How come you react in ways you don’t like? Why is thinking new thoughts difficult? And what can you do about it? Let go of misconceptions you learned about the mind.
“Mind over matter.” “I think therefore I am.” And so on. If you are working with centuries-old misunderstandings about the mind, it’s time to leave them behind because they are holding you back. The mind is not who you are. It’s not your soul, your being or any other metaphysical entity. It is physical. The mind is matter.
What is the mind?
You already know that your body is physical. When it comes to the mind, though, we are taught that it is “more” and in complete control of the body. It’s supposedly where our conscious self lies. But our conscious self is only a very small part of our mind because our mind is all the thoughts we think every day. The smallest part of these thoughts is deliberate.
A thought is an electrical impulse that runs along connections between two or more brain cells. Some of our thoughts are about abstract subjects, like the past or the future. Most of our thoughts, however, meaning most of the electrical impulses coursing through our brain, control our physical body.
Every single time we have a thought, the connections between the brain cells involved in it are strengthened. What this means is that the brain cells actually form more connections between each other. It’s easier to think an old thought because the connections are already there. The more often we think a thought, the more connections are built and the easier it is to think it. After a while, it becomes so easy that the thought runs automatically.
Learning
This process is what we call learning. Our brains learn all the time and it is a fantastic adaptation because the more actions our brains can automate during the day, the more capacity our conscious mind has for interesting tasks, like following your curiosity, finding answers and moving on to the next subject to learn.
If we had to consciously focus on simple motor skills we would hardly get anything else done. Every time you take a step, for example, neurons in your brain fire together. They move your legs but they also analyse the information your body sends back.
Your eyes see what the ground looks like. Your feet send feedback about how hard it is and how well your shoes are cushioned. Based on all this information brain cells in charge of walking decide how high you lift your legs, how gently you place down your feet and how fast you should be walking right now.
When we were toddlers, our bodies learned to send the appropriate information, our brains formed neural connections between the cells that analyse the information and more connections between cells that send info back to the legs, the back, belly and even our arms. It took years before we could walk effortlessly and fast on any terrain.
Neuroplasticity
The connections in your brain for walking, or writing, or driving or any other task you perform every single day are strong. So strong, in fact, that you barely notice any more what you are doing. The small part of your brain where your consciousness sits is free to focus on new tasks.
Why do I call the entire brain the mind? Isn’t “brain” already the correct term for the physical aspect? Shouldn’t “mind” just refer to the conscious part? No, because it implies that the mind is essentially different from the rest of the brain. And that’s when all the problems start because we believe we are in control of our conscious thoughts.
But they too are just electrical impulses running along neural pathways that need to be created first. Most of these pathways formed over years when we learned how to think about the world and ourselves from others. They are just as physical as any other part of the brain. Our minds are matter.
This matter is incredibly adaptive. We can learn anything because our minds form new neural pathways, strengthen already existing ones and recycle connections that are no longer in use every single day. The process is called neuroplasticity and happens our entire lives.
Every thought is practised
When we talk about physical actions, this makes intuitive sense. Of course, we needed years to learn how to walk or become fluent in a language. Of course, it takes at least a few months to be a really good driver.
So why do we struggle accepting the same process when it comes to changing our thoughts? Because we can think deliberately, we assume that we are in complete control of every thought. We assume that there is a difference between what we call thoughts and the electrical impulses that control our actions. And therein lies the rub because there is no difference.
Every thought, no matter what it is about or what it controls, is an electrical impulse running along connections between brain cells. Our minds constantly build and strengthen these connections. Every time we have a thought, whether we think it consciously or it runs unconsciously in the background, electrical impulses shoot through our brain and connections are formed and strengthened.
5 principles to change the mind
Now that you know thoughts are inherently physical, it’s time to use a different approach when you want to change the mind. There are many techniques out there. Sometimes they are called reprogramming the mind, or working with the mind or just mindset training. The terms all refer to the same process: form new neural pathways between brain cells.
Which techniques you want to use to change your mind is entirely up to you, of course. But before you make your choice, take these five basic principles into account. You want to follow them to make changing your mind not just easier but actually possible.
