Lately I’ve been researching in the field of neuroscience and am impressed with how science is catching up with philosophy. Prayer and meditation actually fires specific neurons in your brain which can help to make you happier, able to think more clearly and less stressed. But that’s not all.
I’ve also learned that every word you speak and every thought you think does exactly the same thing. If you think or say something nasty, ugly and negative, that also fires neurons in your brain. However, instead of peace and happiness, the neurons in your amygdala, the flight or fight center of your brain. What you can get out of that is a heck of a lot of stress and anxiety. Your body goes into protect mode by pumping you full of cortisol, the stress hormone. Too much cortisol is really bad juju kids.
The big question is how do you change your thinking and self talk to create a more prosperous, loving, compassionate and peaceful you? Here’s the advice the experts in the field of neuroscience offer.
- Begin by simply being aware of prattle that goes on in your mind.
- Be aware of your emotional reaction to the words you hear both inside your head and from the outside. How do you feel when you hear the world love, hate, heart, trust, compassion, prosperity, Muslim, Christian, Republican, Democrat, Liberal, ISIS, Obama, liberal, conservative, president, water, global warming, fat, money, gossip, cheat, liar, thief, murder, mugger, friend, husband’s or wife’s name, child’s name, mother or dad.
- Be aware that you have been conditioned to react to those words in the way that you do. In and of themselves, they are simply words and or names. They only have significance because you have learned to identify them with specific feelings both positive and negative.
- Knowing that words can invoke feelings gives you the opportunity to change your feelings about them. You can start by not labeling a negative feeling to a word. Let’s say you have a strong negative feeling when you hear the word “Muslim.” Maybe the second word that comes to your mind when you think or hear “Muslim” is the word “terrorist.” Instead replace terrorist with the name of a friend who is a Muslim or Malala Yousafzai or simply the words religion or faith.
- Avoid the constant input of negative data.
- When you identify something that makes you afraid or angry, stare it in the face and deal with it. There are very few things to be afraid of and none which should make you angry. Often times the simple awareness of these emotions is enough to dispel them.
- Fill your life with humor. You can laugh at your failings when you realize that all of us have failings.
- Focus on and live by your core beliefs such as love, compassion, truth, honesty and/or loyalty.
- Begin each day with a prayer or meditation because they do mess with your brain in a very good way.
Here’s a great resource to help you understand this concept a lot more Neuroscientist Andrew Newberg
Okay kids, there you have it. Now go out there and be happy, healthy and prosperous. Just remember to be aware of your thoughts.
