Let’s Wake Up

Overview

1. Our conscious brain interprets our internal bodily sensations. Since we are geared to survive, most of our time is spent in survival physiology.
2. In this state, blood flow shifts away from our highest thinking brain, and we react more than we think.
3. This scenario is the basis of most bad behavior and unwanted thoughts.
4. Awareness is a core appraoch to create the shift needed to live the life you want.

Why do we often behave badly when we know better? Because our highest thinking centers are compromised when we are upset.

Repetitive unwanted thoughts (RUTs) result from your conscious brain reflecting your powerful unconscious brain. Since we are geared towards survival, much of the content of our minds is driven by stress physiology. You can’t outfight your unconscious mind, and positive thinking is a mismatch that makes things worse. What’s left? What can you do? The answer starts with recognizing that your thoughts aren’t the problem. Your relationship with your thoughts is the issue. Instead of trying to control what you think, you can learn to direct where you place your attention. This isn’t about suppression or replacement. It’s about creating space and redirecting your attention. Like training a puppy, you don’t punish unwanted behavior; instead, you consistently redirect attention to what you want to reinforce.

Awareness is the word that is at the core of healing. When an unwanted thought arises, you don’t have to fight it or analyze it. Awareness creates the space you need to redirect that thought. Notice it for what it is and then direct your attention elsewhere. The thought might still be there, spinning in the background, but you’re no longer feeding it energy.

This approach works because it respects the mechanical nature of these patterns. You’re not trying to reason with robots or negotiate with automated programs. You’re simply reallocating where you invest your mental energy. To fully grasp why awareness works where force fails, we need to understand the fundamental relationship between your conscious and unconscious mind—and recognize both the curse and the gift of human consciousness.

When you are anxious or angry, the blood flow to your highest thinking centers in the brain is diminished, and they are not functioning fully.¹ You are reacting to something from your past that was perceived or was dangerous. You are not here, you are there. It is the major reason why much human behavior is so poor. We act in ways that we know we shouldn’t. In a survival reaction, we are asleep. We are steadily destroying ourselves, those close to us, our society, and world. We must wake up – today. There are many ways to bring your highest thinking brain online that are available but not widely implemented.

 

 

Awareness is the opposite of anger and is at the core of these methods. In this state, creativity emerges and your body heals. By “C”ing first, you will go from a reaCtive to Creative state. Let’s wake up and create the life we want for ourselves and our world. We are running out of time.

References

1. Amy F. T. Arnsten, “Stress Signaling Pathways That Impair Prefrontal Cortex Structure and Function,” Nature Reviews Neuroscience 10, no. 6 (2009): 410–22, https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2648.

My new book, Calm Your Your Body Heal Your Mind: Transcend Pain, Anxiety, Anger, and Repetitive Unwanted Thoughts addressess the role of unpleasant thoughts driving chronic illness. It is a solveable issue.

Questions and considerations

1. Consider how alert and focused you feel when you are angry. It is both the benefit and the problem. You attention is focused on the immediate threat and your brain is not a full capacity. The first step it to realize how compromised your judgment is.
2. Awareness is an aspect of both breaking up your reaction, and creating space to reconnect to the present moment. It is only by being fully present in the moment can you make good decisions.
3. Consider that anger is the final survival reaction. It is only desctructive both physically and mentally. You cannot conquer it or get rid of it. Suppressing it is even worse. The only recourse is to not take any action while in a reaction.
4. Conflict is inevitable, and is best dealt with when both parties are rational (aware). How many relationships are improved when you are fighting? The first step in an argument is to disengage, and then listen (be aware).