1. The long-term view
It took you years to learn how to walk, a few weeks, maybe months, before you drove on autopilot and years again to learn to speak fluently. So when you want to change the thoughts you habitually think, approach it with a long-term mindset. When you already expect to practise the technique of your choice for months, maybe even a year, I bet you choose differently.
Pick a technique that is easy and that you can envision yourself doing for at least months to come. Understand that frustration is just part of the learning process. Falling down sent new information to your brain and helped the parts responsible for walking fine-tune. The same happens when we change our thoughts. Set-backs are part of the learning experience.
2. Repetition with Variation
Every single time we think a thought, whether we do so consciously or unconsciously, we strengthen neural pathways. When you want to build new connections, repetition is key. The more repetition the better. So repeat your mantra, affirmation or just new thought pattern every single day in several sets for at least 30 days, preferably much longer.
The thoughts we notice often seem to come up spontaneously. In reality, most are triggered by our surroundings or memories or emotions. The thoughts that seem to be present all the time are just so practised that they pop up any moment. These are often basic thoughts about ourselves or the world, like “Life is easy.”
When you want to practise a new general thought that shifts your beliefs about the world and yourself (because beliefs are just thoughts you keep thinking), add variation to the repetition. Practise the same thought/affirmation/mantra repeatedly every single day but say it sometimes, repeat it in your mind at other times and occasionally write it down.
If you work with several mantras, change the order, say them at different times during the day and so on. By adding variation, you strengthen new connections independently of situations and emotions.
3. The unconscious mind
Every time we think a thought, we practise it, even if we are not consciously aware that we just had that thought. Thoughts are electrical impulses running along connections between brain cells. Almost all of your thoughts happen without your awareness. Your conscious mind is really a very small part of your mind.
There are thoughts running in the background you are simply not aware of and they lead to actions. Now that you know they exist, you can absolutely become aware of them. Practises like meditation and journaling exercises help you focus on the thoughts you think every day without even noticing.
Once you are aware of thoughts that don’t serve you, you can let them go every time they come up and replace them with new ones. This part is crucial. You need to create new tracks for your thoughts to run along so they will not revert back to the old tracks. Give your mind new thoughts and practise them consciously and deliberately until they become automatic.
4. Building blocks
Your mind also needs the right building blocks to create those new cells in the brain. Eating well is essential. Plenty of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Drink enough water. Consider adding nutritional yeast to your diet. Change also requires a lot of energy, especially when it happens in the brain. Make sure you eat enough.
Avoid any addictive substances – illegal and legal ones – because they mess with your brain chemistry. Your mind is physical and needs nutritious food and as few toxins as possible to work well.
5. Breaks
So you are doing your exercises and you are thinking your new thoughts. Wonderful. You’ve planned to repeat your new thoughts for however long it takes. Brilliant! And bit by bit the old connections in your brain wither away and are replaced with new ones. Fantastic!
Now there is just one more principle you need to understand to make changing your mind as easy as possible. The actual change happens while you rest. Your brain needs to build the new connections. This takes time and energy. When does it take old connections apart and build new ones? When you rest, meaning while you are asleep.
When you change your mind, you have to allow yourself as much rest as you need. This might mean an additional hour or two of sleep every night or naps during the day. So when you work with your brain, make sure you plan in plenty of rest.
Your new mind
When I first realised that the mind was physical, I felt immense relief. So that was why mindset work hadn’t worked for me for decades! I’d approached it from a non-physical perspective. I assumed that I should be in control of my thoughts all the time, or at least most of the time. Once I understood that I was in fact only in control of the tiniest portion of my thoughts, I realised why the techniques and tools I had tried hadn’t worked in the past.
Change is a long-term project, especially if it is big personal change. Once you know what to focus on, you can leverage the exercises and see small results fast. I love knowing that my mind is physical because it allows me to work with myself instead of trying to make changes along timelines that are simply impossible.
Breaks and rest are now a priority. I allow myself to sleep in and take naps when I need to. And when I crave protein and fruit, that’s what I eat because I know that my brain is working hard in the background.
Changing train tracks is not just possible, it is easy, once you realise that that’s what is happening when you do mindset training. Are you ready to give it another go? One thought at a time and repeat until it becomes automatic. Change your mind, change your beliefs and watch your life transform by itself.