Tending the garden of the mind for inner peace

My Stroke of Insight pg 373, by Jill Bolte Taylor -

I'm a devout believer that paying attention to our self talk is vitally important for our mental health.

In my opinion, making the decision that internal verbal abuse is not acceptable behavior, is the first step toward finding inner peace.

It has been extremely powerful for me to realize that the negative story teller portion of my left brain is only about the size of a peanut!    In order to protect my mental health, it is necessary for me to tend the garden of my mind and keep these cells in check. My story teller simply needs a little disciplining directive from my conscious mind about what I want versus what I find unacceptable .  

I am often humored by the scheming antics of my story teller in response to this type of directive. I have found that just like little children, these cells challenge the authority of my authentic voice and test my conviction. Once asked to be silent, they tend to pause for a moment and then immediately reengage those forbidden loops. If I am not persistent with my desire to think about other things and consciously initiate new circuits of thought, then those uninvited loops can generate new strength and begin monopolizing my mind again.

To counter their activities, I keep a handy list of three things available for me to turn my consciousness toward when I am in a state of need:

1) I remember something fascinating that I would like to ponder more deeply,

2) I think about something that brings me terrific joy or

3) I think about something I would like to do.   When I am desperate to change my mind, I use such tools.

I have also found that when I am least expecting it-feeling either physically tired or emotionally vulnerable- those negative circuits have a tendency to raise their hurtful heads. The more aware I remain about what my brain is saying and how those thoughts feel inside my body, the more I own my power in choosing what I want to spend my time thinking about, and how I want to feel. If I want to retain my inner peace, I must be willing to consistently and persistently tend to the garden of my mind moment by moment, and be willing to make the decision a thousand times a day.