Renew Your Mind: Re-Establish Clarity And Peace

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Your mind is largely what you you make it. Your thoughts are principally those things that you permit your mind to focus on and ruminate over, sometimes cycling or "kindling" them over and over to the extent of unhealthy distortion (psychologists like to call this extreme "if/then" enlargement of a possibility "catastrophizing"), obsession and the "crowding out" of your ability to cast your focus or place your thoughts elsewhere.

More than 70% of the U.S. population (and this is likely an underestimate, gathered more anecdotally than methodically and subject to review) is taking prescription psychotropic drugs -- and this does not include those persons who self-medicate or share prescription medication with others. This statistic does not take into effect illegal drugs and non-prescription controlled substances. Nor does it take into account nicotine, alcohol, coffee or tea, all of which are psychoactive to some extent, and are addictive (either physiologically or psychologically, to some extent. Nor does it take into account excessive doses of over-the-counter substances used for escape, pain management or "recreation".

There are many medicators and far fewer meditators, although the two approaches to attaining peace of mind, or at least a reasonably, sustainably comfortable state of mind, have a great deal in common. Neurologists, psychiatrists, biochemists, genetic engineers, pharmacologists and a whole host of other professionals have found that your environment, both self-created and external changes your frame of mind; and when you change your frame of mind either habitually or for a great length of time, your neurochemistry changes -- that's correct -- the mind and body produce a variety of chemicals which are quite psychoactive when you engage in meditation and other activities.

For some the magic is mantra. For me, the magic is music (as in RadioDAZZ), or writing (as in blogging) or in focused business problem-solving. Each brings me to a state of happiness far greater than my default or resting state.

But getting back on point, meditation is the means through which you tap into your mind's and body's inherent ability to create appropriate (or even inappropriate) medications.

Maybe a mixture of both is best. The following newsletter excerpt came to me a while ago, and it contains a link to some meditation exercises. For the sake of Braintenance, why not give it a try? Even reading the brief excerpt is as soothing as it is introspectively educational. Just try to cancel out the noise of the obvious sales pitch -- it's not a sin to sell, but it's not where I'd like you to cast your mind's vision.

At very least it is a diversion or distraction from your current thoughts and mode of thinking. But at best, you might just find the meditation experience to be very therapeutic and productive.  At the very end of this article there are links to several wonderful YouTube meditation tapes for some added fun. - DEC
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How you feel in your life has a lot to do with what's going
on in your head.  If you constantly hear thoughts telling
you that "Life is a struggle," "The economy is bad," and
"You aren't enough," these have a powerful impact on how
you feel. 

These thoughts are like a proverbial "dark cloud hanging
over you." 

One of the defining moments of awakening is
when you discover that you "are not" the thoughts you are
"having."  You witness the incessant chatter that drives you,
distracts you, and seems like your constant companion and
you realize that you don't have to be defined by that. 

At that moment, you realize that those words in your head
really have little to do with you.  They also don't reflect
what is actually happening in the world.  You come to recognize
that a majority of those words are just recorded messages
from the past, the limiting thoughts of others, and random
sounds from your environment. 

Nevertheless, they are broadcasting through your head.

At that moment, you may get a strong urge to turn off that
chatter, or at least turn down the volume, so it is less
distracting.  The truth is--you can learn to do just that. 

And it doesn't have to take years of practice, just a little
guiding of your attention.  Here are a few simple ways to turn
down the mental volume and quiet your mind.  I encourage
you to try them out as you read them. 

Instead of just reading the words, pause at each one, and
actually give it a try.  You may be surprised at how effective
they are.  The great thing is, they take just a few moments.

3 Ways to Quiet Your Mind

1. See if you can listen to the chatter as an outside observer. 
See if you can separate "who you are" from those words in
your head.  Listen to them with an attitude of amused curiosity. 
Smiling while you do this can help. 

Allow the words to come and go through your mind without
hanging onto any of them.  Just watch them come and go. 
You could say, "Hey, they're just thoughts; they don't define
me or what I can do."  As you give your thoughts less
importance, they lose their grip on your attention.

Take a minute to observe your mental chatter with a smile.
Here's a guided audio that can help you:

http://EnergyMeditationSecrets.com/core-energy-technique.html

2. Focus on something else.  If you become completely
immersed in paying attention to something besides your
thoughts, you'll notice that your mind quiets down. 

For example, place your hands on your abdomen and
become aware of your breathing.  See if it's possible to
notice the moment when your inhale begins; follow your
in-breath all the way through to a natural pause; notice
the moment your exhale begins; follow that all the way
through to a natural pause--and repeat. 

