MIND MATTERS

                                                

Vacations over and now it is time to be busy! Yes, college starts again and a new chapter awaits me. Recollecting my previous year, I know it is going to be really difficult managing my way through the things. Lectures, friends, college formalities, rushing from one place to another and stuff would now become the objectives of my day!. A mere five to six extra chores would be sufficient enough to exhaust me physically!
I pondered again ,  PHYSICALLY!
I wondered about my mind. Is my mind ever tired? And even if it is, how do I relax it? SLEEP maybe! But no, I have these unending dreams and I know my mind is responsible for it. So when does my mind actually rest? The answer is really strange – NEVER!
Searching through the net, I discovered that we create about thirty to forty thousand thoughts on a normal day! The mind is always thinking, something or the other. It is always busy and strange it is, that it never rests, never relaxes! This is maybe because the mind’s function is to think, create thoughts – just like the river – it always flows! . Mind is another name for a reservoir of thoughts seeking fulfillment in something other than itself. If I try to obstruct the path of flowing water with my hand it will find ways to pass. If I put a stronger obstruction a pressure starts building up and as soon as the obstruction is removed the flow begins again but with a HIGHER pressure
and INTENSITY. In a way I cannot control the flow!  Even if I trap some water in an area, the stagnant water starts rotting.Algae and stuff start polluting it. Stagnancy destroys its essence.

                                                                
Similar is the case with our mind. Controlling thoughts, reaching the stage of complete silence is something not suitable and healthy for my mind, because the mind’s job is to think. I cannot in any way reach the stage of zero thoughts. I cannot deprive my mind of the function it performs. But then again can I just allow my mind to flow and let it keep working its entire life?

We know even the best of the machines need lubrication and some rest to let off the heat they produce.

So what does my mind need to get lubricated and become fresh again. Sleep – yes I can say, as it definitely SLOWS DOWN my mind . But not most of us get the sleep that actually relaxes  the mind , to be typical we don’t take that DELTA SLEEP in which our mind actually relaxes. There is the domination of dreams and often disturbed sleeping patterns. In reality we often get up in the morning feeling very tired and exhausted. This is because the mind couldn’t relax even though the body did. So what else would help my mind?

MEDITATION is another solution. But what do we actually mean by MEDITATION? There are a number of theories relating to it.

Some say silence your mind, stop your thoughts and become thoughtless but I believe, even in such a process we are still creating this thought which says ” DON’T THINK”. This “DON’T THINK” is itself a thought which prevents us from reaching the complete silence stage instead it sometimes makes the head feel heavy. Obviously any kind of restriction is sure to create some pressure.

So switching to another theory, there are things like concentrate on your breath. Now what actually happens when you concentrate on your breath? It is actually a successful way in which you fool your mind to concentrate on something else rather than the monotonous string of thoughts, thereby acting as a replacement of the unending WASTE thoughts going in your mind. It slows down our mind surely! But even when we practice this, our mind isn’t able to completely concentrate on the breath. It often switches to its thinking habit. But yes practicing everyday surely would help. Concentration takes time to build up and we need to devote some time to it.

But then another thing stings me. Why is it so difficult to come out of our thinking ways? Why does our mind slip so easily? Why do we need to PRACTICE HARD to make our mind rest?

Maybe because the thoughts that we think are really interesting and engrossing? Or maybe we are very much used to it! It has become a STICKY habit.

So there is one other solution that presents itself! Do something MORE INTERESTING than your endless list of waste thoughts. Think of this, you are babysitting a child. He gets hold of a matchbox or a lighter and refuses to give it to you. You try and explain him that its not safe but the child loves it more than your lectures! so what do you do? You simply give the child a toy which attracts him more. Unaware he drops off the lighter and starts playing with the toy! RIGHT? This actually happens!

So what is the solution that we found? It is REPLACEMENT. Our mind is also like a child. Give it something else to think about and make sure this something else refreshes your mind and drives away its fatigue. The best replacement is POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS. Give your mind some really good affirmations as you get up in the morning and just before you sleep. Thoughts like “I AM THE HAPPIEST BEING”, “EVERYBODY LOVES ME” , “MY LIFE IS THE BEST” are thoughts which will actually relax you. It is scientifically proved that the speed of positive thoughts is much slower than negative ones. So when you start thinking positive the mind slows down and reaches the stage of relaxation. Positivity relaxes the mind and provides it the rest that the mind needs. For me this is the definition of MEDITATION , replacing my vicious cycle of thoughts with slower positive ones!

Concluding with a soothing poem,