Mental growth stops in adulthood. At least that’s what we are told and experiencing today. Our minds are viewed as being separate and distinct from our bodies. Physical training and exericse is real. We see individuals drop weight for movies or your neighbor starts running half-marathons for fun. We know that it’s possible. We see it. We even dabble in it, too, with diets, with vitamins, with jazzy meals. As we aim to improve our physical bodies, most of us are unaware that we need to change our mindset.
Mental training leads us directly to cognitive, emotional, and ethical changes. Yet, the concept of mental training isn’t fully supported, and seems only reserved for the professional athletes. We really can change for the better, and it should be viewed as the “new norm of human growth.” A purposeful growth that we strive for in order to help us grow intellectually, in our relationships, in our careers, etc. What age do we start having this mental conversation of change? During a mid-life crisis? When a loved one dies? When you are diagnosed with an illness? We have all become mentally fatigued, and this is where emotional intelligence becomes practical.
It becomes practical because we learn awareness. It is not prescribed by doctors; not taught by teachers at school, and only now becoming more of a fitness trend – like yoga or pilates. Having self-regulation and self-awareness shows us what is missing. Once you know how to be more aware, you learn all the chaos and suffering is born from our lack of awareness. All the conflict, fear, mistrust, and disorder are simply symptoms of our minds being out of control. Next time you are angry or sad…how long will you lock into that emotion? Do you stay there playing it over in your head, or let it roll off your shoulders? What actual progress do you make when you are fully angry or sad?
The benefit of emotional intelligence and the act of having more awareness gives you the freedom to “get off the rollercoaster ride”. By being aware that you experiencing (or holding onto an emotional experience from the past), you can recognize it and start to let it pass. It starts with some light mental stretching and breathing as your warm up. You have to take control of the fragmented thoughts. For example, can you read a book for an hour without checking your email or social media? How about eating a peaceful dinner with no phones or technology at the table? No distractions. No stimuli. Why? There is an ongoing war for our attention and most of us are loosing it.
When you start to take back control of your mind, you start to make changes for the better in your life. Many of us, young and old, want to change the world. As we gain awareness, mental strength and insight, we learn that our mental and physical well-being changes; not the world. Learn the practice of self-awareness and the strength of emotional intelligence.
Source: Sam Harris, Mental Training Lesson, Modified Summary, Waking Up PodCast 2018
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