As the evenings are becoming brighter, if you find the opportunity to go for a walk one evening this week, take it! A gentle, solitary stroll where you focus all of your attention outside yourself on what you can see, hear and smell is a good mental workout to calm a busy mind after a stressful or long day. By choosing to use your focus in this way, you will be open to a general sense of calm and well-being. You may even allow yourself to experience the wonder of hearing the birds sing at twilight. Thinking outside youself
This week, allow yourself to dream of achieving whatever it is that you really desire. Don’t limit yourself to ‘small thinking’ but allow yourself the freedom to think big. What did you want to be as a child? What places did you want to visit? What made you feel alive? As adults, we often let go of childhood dreams such as becoming a famous footballer or a ballerina because we view the dream as unrealistic and question our capabilities to achieve it. “In dreams begin responsibilities”
Much of this self-doubt is influenced by society and the expectations on us, as adults, to be serious. This weight of responsibility makes it easy for us to drift very far from our original dreams, whatever they may be. W.B. Yeats famous phrase “in dreams begin responsibilities” alerts us to the idea that achieving our dreams is possible if we are responsible about how we go about realising this. If we simply give up on our dreams and take on the responsibility of being adults without the dream, then it appears that we have all of the responsibility and none of the fun! This week, dare to dream!
In each and every one of us there is a golden light of eternal love and hope that illuminates our spirits. It lives in our hearts and can be seen as our golden centre. When we tap into this part of us that is full of unconditional love and is not tied to the ego or attached to seeking external approval, we have a well of goodness from which to draw on every day.
Visualise your heart being filled with this golden light. Think of the natural light of the sun and of how your body and mind respond when you feel the sun shine on you. The more often you cultivate this light inside you the more you start to see it shine in everyone you meet. This can also be seen as the goodness that exists in us. Focus on the goodness in yourself and you will find it easier to extend this love outwards. This week, if someone behaves in a way that you find difficult, irritating or unfair then look beyond their behaviour and imagine their golden centre. When you really focus on this you become able to see that their behaviour does not represent the true essence of who they are.
This week, seek out the friends in your life who give you an emotional lift. When we spend time with positive people we benefit from their positive energy. Think of the friends you have and consider contacting one of them you have not seen in a long time or one who makes you smile or laugh. Reach out to them and make a plan to see them the next time you have space in your diary. Spending quality time with positive friends boosts endorphins in our systems. This is the magic of friends.
Positive energy that we get from people who are open, friendly and have a desire to enjoy themselves is a wonderful tonic for our mental health. By choosing to spend time with positive people, their energy rubs off on you and then you can spread the good feelings to other friends that you meet. The feeling of being connected to others is vital to a healthy and positive mind-set.
Neuroplasticity – help your flexible brain create positive neural pathways everyday!
Imagine you lived in a world where from a young age you were taught to look after your mental well-being using a similar daily routine to brushing your teeth. This daily practice would ensure that your mind did not rot, decay and cause you pain. Read more…
