How to escape the chronicles of your mind

If our minds had it their way, we’ll perpetually be living in an extended version of 2012, ruminating over the worst possible scenarios, feeling glum and inflicting catastrophes on ourselves before they even happen.

It takes awareness and conscious effort to change the default narrative that often spins in our heads.

Here are some things that have worked for me.

Blasting some peppy beats. Good music has the power to shift your mood faster than an espresso shot. When feeling dull and gloomy, sometimes raising your vibe through your favourite tracks is all you need.

Vocalising my thoughts. Ever noticed how thoughts seem less scary when you actually put them into words? Talking out loud to yourself (totally normal, I promise) or even journalling offers a fresh perspective and helps stop those anxious thought loops.

Turning to ancient Chinese wisdom: In times of high stress, grounding has been my best bet. And the Chinese practices of Qi gong or Tai Chi largely facilitate this. Think of it like re-directing your focus and energy in healthier ways. Quite literally.

Manipulating my mind. You read that right. Lately I’ve been practicing some NLP techniques, which essentially involves replacing stressful images with ridiculously bright and happy ones. Simply put, think of the opposite outcome of something that’s been draining you out and enlarge it so much that it overpowers and washes out the negative image.

Whichever of these resonates, play full out. It can’t hurt you. Besides, an untamed mind can prove to be a real nuisance.

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