30 Jan We see the World not as it is, but as we are

Scientists estimate that the human brain has up to sixty thousand thoughts per day. To put that in perspective, an adult who is awake for sixteen hours on any given day has more than one thought every second.  Some of these thoughts don’t even come into our awareness. However, they are still impacting on our behaviours and beliefs. This process of using the brain, consciously or unconsciously to produce thoughts by absorbing and manipulating the information around us on a daily basis helps us to make sense of the world we live in.  

The challenge is that in processing this information we first put it through a lens, that lens being our experiences, our beliefs (often limiting), our assumptions, our conditioning, our biases, our preconceptions.     

This can be particularly evident and challenging when we find ourselves reacting to certain people or situations.  When we can identify, evaluate and respond to our thoughts, particularly the unhelpful ones we have the power to change them and so to change the emotions, behaviours and physical sensations that accompany them.  Our thoughts are not facts and often we forget this. They are our brains ways of making sense of a situation from our perspective.  

Once we come to the point of observing our thoughts, not accepting them as facts and challenging them where appropriate, we have the power to change them and the resulting experience. We learn not to react but to respond. 

It is important to note that these patterns have built up over time and through experience. They are linked to our beliefs about ourselves, other and the world, beliefs we are often not even aware of until we explore them.  Practicing compassion towards self in making these changes is really important.   

Through what lens are you seeing the world, yourself and others this week? What would it be like if you saw it through a different lens or from a different perspective? The first step is to become aware of the thoughts.  From here, with understanding, reflection and self-compassion necessary changes can be made and it can result in a whole different experience.