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that's why you should train your mind constantly (meditation basically means mind training) to not let your emotional parts take over the logical brain in an ob

that's why you should train your mind constantly (meditation basically means mind training) to not let your emotional parts take over the logical brain in an obsessive way. The problem is not having a negative emotional thought, but obsessing over it and letting it overpower the other thoughts you have. Most of the time the negative thoughts are just imaginations, histories that our mind creates and makes real. For example; it's late at night, your daughter or girlfriend hasn't returned home yet and their phone is off. You start to imagine the worst scenarios (accident, rape, cheating, whatever..) and your mind is stupid enough that it starts to believe them and making those scenarios real. You start to get worried, then anxious, then angry at them for not thinking of you and how worried you are. Maybe you are really angry when they get home and scream at them just to discover that they have been somewhere safe all night and just ran out of battery. Being able to realize that those scenarios are just creations of your mind and snapping out of the obsessive loop of thoughts it's one of the most important things you can learn in life.

jgroch 16y ago
"that's why you should train your mind" henryw's summary is good, but it misses that point: an important part of the article is developing the mind over time. The same way one gradually learns a skill like programming, one can learn to develop some of the things mentioned in the article. (I only wish I would have read such an article 10 years ago and gotten that point.)
- andrewingram 16y ago
  It's not worth the regret though. I find myself thinking I wish I'd done my first year of university differently (I was a shut in), but then I remind myself that even though I made bad choices for the wrong reasons, they still led me to some good things. All I can do is try to make good choices from this point onwards.
crazydiamond 16y ago
> Being able to realize that those scenarios are just creations of your mind and snapping out of the obsessive loop of thoughts it's one of the most important things you can learn in life. Great. I'd like to add that even the person/individual or "I" is a creation of the mind, that upon observation melts away. This in my experience has been the single most important "event" in "my" life (the "my" itself not having any tangible meaning). The key: mindfulness, or coming back to the present moment over and over again till silence becomes natural.
- andrewingram 16y ago
  I'm learning about mindfullness for trying to beat my depression. I experienced a few days of utter relaxation out of the blue before christmas, so I know that it's a real thing that can be achieved. I'm hoping that a combination of anti-depressants and learning to live in moment will be what allows me to finally beat this. Edit: Thanks for the reading suggestions, I'll try them out and see what sticks :)
  - Deadsunrise 16y ago
    Have you read Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn? http://www.amazon.com/Wherever-You-There-Are-ROUGH/dp/1401307787 http://www.amazon.com/Wherever-You-There-Are-ROUGH/dp/140130... He is my favorite author when it comes to meditation because he focus on mindfulness and not Buddhism or more "spiritual" things as most meditation books do. He also has tapes for guided meditation that are a good way to start meditating everyday.
  - locopati 16y ago
    I highly recommend Pema Chodron's 'Taking the Leap' http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Leap-Freeing-Ourselves-Habits/dp/1590308433 http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Leap-Freeing-Ourselves-Habits/d... Having been there wrt depression, part of being with the moment is to not let habit take hold. This book is the clearest I've seen on seeing habits and letting go of them.
  - crazydiamond 16y ago
    If you are in depression, do continue your regular treatment and anti-depressants till the docs allow you to stop. Once you are treated, then mindfulness/ being in the Now, can move you to happiness and freedom. I say this because no one (I've read) has said this cures depression. And the root of depression can be bio-chemical. However, in the long run, you would give up medication (hopefully in a year), and then the "present moment" is the key. The beauty is that is becomes easy and natural after a while. If you've suffered (been unhappy) then you have the motivation not to give up, to take this through to completion. Go through Eckhart Tolle and Mooji (on youtube). "Power of Now" is good. Start this moment.

jgroch 16y ago

"that's why you should train your mind" henryw's summary is good, but it misses that point: an important part of the article is developing the mind over time. The same way one gradually learns a skill like programming, one can learn to develop some of the things mentioned in the article. (I only wish I would have read such an article 10 years ago and gotten that point.)

andrewingram 16y ago
It's not worth the regret though. I find myself thinking I wish I'd done my first year of university differently (I was a shut in), but then I remind myself that even though I made bad choices for the wrong reasons, they still led me to some good things. All I can do is try to make good choices from this point onwards.

crazydiamond 16y ago

> Being able to realize that those scenarios are just creations of your mind and snapping out of the obsessive loop of thoughts it's one of the most important things you can learn in life. Great. I'd like to add that even the person/individual or "I" is a creation of the mind, that upon observation melts away. This in my experience has been the single most important "event" in "my" life (the "my" itself not having any tangible meaning). The key: mindfulness, or coming back to the present moment over and over again till silence becomes natural.

andrewingram 16y ago
I'm learning about mindfullness for trying to beat my depression. I experienced a few days of utter relaxation out of the blue before christmas, so I know that it's a real thing that can be achieved. I'm hoping that a combination of anti-depressants and learning to live in moment will be what allows me to finally beat this. Edit: Thanks for the reading suggestions, I'll try them out and see what sticks :)
- Deadsunrise 16y ago
  Have you read Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn? http://www.amazon.com/Wherever-You-There-Are-ROUGH/dp/1401307787 http://www.amazon.com/Wherever-You-There-Are-ROUGH/dp/140130... He is my favorite author when it comes to meditation because he focus on mindfulness and not Buddhism or more "spiritual" things as most meditation books do. He also has tapes for guided meditation that are a good way to start meditating everyday.
- locopati 16y ago
  I highly recommend Pema Chodron's 'Taking the Leap' http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Leap-Freeing-Ourselves-Habits/dp/1590308433 http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Leap-Freeing-Ourselves-Habits/d... Having been there wrt depression, part of being with the moment is to not let habit take hold. This book is the clearest I've seen on seeing habits and letting go of them.
- crazydiamond 16y ago
  If you are in depression, do continue your regular treatment and anti-depressants till the docs allow you to stop. Once you are treated, then mindfulness/ being in the Now, can move you to happiness and freedom. I say this because no one (I've read) has said this cures depression. And the root of depression can be bio-chemical. However, in the long run, you would give up medication (hopefully in a year), and then the "present moment" is the key. The beauty is that is becomes easy and natural after a while. If you've suffered (been unhappy) then you have the motivation not to give up, to take this through to completion. Go through Eckhart Tolle and Mooji (on youtube). "Power of Now" is good. Start this moment.