, we first need to be able to trust ourselves. And trust is built on truth.
Now we can't really lie to ourselves. It's not possible to simply make yourself "believe" something, especially if your mind knows it's not the truth.
But we can obfuscate the truth. We are naturally brilliant at self-deception, at bullshitting ourselves.
We do this by directing our attention. Whenever faced with an uncomfortable truth or emotion, our first instinct is to direct our attention away β avoidance.
And in the world we live in, avoidance is easier than ever. We are surrounded by sophisticatedly engineered products designed to hijack our attention.
So the truth often gets quietly buried beneath an endless stream of "content".
But you can't run away from the truth or fight it. Whatever you resist not only persists but gets stronger.
Having difficulty falling asleep, intrusive thoughts, a vague sense of worry β these are signs that you've been running away from yourself.
If left unchecked, this lack of emotional connection with the self can develop into serious mental disorders.
This is why emotions should never be ignored or suppressed. They provide valuable information and guidance.
The best way to get in touch with yourself is by doing nothing, embracing silence.
And that's what meditation is β the art of doing nothing.
If you find it difficult to just sit quietly in a place for 10-15 minutes, it's more the reason you need to do it.
"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." β Pascal
Over time, as you allow yourself to sit with your thoughts, you develop a friendly relationship with facts.
You become okay with who you are, where you are, and where you're going β allowing you to let go of unrealistic expectations.
This lays down the foundations for self-trust, and consequently self-love. And from this position of inner strength, you get the power to freely create the reality you want.
So, take some time out to do nothing?
Every Sunday, I send out an email dissecting some aspect of the human mind
If you can spare a few mins every week, Iβll help you develop a strong understanding of how your mind works
So that you can have more control over your thoughts, behavior & life
Anger is a misunderstood emotion. Society often paints it in a negative light. And there's a sense of shame attached to feeling angry.
But there are no wrong emotions. Every emotion provides us valuable information and guidance. [1/13]
Anger is our body's adaptive mechanism to make us aware and respond to an unmet need.
The need could be concrete β like a promotion, a relationship, or more money. Or it could be abstract β like the need to be understood, or the need to be respected.
An unmet need could also reflect a sense of injustice. Something is wrong, according to your values, and you need to make it right.
Anger acts as a stimulant. It causes a rise in dopamine levels, flushes the skin, and increases the heart rate.
How Meditation Alters the Brain (ππππππ)
Here's how meditation changes the brain β structurally and functionally
For a long time, I dismissed meditation as spiritual woo-woo.
How could closing your eyes and focusing on your breathe or thoughts or whatever make any difference?
To my "rational" (and ignorant) mind, it made no sense.
Sometime last year, I read up on the science of meditation. And it made me feel stupid for ignoring it all these years.
So for over a year, I've meditated almost daily. I'm not going to talk about the (life-changing) benefits I've experienced. Because your mileage may vary.