Your Freedom Dies When Your Mind Dies
Ways to regain your mental freedom and to maintain it in the long run
“Stop! Please make it all stop now!!” you feel like screaming at the very tip-top of your lungs from the highest mountain or rooftop. Trust me. I know the feeling all too well. Particularly in this era of technology that is always at our fingertips, it has become more and more challenging to remain centered and sane. The onslaught of information and stimuli that are directly and indirectly fed to us daily can be overwhelming and emotionally draining. But yet and still, we are addicted to it like a drug that we know is harmful to us but that we always return to hoping that it’ll have different results and solve all our problems.
Nope!
There’s always a bigger picture that we are missing as we bury our heads into our phones, TVs, and tablets. If we bothered to take a minute to look up from our blue-lit screens and see it, we would be surprised at just how much power we have to take back our mental clarity and well-being. “Wait, do you mean I’m in control of my mind? How do I that?” you ask. The short answer is yes. The long answer — well, you’re just going to have to keep reading!
Distinguish the difference between facts and opinions.
There are approximately 7.8 billion — that’s right billion with a ‘b’ — people in the world at the time of this article! Let that sink in for a minute. That means there are as many opinions as there are people. But think about the facts and absolutes that exist in comparison to all the differing opinions. You will drive yourself crazy, trying to cater to all the different personal views and feedback. Now granted, that doesn’t mean that you dismiss constructive and helpful perspectives that provide clarity or insight, but still confirm that they are based on factual information and from those who use critical, objective thinking instead of reactive and emotional-based thinking.
Stand your ground with what you know is right.
Some would quite literally try to bully you into accepting their agenda, to the point where they will even threaten you for no good reason. Those people are some of the closest to us at times: our spouses, children, siblings, friends, etc. Standing firm on what you know is factual can be one of the most painful things to do, but you must do it to keep your mind from being imprisoned by others. Besides, you’d be surprised at how many people are in the very same or similar situation as you are and would appreciate someone like-minded in regards to accepting the facts for what they are.
Power down daily.
Turn it all off. Silence all your devices, all media, both social and news, everything digital, and even the people in your own home if need be. These days we are reaching for the phone before our eyes are even fully open in the morning and have it glued to our hands when we are lying in bed at night. (And we wonder why we get no sleep….) I can’t tell you the number of migraines that I’ve given myself by scrolling through my phone while lying in bed at night. Read a book, take a walk, go to the beach, learn a new hobby, clean, write an article (see what I did there?). Make airplane mode, and do not disturb two of your best friends! Talk to someone face to face or through a phone call rather than just texting an emoji-laden message to someone with little to no depth of conversation.
Let go of circumstances you cannot change.
Fear of the unknown can hold your mind captive so tightly that it paralyzes you from stepping out on faith and letting things go that you have no control over. Accepting that life will have its ups and downs is the best policy because the more you attempt to outwit reality, the harder it will hit you. I’m preaching to the choir here, by the way. Focus on celebrating your victories and what you have already overcome instead of worrying about what may or may not happen!
Educate yourself and be productive.
I put these hand in hand because having an idle mind means that you are not taking the time to educate yourself truly and instead relying on others to give you what you need or simply don’t care to be productive. Believe it or not, you can teach yourself quite a bit by being productive. To your surprise, you might find out that you had some hidden talents, or hone in and improve on skills you already had. When you educate yourself, you can think and communicate with more clarity when processing information yourself or when you are relaying it to others. Who knew!
The current climate of this global time-out has given us such a fantastic opportunity for self-improvement and learning, but having the right perspective is vital. Being willing to motivate yourself to improve can be one of the most challenging things to do, especially when you feel like everything is against you. But you can do this! And you’ll be all the happier for it.
