Making A Leap Towards Peace And Freedom
A Realization For Emotional And Mental Well-Being
The unobserved mind creates incredible psychological pain for many people. When you deeply recognize that your thoughts are not facts, you will be able to free yourself from the perils of the unobserved mind and cut through the delusions of fear, anger, and depression.
As a result, your mind will be released from psychological suffering and be illuminated, peaceful, and tranquil.
The first time I heard, “thoughts are not facts”, the profound meaning was lost to me. I understood it intellectually but it took a long time for this reality to sink in.
When I finally understood, I healed my depression, anger, pain, and anxiety,
An Important Distinction Between Thoughts and Facts
When you sit still and observe your thoughts, you’ll see how much mental noise is really streaming through your mind.
Typically, these unobserved thoughts influence our perception, emotional state, behavior, and our reality.
As a result, we can become stuck in repetitive and habituated patterns.
In other words, your life may become constrained because the same cycles are playing out, unaware that the cause stems from your thoughts.
These are the perils of the unobserved mind.
Your beliefs hand authority over to your mind
Example One:
A year ago, I had to deal with some unexpected life circumstances that brought up a lot of uncertainty.
In the early stages, I was okay, but as time went on, worry took over and I struggled to let go of fear-based thoughts.
Although I could rationalize that there was a 99% chance that everything would work out, I was hung up on the 1% that it would not.
Thinking that “things aren’t going to work out,” was only a thought, but amidst the stress I was feeling, it seemed like a fact.
I believed what my mind was saying, despite logic and reason telling me otherwise.
The belief trumped everything and fueled a cycle of anxiety and fear, causing me to focus on a highly unlikely outcome.
The trouble with playing out the roles our minds cast us into
Example Two:
When the situation resolved itself, I relaxed and felt quite happy but something else had slipped under my radar.
My mind kept saying, “I was doing so well before this whole thing happened. Now that it’s over I can’t seem to get back to where I was.”
My mind had created a story, and I had fallen for it.
By unconsciously identifying with this story, I was living it out and feeling sorry for myself even though everything had worked out in the end.
This led me to overemphasize the negative experiences I had while filtering out the positive ones. So, it perpetuated feelings of depression and anxiety.
It was like finding money on the ground but only focusing on the dirt that covered it.
When I was able to disidentify from what my mind was saying and clearly see what was happening, I saw the story for what it was; a collection of thoughts.
Related Article: 12 Thinking Traps You Need to be Aware Of
Deepening in Understanding
Removing the filter
Our thoughts perpetuate and intensify unpleasant emotional and mental states by creating a veil of perception that we take as reality.
If we all genuinely understood this, our minds would be free and self-criticism, anxiety, worry, depression, and anger, would not consume us.
When I challenged the thoughts that were saying “I can’t seem to get back to where I was” and looked at it objectively, I realized it was just another thought. It was not a fact.
Imagine wearing sunglasses all your life, the first time you take them off things would look very different.
It isn’t that everything else has changed; rather the filter you were looking through has now been removed. This is what happens to us when we take our thoughts to be facts.
Our minds create judgments and assumptions, regardless of evidence or proof.
When we remove the filter and challenge our beliefs, our opinions and interpretations dissipate, allowing us to see clearly.
Being on the other end of someone else’s mental filter
If you have experienced someone judging you harshly, the way they view you is through a filter of prejudice and bias.
Furthermore, try as you will, you may never change their perception because it actually has nothing to do with you.
Rather, it has everything to do with the filter that has been cast over their minds. You are not what they think of you and you needn’t worry.
It is their mind that is agitated, therefore everything appears unpleasant and irritating to them.
If our minds are full of criticism and prejudice, we will find fault in everything. Similarly, if our minds are anxious, we see danger and discomfort everywhere.
When our minds are peaceful, however, the whole world becomes a paradise and everyone is seen through the eyes of love and divine perfection.
Related Article: Letting go of Judgment of Ourselves and Others
Our mood and our thoughts are linked
Notice how quickly your perspective shifts when something positive happens. It is because positive events can change your perception, motivate you, and boost your mood temporarily.
It isn’t the actual event that causes us to be happy but the change in our perception. We can go from thinking, “nothing ever works out for me” to think that “everything is going great!”
By believing that things are working out, we get a happy and relaxed feeling.
If the positive event did not shift our perception and we continued to think that “things never work out”, then our mood would not shift and we would not feel happy.
We cannot take our thoughts too seriously because they are only our interpretations and perceptions. They are transient and impermanent.
If a group of people looked at the same thing, each one would have a unique opinion, perspective, or outlook.
