Are you choosing your thoughts?

Last time I talked about the importance of developing a higher level of consciousness.  This may still sound very abstract to you so I want to share a concrete example.  When I talk to people about managing stress or decreasing fears I often mention the notion that we choose our thoughts. So if we choose them, why can’t we choose thoughts that we want to have; happy thoughts, relaxing thoughts, positive thoughts? 

The easy answer is that we are on autopilot 90% of the time. This is normal, we learn certain behaviours and thus we don’t need to think about them.  This can be very practical except when you want to change those patterns or knee jerk responses. That is when you need to become conscious of your automatic reactions and as you increase your awareness you can actually slow things down and create a gap. A gap between the stimulus (someone yells at you) and your reaction (you get mad, you get defensive or you take a conscious breath and decide to stay calm and carry on)!
 
Even though it may not feel like it, the choice is always yours. We are all responsible for our thoughts and emotions.  It is by creating a gap that you can develop your ability to choose differently, to change your patterns and rewire your brain to new and more supportive responses.
 
Over the next week I invite you to be a keen observer of how you react to outside stressors and start to develop a sense of greater awareness of your thoughts.  See if you can consciously select your reaction. The more aware you become and the more you practice the easier it will be to create the gap and thus the opportunity to choose.
 
Here are some inspiring words from Victor Frankl:
 
Between stimulus and response, there is a space.  In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.  

Until next time, enjoy your journey to higher consciousness!

Jackie