More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
S.J. Scott
Our powerful brains are constantly processing all sorts of experiences and analyzing them in the form of thoughts. Thoughts form what we perceive to be reality.
In fact, nearly every negative thought you have relates to the past or future.
“You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits,” Obama said. “I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.”
Everything seems important and urgent.
“But it was in this moment, lying in bed late at night, that I first realized that the voice in my head—the running commentary that had dominated my field of consciousness since I could remember—was kind of an asshole.” – Dan Harris
Thus evolved the “negativity bias,” our tendency to react to negative stimuli more intensely than positive.
“There is an alternative to simply identifying with the next thought that pops into consciousness.” That alternative is mindfulness.
Mindfulness requires retraining your brain to stay out of the mental clutter from the future and focus instead on the present moment. When you are mindful, you no longer attach to your thoughts. You are simply present in whatever you happen to be doing.
One of the best ways to detach from negative thoughts and gain control over your mind is through slow, deep, rhythmic breathing.
