Mental real estate - what is occupying our minds?
One of many things I have observed over the past few years is the impact our modern life has on our mental health. I have been working on being very aware in my own life of what is occupying my mind. The thoughts I want to think versus thoughts that are old beliefs. Those patterns that are simply used to being recycled in my mind.
Many stats show the state of mental health has been on the decline. In 2021, over 5.4 million people took a mental health screening, representing a nearly 500% increase over the number of people who completed a screening in 2019 and a 103% increase over 2020.
A poll of 1,000 people by All Points North Lodge found that Americans are confronting escalating mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and panic attacks since the onset of the pandemic. The numbers are staggering. 36.7% experienced more anxiety, 32.5% more panic attacks, and 27% more depression. Close to a third (30.3%) regularly grapple with stress and anxiety. And younger generations like Gen Z (53%) and Millennials (60%) are feeling the most traumatized by events of the last 2 years.
The only way we will get through it is by taking the steps to improve habits, diets, sleep patterns, and our minds. This means paying attention to what is occupying the real estate of our minds and making decisions to support the well-being of the mind. Patanjali, in the yoga sutras, states that “Yoga is calming the fluctuations of the mind.” Yoga is not just stretching, twisting, or standing on your head. It is the union of all the practices to create focus and space to calm the proverbial monkey mind.
If you are unfamiliar with the analogy, the monkey mind is like a hopping monkey, hopping from one branch of a tree to another branch. Looking around or doing something, then jumping to another branch or maybe a different tree.
Our minds do the same thing, sometimes recalling a memory, sometimes calculating a bill, sometimes washing the dishes. When we are in awareness while doing the dishes and not mentally elsewhere, then the monkey will sit on the branch for a bit, but if we are multitasking, then the monkey will be jumping around. Thinking of memories, calculating a bill, and doing dishes all at once will lead to a very active monkey.
A disruptive mind can lead to an imbalance in emotions, which can affect our digestion, our sleep, and all over health. Do you see how everything is connected?
This is a major part of being in awareness. Recognizing the difference between what thoughts we are consciously thinking and what thoughts are coming from autopilot. I like to think of these auto-reactive thoughts as squatters in the mind. Once they have moved into your subconscious, it will take some time and effort to move them out. And then eventually, what is in your mind is only what you want to have in your awareness.
Some examples of occupied mental real estate can be the rabbit hole of trying to control the actions or behaviors of others. Consuming time and energy of your mental real estate to figure out how to control situations or people that are out of our control. Around and around that story goes. I think that rabbit hole has a spiral to it.
Addictions, desires, and focusing too much on our wants can also consume a lot of mental space. Viewing digital news media outlets and obsessing over current events is taxing on multiple levels. There has been plenty of research on the effects of social media.
Having goals and the ability to create our reality is healthy. We need to have space in the mind for that creation to occur. Our job is to learn through the practice of awareness and presence. Then give the rest up as an offering with a great big Swaha.
One of the main principles of Ayurveda is the relationship between Agni (the digestive fire) and ama (undigested food, thoughts, or emotions). When we have traumatic experiences that we do not have the mental Agni to digest, they become toxins in our minds and emotions. This ama takes up space.
The good news is that the sciences of yoga and Ayurveda have several tools to increase our mental and emotional digestive fire to evict the squatters. Create time each day to give your mind the space to take back what was lost by obsessive thinking. You can have space in the mind for presence, awareness, and creation.
Here is a simple practice anyone can do. Holding a gentle retention at the top and the bottom of the breath will create much-needed space in your lungs and create some space in your mind. Try sitting with your eyes closed to block out visual distractions. Breathe deeply into your belly with a slight constriction in your throat so the breath is audible like you are fogging a mirror with your mouth closed. Hold the breath at the top for a few seconds, exhale, then repeat that at the bottom of the exhalation. Repeat this several times, then take a moment to notice the difference in your mental landscape.
Stoking the digestive fire with a digestive aid like an Ayurvedic pizza (don’t get too excited, recipe here) and eating foods that digest easily together will help. Here is a chart of incompatible food combinations, click here.
There is a lot of modern research that agrees with the ancient teachings of Ayurveda regarding the brain/belly connection and how having a happy, healthy gut will result in a peaceful, balanced mind.
Another important factor is sleep. Sleep is critical for our mental health. It is part of the way that we process and digest our lives. If we are not enjoying a deep sleep nightly, then we do not benefit.
I am teaching a class on healthy and balanced sleep practices we can implement to support our minds. If you are interested, the information is here.
If you are interested in one-on-one support to take back your mental real estate, please message me directly or reply to this email.
I am here to support your healing journey.
Lorilee