Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?
We hate o break it to you. But your mind isn't always fair. And it doesn't always cooperate.
Chances are, unless you're some kind of superhuman, there have been times in your life you were reminded of that simple fact.
You are more than just your mind... Sounds crazy, right?
Your mind (aka your thoughts) and your observer (aka your higher self) talk regularly.
and chances are, they were busy talking while you were trying to practice sitting still this morning... (Wait, you are practicing, right?)
That's ok.
Contrary to the popular belief, mindfulness is not the absence of thoughts. Instead, it's your awareness of your thoughts.
Meet your 'conscious conversation'
To help you pick this tag team apart, you're going to mirror your mind and write out your own thought chain. That is, a series of thoughts that you have and your observations of those thoughts, which typically alternates between your mind and your observer.
Let me show you an example.
Mind: it's been a long day - I should skip the gym and go home after work.
Observer: It looks like I am having thoughts about bypassing exercise because I'm feeling low energy.
Mind: You're not low on energy, you're lazy.
Observer: It sounds like you are having judgements about yourself for skipping gym.
Mind: If you don't go to gym today, you'll never reach your goals.
Observer: It looks like going to the gym would support your goals.
Mind: I'm just so damn tired!
Observer: It sounds like you might need some rest.
In this case, you few options:
Go home and rest if you truly need to.
Recognise your thoughts of resistance and decide it's okay to feel a little tired and still exercise (may be just go lighter).
Alright, now it's your turn.
Mind: ___________________
Observer: ___________________
They key to winning what often feels like a (never-ending)battle, is to end it with a thought from your observer. Not just any thought though. One that is full of kindness, compassion all that love.
The secret? Make it believable. You don't have to believe it now. But make it something you think you could believe some day. And then, try it on for size and see how it fits. The more you "try it on", the more believable it becomes. That is the power of neuroplasticity.
So what thoughts are you going to take into the metaphorical fitting room?