Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 16/Jul 04:48

The corner of courage – When thoughts become dangerous

Kanisa George DESPITE our best efforts, we can sometimes find ourselves in the inconvenient position of being influenced far too strongly by what we think. Our thoughts are often at the helm of the narrative and can sometimes speak volumes, even over rationality. Sometimes no matter how hard we try what we feel and what we do is influenced by what we think. Take, for example, the "you are what you eat maxim." If you closely evaluate this principle, it'll become apparent that much comes down to impulses, feelings and inhibitions attached to food. And when we get to the meat of it, these variables are heavily influenced by our thoughts and viewpoint on food. Ergo, our relationship with food is influenced by how we think about it. It's not just our relationship with food that's shaped by our thoughts. Our thoughts significantly impact our relationships with others and even with ourselves. Thoughts are our most faithful companion and a foe that never leaves our side. Most of all, our thoughts never fail to interject, making themselves known even when their perspectives aren't welcomed. Sigmund Freud's psychoanalyst theory on behaviour proposed that thoughts are directly linked to who we are. What we think impacts every facet of our being, and the outcome of our personalities depends on our inner dialogue. THE POWER OF THOUGHT Freud wasn't the only one who believed in the power of one's thoughts. For centuries, great writers, philosophers, and overachievers alike have spoken of the powerful influence of one's thoughts and how provoking their broader impact is on our daily lives. Stoic and Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote, "A man's life is what his thoughts make of it." Poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "A man is what he thinks about all day long." For these thinkers, our thoughts create our experiences; thus, we experience what we think. "Are we truly what we think?" Modern cognitive behavioural therapists believe that thoughts are really just that—thoughts, and they don't always paint an accurate picture of who we are. In reality, thoughts are often in direct opposition to the thinker and might be an extreme response to fear, overstimulation, or, in the case of women, hormones. In her piece, "Bizarre Thoughts and Me: Confessions of an OCD Therapist," psychotherapist Stacey Kuhl Wochner shares that there are still common misperceptions about thinking. These include how thoughts are meaningfully linked to the inner being of the thinker and how our thoughts are sometimes considered bad omens for the future. According to Wochner, most of us give our thoughts, especially fear-inducing, negative thoughts, far more power than they deserve when, instead, we should show them some level of deference and move right along. We can't run from them, but we can acknowledge their existence and let them float on by. The trick is not to let them seep into our being. When we internalise harmful thoughts and allow them to take root in our consciousness, they manifest in our actions, words and deeds and almost automatically become part of us. THOUGHT AS CHANGE AGENT Omar Itan, the voice behind the Optimist, a weekly publication on personal development, writes that "thoughts, in and of themselves, have no power—it's only when we actively invest our attention into them that they begin to seem real. And when we engage with specific thoughts, we begin to feel the emotions triggered by these thoughts—we enter a new emotional state which then influences how we act." We must learn when to engage with our thoughts and when to honour their existence while maintaining a healthy distance. Itan suggests zoning in on powerful thoughts and engaging with them, as they are more effective at boosting confidence and triggering a more positive emotional state. Thoughts trigger emotions, and the vibrational frequency of these emotions then feeds back into the original thought. As we continue to give mental attention to the initial thought, it reaffirms the emotion, which then energises the thought. And so, we experience a continuous cycle of think, feel, think, feel, think, feel. It all begins with the thoughts you pay attention to. How you think, feel, and act are all directly linked to each other, and no matter how we try to escape it, this trilogy influences how you behave and what action you take. As you continue to give life to the same thought patterns, whether negative or positive, you'll produce the same emotions, perform the same actions, and continue to live by the same experiences. For example, Psychologist Amy Morin explains that "once you draw a conclusion about yourself, you're likely to do two things: look for evidence that reinforces your belief and discount anything that runs contrary to your belief." What you should be doing is creating new patterns and new realities by reconditioning yourself. But to do this, Itan advocates that you need to understand that you are not your thoughts—you are the thoughts you give power and attention to—you are the thinker. Your thoughts are nothing more than an endless stream of ideas running through your mind; you are the master who dictates which ones you hold onto and those you release. So, yes, sometimes we are what we think. Instead of giving life to thoughts drenched in negativity, let's make a concerted effort to give way to those that light a fire within us.   The post The corner of courage – When thoughts become dangerous appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.