Creating a self-awareness practice that includes breathing exercises for relaxation, meditation, and mind control is essential for managing the negative thoughts that flow through our minds. This practice should also incorporate a self-hypnosis technique to catch ourselves from slipping into obsessive thinking. Maintaining the health of our mind throughout our lives is one of the most challenging tasks we face. In fact, it might be easier to build a career, a family, and even become phenomenally wealthy than to establish a humble, simple, and practical self-help practice for our mental and physical well-being.
The mind is a machine designed to think constantly, and it naturally resists being 'shut down' by our higher consciousness. The mind fears that if it is taken offline, the organism, meaning us, will cease to exist. This resistance is compounded by unresolved childhood traumas, the inherent challenges of life, and the philosophical perspectives that often complicate our state of mind. External circumstances—like natural disasters, crime, or political turmoil—can also disrupt our peace of mind, not to mention the deep-seated childhood experiences that drive our subconscious behavior. We are compelled to relive unresolved experiences until we heal from them.
When you feel stressed, first link your breath to your mind and the thoughts running through it. Pause and take time with each thought. There was a period in my life when I was overwhelmed by obsession and anxiety, clearly linked to my childhood. It felt as though my childhood was re-creating me, leading me to repeat the same patterns over and over again. In my 20s, these obsessions in relationships were so powerful that I could think of nothing else. To drown out the noise, I sought louder distractions, more activity, and more danger. It would have been so much easier just to breathe.