Sunday 21 January 2018

Mental Feelings and its Influence

How to control the mind?

When we try to lose weight or try to discipline ourselves, we always get into cravings/habits. Cravings are nothing but a mental state, have nothing to do with our physical body requirements.

Let’s take an example to understand this. I was a coffee addict several years ago. I used to have coffee six times a day! Sometimes even more! I used to suffer from insomnia (main culprit was a over active mind and coffee helped this considerably). Due to insomnia I used to suffer depression. All beautifully linked to each other. So one night in desperation, I prayed feverishly that let my sleep become regular I will give up on something that is my favourite… Coffee!!! But was it easy? No! That started a big war between my mind and coffee… Cravings in my mind worsened. Because I cannot drink when I wanted to. So to cut the temptation down I started with substitutes, mild tea, herbal tea, light drinks… slowly the cravings went away.  Now I am out on a war with sweets. I have substituted the cravings with dates, figs, raisins… My mind now LISTENS TO LOGIC, not like before.

But the question arises is how to control the mind. When the cravings are in its highest form, do the best thing. Subsitute it. There is a substitute for everything. If TV is your addiction, substitute it. The cravings will go.

But most importantly, is to tell the mind to get lost. That’s where the mind should be viewed as a separate entity. So the mind should be told to quieten. TO LISTEN. TO BEHAVE. And who is going to tell the mind? OUR OWN INTELLECT.

But how to keep the intellect working? And active? That’s another topic.

For now, we will look at the Mind. So when you want to get rid of habits, cravings and silence the mind.

Follow these steps: 1. Don’t listen to the mind. Silence it. 2. If that doesn’t work, then give up on someone’s name. For example, if you are firm believer in God, just tell yourself that I pray to God and give up, Look at options where your mind will have no choice but to listen. And then you are in business. Start with small things, food is the best… Gandhiji wrote in his autobiography that the best way to discipline one’s self is to start with food. Then slowly take it bigger tasks. You will realize that your way of doing things, your focus, everything changes. And its reflective. Others change when you change…

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