Getting Past Your Mind

The Mind. Such a tricky, intelligent, and complex subject. The subject of study that will go on for quite literally forever. There is no end to the possibilities with the mind. It can be influenced so easily, yet it can easily influence. It has the power to create, imagine, and even make you feel.

You might consider it the heavy squishy thing behind your head bone, or you might consider it to be just your thoughts. No tangible shape, but instead an idea, like the force. However we identify it, I would really love to be able to get to the bottom of these thoughts that show up. The ones that have no invitation and barge right in and create discomfort, fear, and insecurities. Well, I want to tell you, it is possible to get past your mind.

I began to notice this after several experiences that I will share with you to help you see that you are capable of getting past your mind and back to a place within yourself that feels like peace, stability, and grace. Even in those dark moments that feel awful. It takes some effort but the more you do this, the easier it gets. There are a couple of ways you can practice this, and they align with you body, mind, and spirit.

BODY

Who loves to move their bodies? Whether it is yoga, running, paddling, skiing, hiking etc. moving your body gives you the opportunity to practice the skill of getting past your mind. I was on a hike last year after not hiking for several months. I hadn’t done much cardiovascular activity actually, so early on I was feeling pretty fatigued. I was not even a quarter of the way into the hike and started to feel upset and was starting to plan in my head when I would stop my hike. I began to fixate on the exact point I planned to stop and turn around rather than getting to the end. It was planning so intently that I even began to feel pain in my legs which helped convince me even more that it was almost time to stop. Well, luckily I was hiking with another person, and was feeling too ashamed to say something. (I should note that when hiking alone, I have given up early and turned around too soon.) So I kept going. I had pain in my calves and my low back and couldn’t shake it.

Until a moment. About 15-20 minutes in, the pain suddenly disappeared. My breathing began to get easier, and rather than shame and negative thoughts of “I am not going to finish this”, I had a surprisingly euphoric moment. That moment when you feel unstoppable and that you can accomplish anything. Your mind is suddenly saying, YES! There is a scientific reason to this. When you move your body, you have to push through a very difficult portion of it until your body gets to the point where it is releasing the healthy hormones and chemicals into the brain (oh yea, duh, I learned this is my psychology classes!) So by pushing my body to go further, even though all of the signals were telling me to stop, I was able to get past my mind and its message of inadequacy to finish the hike.

It does not need to be a hike that gets you to this place. It can be running or in a yoga class. Have you ever had that moment in a yoga class where all you hear in your head is, “lower down”, or “get out of this posture”, or “i’m not strong enough for this”? You are not alone! However, I want to challenge you. To ignore those thoughts. Even if your muscles feel like they are going to burst, and you don’t feel strong enough. Stay for one more breath. I would bet, that if you push past that thought pattern, and take one more breath, you will find a second, and even a third. The sensation of not being strong enough physically and mentally suddenly fades. Again, another scientific reason… when we do challenging postures, or anything challenging for that matter, it’s easy to hold your breath without noticing it. When you begin to breath again, your muscle that is working so hard is suddenly met with fresh blood and oxygen. It’s like walking outside after a hot yoga class. You suddenly feel ignited with energy and the ability to keep going! I heard once in a yoga class, “your mind will always give up before your body”.

THE MIND

This personal story is difficult to share due to the vulnerability, however, it is worth sharing. After reflecting on this experience it has made it easier for me to witness as this process happens to me in present moments, even as recently as today.

Flash back to 2017. It’s June and the day of my Grand Launch of my new business. I have friends, family, and some strangers who have signed up to attend. I prepare all day with some help and feel like things are going to go great. Except, I did not plan out my timing very well. I arrived to my spot to begin to set up, and there were already people there waiting. I had plans of setting up a tent, and putting music on, but things did not go as planned. I started to unload boards and in the midst, I had several moments to myself, where all there was was doubt, fear, shame, and thoughts of failure.

I carried a board out onto the dock and I knelt down to put it in the water and caught a glimpse of my reflection. I was totally stunned and taken by surprise at the face looking back at me and the fear I saw in my own eyes. I felt the moment where I was about to give up. I wanted to jump on my board and paddle far away. I could not bear to stand up and turn around with that feeling. I closed my eyes and started to breath. I dragged my hand through the water, and splashed some on the back of my neck and I looked up and was met by the beautiful sunset that was right in front of me. I thought, they all need to see this too! So I stood up with excitement and shouted out, “who wants to go first?!”.

As people started to paddle out I could hear them laughing, and awwing over the beautiful sky. I suddenly felt in that moment, that no one even noticed that the tent wasn’t up, and the music wasn’t on. I suddenly felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be, and doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing. It could have been quite bad had I not taken that moment to breathe and let go of some of the attachments and expectations I had for that event. Had I not pushed past those fears and insecurities, who knows what would have happened. If I had to imagine, it might be me running around frantically trying to get everything done on a one way path ignoring all of the help being offered (this may have happened a time or two in the past, but that’s another subject for another blog post), or I would have jumped on my paddle board and just paddled away. This was a true testament to sitting with a feeling long enough to push through it and come out of the other side, past the mind and in a state of bliss.

THE SPIRIT

I don’t have a specific experience to share other than, it is a work in progress. Knowing that this life is a learning process for such events helps me to trust that these opportunities will continue to arise, no matter how many times I overcome them. Believing is not only seeing, it is feeling, and doing as well. When it comes to your spirit, when things feel low, or down, you have to believe that they will get better. You have to know that all things come in cycles and that life is just another repetitive cycle with ups and downs. If you sit in the difficult moments long enough, the glorious moments will come and they will be more and more beautiful each time.

When it comes to your spirit, do not let the mind overcome. Fight those negative thoughts with positive thoughts, even if you are not believing them in the moment. Force a smile to your face, or a laugh out of your mouth. Your spirit is stronger than your mind and your body. Remember to breath and push your body a little bit further. Get past your mind, and find the bliss. Call it stamina, or strength, but whatever it is, it is worth going through and coming out on the other side, past the mind.

Do you have a similar experience? I would love to hear about it in the comments!