As a reminder, this series is about how we self-inflict pain into our lives by the way we think in our minds. If you missed the previous articles, feel free to check out previous ones!

If you’ve been reading this series, you’ve probably noticed I’ve spent a lot of time working on helping you build awareness by discussing various mind hacks.

Hence the previous discussions about things like becoming an observer of the mind, recognizing things like your inner critic, your drifting off into “what if” world, when you are listening to the voice of truth vs. lies, and cognitive distortions.

For the remaining articles in this series, I am shifting gears and talking about healthy ways to deal with some of these unhelpful ways of thinking we have in our minds.

Today’s topic is learning to CALM DOWN & SLOW DOWN.

So, how is learning to “calm down” and “slow down” related to how to shift our ways of thinking from unhealthy to healthy?

Well, unless you are a materialist, most would agree that we are not just made of a mind but also have a body. Some might even say we have a soul, spirit, and body. However you decide to slice the proverbial apple of that which is human nature, one thing that is clear to me is that there is both a material and immaterial aspect to our being.

What that means is that when we talk about going into “what if world,” experiencing the “inner critic,” listening to the “voice of lies,” and having “cognitive distortions, ” we are talking about thinking patterns that also affect our physiology and our body.

For example –

Anxiety (what if world, catastrophizing) can lead to activation of our “fight or flight” response where our body kicks into a higher level of physical arousal and experiences symptoms like a fast heartbeat, quicker more shallow breathing, and a higher blood pressure due to the sympathetic nervous system response.

Negative thinking (listening to the voice of lies including the inner critic) can lead to chronic stress and immune system dysfunction not to mention a whole host of other medical issues.

In other words, there is a lot of evidence that what we are thinking and feeling can affect our bodies significantly. Many would say there are even spiritual roots to many of the disease states we as humans experience today!

So, what are some things we can do with our mind and body to get to a healthier place of thinking?

Remind yourself to slow down! When we’re emotional, we’re often thinking a million miles a minute. So a simple thing to do is to remind yourself to slow things down in your mind. Remember that most situations in life don’t actually necessitate we move in a hurried and rushed fashion (unless we are talkinga about an emergency!).

Remind yourself to calm down! One simple way to calm ourselves down in the moment is to practice deep breathing. While there are many ways to do this (diaphragmatic breathing, paced breathing, boxed breathing, etc.). Intentional breathing exercises can improve stress, reduce anxiety, and increase oxygen intake.

I’d like to use the analogy of a dirty pond vs. clear pond to wrap up this article.

A worked up, stressed out mind is like a dirty pond that is stirred up and dirty with soil and sediment mixed up in the water, leaving the pond dirty and difficult to see through

In contrast, a clear mind is like a pond where the sediment has settled at the bottom and the pond is clear, clean, and easy to look into.

In summary, when we slow down in mind and calm our body, it becomes easier to think in a more healthy, helpful, and rational way that leads to a healthier way of living.

If you agree, here are some questions you may want to ask yourself:

What are some ways you can slow down and calm down in your day-to-day life? Or life in general?

For example…

What would be like to put away technology more and enjoy some fresh air?

What would it be like to start a breathing practice on a regular basis once or twice a day or to use as needed throughout the day when stressed, overwhelmed, or worked up emotionally?

What would it be like to start the day with prayer and a spiritual practice? Or to utilize this throughout the day?

What would it be like to have a day each week where you intentionally make the focus of your day to rest?

Let’s THRIVE in mind so we can THRIVE in life!