You created a prison for yourself by living in the past or the future, always thinking about past events, or thinking ahead, never living in the now. But you can change that by reprogramming your mind to let go of what you can’t change and by learning to appreciate what you have. But most of all, you need to love yourself.
Why do we create this prison in the first place?
The answer isn’t as complicated as you might think. Some people become prisoners of their own mind out of fear, or a lack of self-confidence, or because we are stuck in the past or the future. How many times do we think that we wouldn’t be able to achieve something, because someone else before us couldn’t do it, either? Or simply because we couldn’t do it earlier?
We are afraid of failure as well as success, and we can’t deal with the unknown. Our minds are supposed to be infinite, taking in all the possibilities the Universe has to offer us. But instead, we focus on either what happened in the past, and that prevents us from creating a future for ourselves, or we concentrate on a future goal so much that we don’t notice when we take the wrong step.
The prison, as I mentioned earlier, is a safe place. Nothing grows there, true, but nothing gets destroyed, either. It’s like a stagnant pond, where the water becomes murky, but it’s still water, right? One of the biggest problems is that most of the time we don’t even want to break out of this prison.
How do you flip that switch to want to get out?
Now, that’s the tricky part. For some people, it’s enough to remind themselves that someone else succeeded. What was negative before can now be a stepping stone. They watch inspirational videos, read inspiring stories, and eventually, they will start attaining a can-do attitude.
But for others, the answer is more complicated than that. When you feel like all you can do is fail, because you are stuck in your own way of thinking, well, that’s one of the hardest things to change. For some people, there is no magical switch, and they need to take every step over and over again.
Is there good news?
Yes, of course. There is a simpler way, one that will bring guaranteed success. Your mind can easily be trained, in just a few simple steps. Think about it this way: your mind needs regular exercise, the same way your body does. And just as there are many personal trainers with different regimes, there are many ways to train your mind, too. But let us tell you about the quickest and easiest ones that you can start implementing today to set yourself free of the past, the future and any negative energy that surrounds you.
- Music – Music is one of the main fuels of our soul and mind. Have you noticed how you listen to sad songs after a break-up, or how your taste in music changes when you are happy? Well, how about turning that process upside-down, and instead of listening to a specific song, because of your mood, why not change the mood, based on the music you listen to? Go on, try it out. Choose a song you normally listen to when you are happy. You might have to listen to the same song a few times before it takes effect, but eventually, it will lift your mood.
- Ground Yourself – Find things that are around you that you can see, taste, smell, touch and feel. This is a common psychological exercise they use to relieve anxiety and stress. It helps you stay focused on the here and now, and keep you grounded. You need to remember that if you can’t change what upset you, then worrying about it isn’t going to help. Try to let it go.
- Feel Proud – Write a list of 10 things you are proud of yourself for. Yes, you heard us right. You can find 10 things. At first, of course, it won’t be easy or quick, but trust us, there are plenty more things you are proud of yourself for. You just need to dig a bit deeper. The next day, read the list and add one more item to it. If you repeat this exercise every day, you will find it hard to include only one more trait. That’s a fact.
- Love yourself – If you aced the pride list, now it’s time to create a list of 10 things you love about yourself, then add another one every day. In order for you to be able to get free of your mind’s prison and live fully in the here and now, you need to find everything you lost about yourself. And the good news is that nothing is ever lost, it’s only hidden. You might have to look deep, but isn’t it better than not looking at all?
