For most of us, it is all in our mind. Our happiness, sense of self-worth, future success, and even our health, is all in our mind. Literally, effectively, basically, nothing else matters or even exists. Why is the stock market up or down? Why am I lying on the couch with pink eye as I type this? Why are you rich or poor or content or miserable? It is all up to us; it is all in our mind.
Is this literally true? Probably not, but it is close enough. Crappy genes and difficult life situations are very real. But, that is just the preamble, just the framing, just the first act. What happens next is very heavily determined by what we think. If we are determined to be miserable, we will be. If we are determined to be happy, we will be. If we are determined to be sick or inconsequential or impactful, we will be. We have the ability to change the wiring in our brains. We have the ability to change the functioning of our organs and our numerous biological pathways. We can change the world if we can only change our mind. And, we can change our mind.
This does not preclude the need for broccoli or cardiovascular exercise. This doesn’t mean we should take unnecessary risks or go punch someone we don’t like. This does mean that there is always hope. There are always real stories of real people overcoming real problems, largely with their own determination and their own mind. The speed of the process is another story, as is the degree to which the improvement can be maintained. We live in constant motion; everything inside us and around us is forever in change. While the process may be slow at times, may move backwards at others, may suddenly without warning revert to a previous state, it can be moved forward once again.
Stage-four cancer is much harder to affect via mindful determination alone as compared to a sense of futility or a difficult relationship with a loved one. There is no magic, but our minds are the most powerful things in the universe. I’ve learned this first hand. Through several years of guidance I’ve learned to lessen the negative health impact from old thoughts and old coping mechanisms. While I cannot definitely know the mechanism, nor can I produce a test result or image of my new healthier brain to share with you, I can still confidently state that it is so. It is real.
As with most everything, this is neither good nor bad, it just is. The value or utility comes from the application. We can make ourselves sicker and meaner and spread misery in the world via our mindful intentions. Everyone and everything is connected. But, we can also spread health and understanding and purpose; we can ripple outward starting with our concerted determined mindfulness. It is not easy at times. It is fluid and automatic at others. But, much like eating healthy or exercising regularly, once we make a habit of really trying to use our minds for good and health we just keep on doing it, instinctively. On the flipside, once we fall out of practice, once too many days of non-use stack up, we may find ourselves on the couch with pink eye, and in desperate need of reminding ourselves of just how powerful our minds really are.
There is always hope. There is always the space for improvement. Surrounding ourselves with people and activities that facilitate this obviously helps. Getting lost in the “comments section” of news stories or venturing into the world of substance abuse or other things that we know are not healthy has real consequences. It makes the job of remaining healthy and happy all that much more difficult. If it seems that the world is getting darker, take several deep breaths (it really does help as it lowers blood pressure among other things) and remember that you got this. You can have some say in what happens. We just need to believe and keep positive and make the world that we want, starting with our own mind.