Become absolutely interested in following your breathing
as if nothing else matters at this moment.  Within a few
breathing cycles, your mind quiets.  Try it for yourself.

3. Ask yourself the question: "Who is thinking?"  Then
sit and be content that you really have no answer for that. 

Don't try to make up an answer.  Just notice how your mind
becomes quiet in the face of that question.  Try it for
yourself and see what happens.

Those are three great ways to get a taste of a quieter mind--
a mind that isn't consumed by incessant thinking, and,
therefore, comes to rest in a natural peace. 

As you get a taste of that, you may discover that you want
to experience more of it--you want to go deeper and have the
experience stay with you longer. 

If so, I strongly recommend you get my Core Energy
Meditation Program.  It's the only truly holistic meditation
practice that soothes and integrates all dimensions of your
being - mind, heart, body and spirit.

Soon a quiet mind can become your dominant background
state and your life can feel so much more peaceful, positive,
and clear.  Check it out here --

http://EnergyMeditationSecrets.com/program.html

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Welcome back. And as I had promised, I have a few (actually only two for right now) meditation videos (with pleasant musical soundtracks) that I've selected for you.

ALPHA MEDITATION

THETA MEDITATION - [Warning: Do Not Play This Prior To Performing Any Task That Requires Wakefulness... no driving, operating heavy equipment, making important decisions, and the like]

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When next we meet, it will once again be time for some math challenges. It's great to work at cognitive enhancement and conscious evolution of the mind, but it's the ultimate blessing to be happy.

Thank you for reading me, re-tweeting me and completing me.

Douglas E. Castle

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Related articles

• 14 Points Of Meditation (inkarasworld.com)
• Harvard Business: Try Meditation to Strengthen Your Resilience (blogs.hbr.org)
• Time Out With Meditation : Preserving Peace Series (bringingspirit.wordpress.com)
• 3 Steps to Mindfulness and 3 Myths of Meditation (ducttapeandbubblegum.com)
• Confessions of a Meditation Noob. ~ Cara Corr (elephantjournal.com)
• Teaching Children to Meditate: Just Say, "Ohm" (kidsloveacupuncture.com)
• Guided Mindfulness Meditation (blogs.psychcentral.com)
• How to Clear Your Mind and Rediscover Clarity in a Noisy World (thechangeblog.com)
• Meditate That Cold Away (scientificamerican.com)
• World's Happiest Man Matthieu Ricard Credits Meditation For Learning, Memory Abilities (ibtimes.com)

The SWIFT MINDS Breakthrough! - Braintenance

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A swifter mind is a more efficient mind...a more useful mind...a more powerful mind, and of course a more desirable mind. There is actually no such creature (or feature) as The SWIFT MINDS Breakthrough [it hardly even qualifies as a Lingovation], but it is a neat term to describe the effect upon the improvement in your associative intelligence, creativity, spontaneity, speed of thought and sense of irony when you engage in reading or creating those adverbial oddities (distantly related to the Paraprasdokians, our second favorite family, the first being the Halogens -- they're a gas!) which are now called "Tom Swifties."

Here's Wikipedia's take on these hysterical swords of wordplay (this part is boring, but it gets better fast -- I swear [all of the time]):

"The name comes from the Tom Swift series of books (1910–present), similar in many ways to the better-known Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series, and, like them, produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate. 

In this series, the young scientist hero, Tom Swift, underwent adventures involving rocket ships, ray-guns and other things he had invented.

A stylistic idiosyncrasy of at least some books in this series was that the author, "Victor Appleton," went to great trouble to avoid repetition of the unadorned word "said"; elegant variation used a different quotative verb, or modifying adverbial words or phrases. 

Since many adverbs end in "ly" this kind of pun was originally called a Tom Swiftly, the archetypal example being "We must hurry," said Tom Swiftly. At some point, this kind of humor was called a Tom Swifty, and that name is now more prevalent though incorrect."
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The worst is now over. A whole batch of Tom Swifties (several batches actually) follows to exercise your imagination, and bring a smile to your lips! Read them, enjoy them, and then invent as many of your own as possible.

I should note that in college I was disqualified from a Tom Swifty contest when I came up with "What would you like on your pancakes," the waitress asked syruptitiously. Apparently (as my mom might have said) there was an understood rule that creative re-spelling was not permitted.

Without further ado...

First Batch:

“I manufacture table tops,” said Tom counterproductively.
“Let’s have a debate about cows,” Tom mooted.
“Who discovered radium?” asked Marie curiously.
“Just parsley, sage and rosemary,” said Tom timelessly.
“This sea-spray will ruin all the metal-work,” said Tom mistrustfully
“I can’t tell you how much it resembles a table,” said Tom veritably.
“Show no mercy killing the vampire,” said Tom painstakingly.
“It keeps my hair in place,” said Alice with abandon.