It doesn’t mean that one person is wrong while the other is right. Right and wrong are also judgments and are often subjective.
The most important thing is to realize that thoughts are only thoughts, perspective is only perspective, and opinions are only opinions.
They are not the ultimate truth.
Taking the Necessary Step: Awareness and Realization
The leap from unconscious thinking to awareness and freedom
When you observe your mind you begin to see the stories and thoughts that are driving your behaviors for better or for worse. Here’s how:
- Observe your thoughts and beliefs
Take a moment and think about an area in your life that you are not happy with or would like to improve.
What are your thoughts about it?
How do these thoughts make you feel?
You can stop and think about this for a moment and if you would like, write them down.
We may have multiple thoughts affecting our situation and we may have to look at more than one.
Perhaps over the course of a week, you will notice more and more patterns in your thinking. This is an excellent sign!
You are deepening in awareness and taking the first step toward reclaiming your freedom.
- Become aware of how these views impact your life
How has your behavior been impacted by this stream of thinking? For instance, thoughts like “it is all too much” or “I can’t handle it” will lead to avoidance.
These are the perils of the unobserved mind. We may want to change something, but we believe that we are unable to and this leads to inaction.
Likewise, we may even have ideas about ourselves or others that are not complete.
For example, when we think “I am unlovable,” this belief can cause us to push people away.
It is not the truth of who we are and it may be more accurate to say, “my relationship ended.”
While this may have caused emotional pain, believing you are unlovable will cause you to focus on anything that validates this thought.
You may then filter out the love that you do have, or can have in your life, thus creating more suffering for yourself.
The mind typically cannot accept two opposing ideas so it is up to us to become conscious of our thoughts and seek the truth.
- Challenge your thinking, recognize the difference between perception, opinion, and judgment versus solid facts
Really try to see things objectively and take your time.
Ask yourself:
How true are these thoughts and beliefs?
What is the evidence for and against them?
More often than not there are ways to create change or improve our situation.
We just have to take that first step and sometimes that is the hardest part. Once you recognize this, however, your mind will not be able to fool you for much longer.
- Let go and be free
Some people can see this mental dynamic and let go of it right away.
For most of us, however, it may take time to fully let go because we have identified with our thinking for a long time. Some thoughts have even been with us since childhood.
While it isn’t necessary to do anything to let go, our awareness has the power to free us.
Just stay present and observe your thoughts, you may even observe yourself acting on them and in the beginning, it may feel like you don’t have a choice.
This is all okay. Continue to deepen in your awareness, and do not judge yourself. Instead, allow yourself to experience what is happening even if it is unpleasant, this will help you to let go.
Related Resources: Get free resources to help you challenge your thinking and become aware of your experience. Use my printable Mindful Sorting Activity, available to all for free. If you are a subscriber, you can also use the Observe Your Thoughts Worksheet.
Conclusion:
Clarity and Freedom from the Unobserved Mind
You are not your thoughts; you are the one who gives thoughts entry into this world.
This is why you must learn to observe your mind; otherwise, you won’t know when it is deceiving you. Without you, your thoughts do not exist.
You, however, can exist without thought. The mind is only a veil through which you see the world; it is not by itself a clear lens.
None of our beautiful planet’s trees or flowers have a constant stream of thoughts playing through a field of perception, and yet they exist.
Many things exist without thoughts, but humans have become so identified with thinking that we have become our minds.
In other words, we are the only species that conceptualize life. Our pets don’t wonder how they can be better companions, they are just being themselves.
We place our interpretations, opinions, perspectives, and beliefs on everything.
While we can still use thinking, we must see that our thoughts are not ultimate reality and they are not who we are. Thus, we must go beyond thought.
You cannot be free of self-imposed psychological shackles if you are not aware that they exist.
The good news is that once you become conscious that you have unintentionally bound yourself, you will also see that you are the one holding the key.
With awareness, we can move beyond thinking and leave behind the perils of the unobserved mind.
We can then connect with life’s effortless flow, unlocking the true power within us. Life then becomes joyful and peaceful.
May you be happy and well,
With Endless Love,
Ravelle
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Related articles:
12 Thinking Traps to be Aware Of
Very thankful for your blog it helps me alot….lots of love
This is so wonderful to hear, I am glad it is helpful. May you be happy and well Varun 🙏❤️
Your writings have inspired and helped me so much, Ravelle. Thank you for sharing these pieces of your journey.
Thank you Kelly, I am really happy to hear that it resonates and is helpful 😊 Sending you full love always 🙏🏽❤️