Have you ever found yourself chatting away to someone, then realise they are only half listening because their mind is somewhere else? This has happened to me at times when I am talking to someone. I find myself in deep conversation with a person only to find they are only half-heartedly listening. At those times, I know they are actually somewhere else, listening to other voices. Maybe their own or maybe being bombarded by thoughts that consuming their mind. they may not have left physically, but definitely have left mentally. Even when I am talking to my husband at times, he can seem far away and my question to him then is always the same; “What are you thinking about.” In other words, “What little voice in your head are you listening to?” For him, it’s usually something he is working on or planning, working it out in his mind how it is all going to come together.
How many times a day do you find yourself daydreaming of things you want to do, things that have happened during the week, things you have put off, issues that have stopped you in your tracks which consume your thoughts? What about when you find yourself thinking negatively about yourself or someone else? How often do you consciously stop and ask yourself, what am I listening to, in my thought life? Since studying how the brain works from reading Dr Caroline Leaf articles, I try to intentionally stop and think about what I am thinking about. I am not always good at it, but I am getting better at it.
Dr Caroline Leaf is a cognitive neuroscientist, (in simple terms, someone who studies the brain) and she says our thought life affects the patterns in our brain, literally. When we have toxic thoughts continually bombarding our minds, our body pays for it. She says 75-95% of illnesses begin in our thought life, however, when we choose to feed our mind with positive thoughts, our body and mind respond in a positive and healthy way.
Q: ‘What or who are you listening to? What is causing toxins to develop in your mind? What is developing your mind in a positive way?’
DESTINED FOR PURPOSE 