The power of thought - our own that is...

Lately I’ve been pondering how our thoughts create our reality and, of course, the good old law of attraction. Since emerging from the pandemic lockdowns my life has been going through an amazing, dynamic and creative phase. I have stopped shelving dreams, stepped out of my comfort zone and made a lot of changes. I am probably happier with myself and my life now, than I have ever been! 

At the same time, I am aware that the decisions I make now about what I choose to focus on, and where I direct my energy, will shape my future for  years to come. If anything, I have way too many options. I feel like I’ve fallen into one of those ‘choose your own adventure’ books that were around in the 1980s. Scary much? I’m f***ing terrified. So yes. I’m certainly endeavouring to be mindful of my thoughts (if not, my language).

When it comes to how our thoughts create our reality, modern psychology often works with the cognitive behavioural triangle - essentially a cyclical model of how our thoughts influence our behaviours, which influence our emotions which, in turn influence out thoughts, and so on. At the simplest level, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) involves working with someone over a period of time to change the thoughts and behaviours that are enhancing negative emotional states. Different strategies and tools may be used, however the length of time a person engages in CBT tend to depend on how embedded, or hardwired, those thoughts are. How deeply those thoughts have become beliefs. 

Jennice Vilhauer explains that when we think certain thoughts over and over, they become beliefs, hardwired into our own truth. And our truth, is our reality. Consider the following excerpt:

“…the brain's selective filtering system, often referred to as priming, works on an activation/inhibition model, when the brain is primed by a certain belief to look for something, it shuts down competing neural networks, so you actually have a hard time seeing evidence to the contrary of an already existing belief. That’s why people who are depressed see a more depressing world. It’s also why you are so convinced that your view of the world is the “truth.” What most people don’t realise is they are participating in creating their own version of the truth.” Reference: https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/living-forward/202009/how-your-thinking-creates-your-reality

So basically, over time our thoughts - that inform our beliefs - are actually changing our neural networks. This affects everything we view as “reality”… our self-concept, how we perceive our environment, our expectations and what we believe to be possible. When considering that everything from our day to day actions to our big life decisions and ambitions is based on what we view as reality, the value of learning to watch our thoughts - and make adjustments as needed - is clear. The challenge is in the ‘how’. Fortunately, over time we can change our neural networks, effectively re-wiring our brains. The first step is to simply become aware of the power of our thoughts and the role they play in writing the story that is our life. 

Journaling and meditation are great tools for developing the skill of watching our thoughts. I’ve personally found a regular practice of free-flow writing to be particularly useful - simply allow your thoughts to spill out onto the page… don’t worry about grammar or punctuation don’t, well, overthink it. At times it can be surprising what your mind dumps on the page, and triggering, but it provides a starting point for cultivating awareness of thoughts that are not aligned to the life you want to be living… and the greater your awareness, the more empowered you are to challenge thought-patterns, and beliefs, that are not working for you. 

Clare

xxx