Psychoeducation #2
Thanking your mind
Hello All
This week I’m sharing a short video from Dr. Russ Harris demonstrating a small technique we can use when our minds are being harsh on us.
I shared in my last post on psychoeducation that while I usually focus on “doing” mindfulness it is also helpful to have an understanding of why our minds do the things they do.
It may be hard to imagine when there are a lot of very heavy, self-critical thoughts popping up but everything our minds do is actually to help us in some way - usually protecting us from danger (real or imagined) or moving us toward what we want.
A thought like “you can’t do that, you’ll fail” may be protecting us from the pain that comes with actually failing at something. If we don’t try we can’t fail and can’t get hurt.
An anxious thought in a social situation like “You can’t approach her she won’t be interested” might be the mind’s way of protecting us from the pain of rejection. If you never approach someone you’re attracted to they can’t reject you and so you stay “safe”.
Of course the problem with the mind protecting us like this is that it also stops us from going after the things we want. There will always be a risk of failure or rejection when we try to reach a goal or achieve anything.
So how do we manage the mind when it is keeping us “safe” but at the same time stopping us living the life we want?
We can treat it like a friend or family member that is trying to be helpful but just getting in the way. Acknowledge that at some level there is care and a drive to help us, coming from a good place…but we know our own situation better.
There is no need to argue with the mind - even when some of the thoughts popping up are really unhelpful - we can simply acknowledge what it is saying, thank it for trying to help, and move on with doing what really matters to us.
I’m a big fan of Russ Harris and highly recommend picking up one of his books such as “The Happiness Trap”.