Mindfulness | Marian Buck Murray

In our society we’re trained to give the brain most of, if not all, the credit. Many of us believe that the brain is the only place to go when we want to solve a problem. We say things like: I’m wracking my brain. Let me think about it. And, I’m trying to wrap my head around it…

When left unchecked, all of this brain activity takes an enormous amount of energy. Especially when we’re worried. It’s easy to overthink and overanalyze our circumstances. And, sometimes, often without realizing it, we can get trapped in a punishing mind loop.

The brain, of course, with its myriad functions, is an amazingly intricate and powerful organ. However, when we rely solely on the brain to help us, we miss out on the treasure chest of wisdom residing in the rest of the body. A mind loop, after all, rarely resolves itself with thinking alone.

And when it comes to accessing creative or intuitive flow, it’s the thinking brain that presents the biggest hurdles. Typically, the more we think about being creative or intuitive, the more we doubt and second-guess ourselves. A self-doubting, second-guessing mind blocks intuition, and cripples creative flow. The longer we engage with the mind loop, the further we take ourselves from the luscious experience of flow.

So, while recognizing and respecting the power of the brain, it’s important to consult the body and heart, in order to facilitate flow.

Here are some ways to help yourself drop out of a busy mind loop:

Breath Deeply – Deep breath will help activate the relaxation response. In addition, by focusing on your breath, you take your focus off of your busy mind.

Move your Body Parts– Mindfully move different parts of your body. Pay attention to your hand, your leg, your foot, etc. Notice any sensations with that arise with each part of your body. Notice any information or metaphors your body might be expressing. Observe what happens with your thoughts when you purposefully steer them to your body.

Get up and Dance! — Dancing, especially to music you love, will help you break out of a troubling mind set. Get silly and exaggerate your moves. If you’re up for it, shake your body from top to toe. Shaking will help release anxiety and loosen your body and mind.

Chant — Chanting a simple mantra, such as Om, for 10 -20 minutes is an effective way to exit a mind loop. By focusing on a simple phrase, chanting will help you transcend the mind. In addition, chanting helps activate the vagus nerve, thereby relaxing the nervous system. If you’re new to chanting, start with a few minutes, and work up to longer periods of time.

Use the Heart Breath — The heart breath will help you relax a busy brain. According to experts, the heart’s electromagnetic energy field is as much as 5000 times greater than the brain’s. This means that we can use the heart to entrain the brain into a calmer brain wave state. This will help boost effective brain function. Click here to access my Heart Breath Meditation on Insight Timer.

Use EFT tapping – An anxious mind can trigger a spike in cortisol. EFT Tapping has been clinically proven to be one of the most effective techniques for reducing cortisol. By reducing cortisol and calming the nervous system, we help ourselves drop out of the mind loop. This enables us to think more clearly, in a solution-based way. Contact me to learn more about EFT Tapping.

Here’s to giving your busy mind a well deserved break!

Peace,
Marian

Contact me to learn how EFT Tapping can help you exit a painful mind loop.

Gardening tools and a straw hat on the grass in the garden

The power of the subconscious is in the soil.

It’s hard to truly comprehend the full power of our subconscious mind. But it’s always there, always doing its job, no matter if we pay attention or not.

Much of the time it’s easy to forget that it’s even there. Most of us are so busy wrestling with the thoughts running through our minds, it’s hard to believe there’s anything but the thoughts we’re thinking.

But it’s there. The subconscious is always doing its job. Collecting the information we feed it, listening to what we think and feel. And then it gives it all back to us, over, and over, and over again.

Our habitual patterns. Our habitual beliefs. Our habitual actions. Our habitual experiences. All come directly from our subconscious. All are the direct result of the thoughts, beliefs, and experiences we’ve fed our subconscious throughout our lives.

In the beginning, before age 6, our subconscious mind is in its full power. Like soft, fertile soil, it easily receives and accepts whatever comes to it though its environment. It’s a time of super-learning. And a time of formulation of long-lasting beliefs.

Just like any garden, it’s from this fertile soil that our life unfolds, and grows. And the ideas, thoughts, and beliefs which are continually reinforced, will grow the fastest, the strongest, and the deepest. Before long, they will grow into what feels like indisputable, undeniable, facts.

To truly understand, or begin to understand, the power of our subconscious mind, is to finally understand the power that is within all of us. Dorothy’s ruby slippers were always on her feet, but she didn’t understand, or trust, her power, until, of course, she finally did.

The power of your subconscious is in the soil And, just like any soil, it can be fertilized, nurtured, turned, weeded, watered, and fed. Overgrowth can be weeded out, and anything can be planted and grown within the right circumstances and environmental factors.

Here are some tips to feed and care for your subconscious – your inner power.

Weeding — Weed out negative thoughts and beliefs, daily. Be mindful of what you’re consistently thinking. When you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, or reacting to distressing beliefs – pause. By mindfully observing your thought process, you begin to disempower the negative spin. You can also direct your mind to think something completely opposite – such as a positive affirmation. In addition, EFT Tapping is a powerful tool to help weed out the negative feelings associated with your thoughts. Regular weeding will enable you to free up valuable space within your fertile subconscious mind.

Planting – Decide exactly what you want to grow in your garden. You can grow anything you like. What would you like to believe about yourself? How would you like to feel? What would you like to experience? Make a list of the beliefs, thoughts, and experiences you want to cultivate. For example you can decide to plant Courage, Strength, Joy, Persistence, Discipline, Success, Creativity. You can also plant the visions of experiences you’ll enjoy as a result of new beliefs and qualities.

Nourishment – Once you decide what to grow in your subconscious, you’ve got to nourish regularly. If, for example, you decide to grow courage, you could nourish its grow by thinking strengthening, empowering thoughts, or visualizing yourself accomplishing courageous feats. Action-oriented experience is like a power-food for your subconscious – so taking inspired action is crucial. Remember repetition is key. By repeatedly, and consistently, feeding the feeling of courage, and it will grow within your subconscious, until it feels like an indisputable fact.

Environment – Plant grows best within specific environmental circumstances, and so do our beliefs. Be mindful of your surroundings, your media choices, your chosen activities, the people around you. Do they nourish or deplete your garden? What do you need more of? What can you let go of? Remember, you’re in control of the care and feeding of your powerful subconscious. Be vigilant what you allow to enter it.

I’m continually amazed by the power of my own subconscious to help me heal, grow, and transform. And I feel incredibly grateful to be a guide for my clients as they access their own power. Contact me if you’d like to learn more about using Matrix Reimprinting, or EFT Tapping, to harness the power of your subconscious to transform your life.

Exit the Mind Loop

The Care and Feeding of Your Subconscious