Second Batch:

• "It's between my sole and my heel," said Tom archly.
• "You have the right to remain silent," said Tom arrestingly.
• "Someday I'll run the CIA" said young Tom aspiringly.
• "The cheque is in the post," Tom assented.
• "Cobblers!" said Tom at last.
• "I decide which car to purchase after looking at the pictures," said Tom autobiographically.

Third Batch:

• "Give me some pre-packed cheese slices," said Tom craftily.
• "I admire East End gangsters," said Tom crazily.
• "I dropped the toothpaste," signaled Tom, crestfallen.
• "I'm dying," Tom croaked.
• "Your embroidery is terrible," Mary needled, cruelly.
• "The situation is grave," Tom said cryptically.

Fourth Batch:

	"I have a BA in social work," said Tom with a degree of concern.
	"There must be a power cut," said Tom delightedly.
	"I will now demonstrate how to dissect a sheep," delivered Tom.
	"The censors took all the dirty bits out of my show," said Tom deludedly.
	"Don't let me drown in Egypt!" pleaded Tom, deep in denial.
	"Let me improvise this part," said Tom descriptively.
	"Congratulations; you graduated," said Tom diplomatically.
	"I was removed from office," said Tom disappointedly.
	"That certainly took the wind out of my sails!" said Tom disgustedly.
	"I have to wear this cast for another six weeks," said Tom disjointedly.
	"Dat's de end of April," said Tom in dismay.
	"Whenever I put on my scuba gear, I get pins and needles," said Tom divertingly.
	"I'm on social security," said Tom dolefully.
	"It's made the grass wet," said Tom after due consideration.
	"Aha! Here's someone who can't speak!" exclaimed Tom dumbfoundedly.

Well dear Braintenance fans and friends, I'm afraid that was the very last one (he said, with dispatch). I've simply run out -- if I had my car handy, I'd open up the trunk and take out despair.

The Next Article in The Braintenance Blog will deal with cylinders, cones and packing a container. Don't even try to anticipate it.

Thank you for grokking me in fullness, and for reading and re-tweeting me.

Douglas E. Castle

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Related Articles, Particles and Parts Of Articles:

• Math Tom Swifties (mathjokes4mathyfolks.wordpress.com)
• Don't Ever Be Afraid To Speak Your Heart. (memesviralimagesandsymbols.blogspot.com)
• Increase Memory, Recall And Cognition: MAZES! (braintenance.blogspot.com)
• Meditation: Program Yourself For Success (braintenance.blogspot.com)
• The Problem With Solutions: Brain Teasers. (braintenance.blogspot.com)
• Taylor Swift's In Trouble! Nashville Home Invaded On Birthday! (perezhilton.com)
• Coding As A Substitute For Meditation? (statspotting.com)
• Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle. Book Thursday. (newgrandmas.com)
• ANAGRAM GENERATOR - Braintenance Entertainment (braintenance.blogspot.com)
• Why Is Haylor Swyles Trending On Twitter? 'One Direction' Fans Despise Harry Styles, Taylor Swift Rumors (ibtimes.com)

Denial Versus Unacceptance: Choose One.

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The terms DENIAL and UNACCEPTANCE are occasionally used interchangeably, but each word carries a completely different colloquial meaning, and each word carries a different emotional charge.

If you are in denial, you are being blind to the obvious, and perhaps hiding from it. You are victimizing and infantilizing yourself, to shield your psyche against pain or to keep from confronting a problem.

If you are unaccepting, you have chosen not to take what is being offered. You are being proactive -- perhaps to the point of violence or intolerance -- but you are being courageous and not cowardly.

In terms of the two different different polarities, the person in a state of denial is not acknowledging or acting on a problem, while the person in a state of unacceptance sees the fault, wishes to change it, and it being quite courageous.

Followers and fans of The Braintenance Blog, this is a difference worth contemplating. You might even start to change your use of the terms and begin to prefer one over the other.

As always, thank you for reading me and for re-tweeting me.

Douglas E. Castle

p.s. Please visit the following new blogs, and join me on Linked In, Pinterest, Quora and MosaicHub:

THE NEUROMARKETING  - SCIENTIFIC INFLUENCE AND PERSUASION BLOG


THE DISRUPTION THEORY AND DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION BLOG

THE GOING TOTALLY ROGUE BLOG

THE PARANOID IN THE TECHNO WORLD BLOG

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