Session 59 - Rational and Irrational Thinking

Today's short podcast is going to be a little more technical than usual. So please bear with me.

I want to briefly talk about two parts of your brain. At the outset, I fully acknowledge the brain is a hugely complex organ and my explanation is also hugely inadequate. It's just a simplified explanation.

1. The Amygdala - this responsible for processing strong emotions. The part of your brain that reacts without thinking. This capacity of the brain is necessary when you really are in a life-threatening situation, to enable you to survive. In this mode you are in blinkered vision, unable to see options that are available to you. Creative thinking is stifled, is stopped, and shut down. Your only concern is survival. Also known as the fight, flight, or freeze response centre of your brain.
2. The other part of your brain is what's called the Pre-Frontal Cortex. It's just behind your forehead. It's the rational part of your brain where critical thinking happens.

Being aware of what it is, that's causing you anxiety and or stress, naming it, labeling it, is a tremendous way of calming yourself, because when you bring it out of darkness into the daylight of rational thinking you can defeat it. It loses its power over you.

It's important that you must make an executive decision to STOP what it is you are doing. Just STOP. This takes practice.

Next time you are feeling angry about something or someone or you feel stressed or anxious. Just stop for a moment. Yes just Stop. Just imagine for a moment you are literally hovering out of your body just like a drone, up and out of your body and you have moved about ten feet from yourself and you look back over at yourself. Now take a look at yourself, and write down a few words that describe how you are feeling. Not blaming anyone, just how you are feeling. Write it down. And bring that piece of paper back with you as you hover back into your body. Now notice how you are feeling!

Another way to calm yourself is to breathe in and out through your nose. Holding your in-breath for as long as you can and then exhaling. Do this for as long as is necessary. Warning: if you have a lung or breathing deficit, please do not do this.

The ideal mental state, to be experiencing is the rational mind state, the Pre-frontal Cortex thinking because rational thinking is able to pour cold water on highly irrational thinking. Then you are able to make wise decisions and wise choices that enhance you and your life. Creative thinking can happen and the world is your oyster.

Practice. practice, practice.

Be Powerful.