The Bigger PictureWhat most of us want to feel in our lives is confidence, enthusiasm and satisfaction. Because these feelings come to us when we have clear access to our thinking, passions and direction, it's worth exploring what confuses our thinking, dulls our passions and muddles our direction, writes Shalini Sinha
Our thinking is very much connected to what is going on in our bodies. Ever notice how when you're in pain or tension, it becomes more difficult to think? Our minds do not operate in isolation, but are influenced by the condition of the whole.
Thus, nutrition plays a role in concentration and clarity. So too does our body fitness also impacts on our clarity. What struck me most after completing Jigs'n'Reelslast year was how much more focused I felt in my mind. Yes, my waistline was toned and I had more energy, but by far the most remarkable difference was my increased mental clarity. I simply felt more enthusiastic, confident and free about my direction.
In addition to our physical health, what also limits our thinking is feelings from the past. Physical and emotional traumas, when left unprocessed, not only create dead space in our heads, they distort our perception so that we just can't think as flexibly. Letting go of fears and taking risks in hopeful directions are really helpful to opening up our thinking.
Most people who have a good cry or shake after a painful event report being able to think better afterwards. Emotions heal when we are able to take in something that is hopeful at the same time that we are feeling the pain - an understandably tricky exercise.
Indeed, we often can't provide this hopefulness fully ourselves while struggling with the feeling, and so need someone else to connect with us to facilitate it.
When this happens, the feelings release and space is created in our minds where we can make new connections and generate more thoughts about a situation. In this way, our thinking becomes clearer. Hopefulness expands our horizons. Fear and cynicism only make our worlds smaller.
Finally, we need sleep to think well. There's no way around it. We need to shut down our conscious thinking in order to undertake useful repairs. This fact is continuously reinforced for me through working with both the Bowen technique (which encourages and re-starts the body's own healing mechanisms) and emotional healing. It is very common for clients of Bowen to fall into a sleep-state during a session as the very gentle technique sparks healing processes within their body.
It's only in this state that we can heal and regenerate ourselves at deep levels. Similarly, after painful emotions are released, most of the shifts in thinking occur when we next get to sleep. It is in the days that follow that our new thoughts and perspectives begin to grow.
Dreams are the mind's way of working out emotions. Through dreaming, we visualise and express emotions that we have not yet dealt with. I don't believe our dreams work to process feelings, but rather indicate to us what needs to be addressed. Exploring those emotions will help our thinking move on.
While clearer thinking guides our direction, access to our passions brings joy to life. Unfortunately, many of the entertainment trends today - drugs, video games and fast-paced media images - dull our passions rather than encourageing them. Ironically, our senses end up numbed rather than strengthened.
The greater irony is that while we were pursuing these activities in the hopes of more thrilling experiences, most of us lost sight of the things that genuinely brought us excitement.
These were often simple things such as an early morning walk, watching the sunrise, turning off the mobile phone to spend time with loved ones, or something that took us back into our childhood - when we actually felt wind in our hair.
Every time we pursued a direction that was out of line with our real passions, whether because we believed it was more practical or thought others truly expected it of us, it dulled our passions.
Finally, worrying about what could go wrong often stops us from making a decision. Moreover, we can't underestimate the power of external pressures which try to convince us that their paths are "safer". In truth, that safety is usually tentative and superficial.
When we take a direction because our thinking isn't clear and our passions are inhibited, it usually drains our confidence in the long run. What builds confidence is focusing on our strengths, planning small steps and putting those in action.
Shalini Sinha works as a life coach and practises the Bowen technique.
www.shalinisinha.com