The Three Minds

One of the keys to minding the mind is learning to solve problems that arise day to day. There are three frames of mind: negative, positive, and neutral. The key to problem solving is making the decision from the best frame of mind.

The negative mind is protective and reactive. It often keeps us fearful to keep us safe. Some people operate from the negative or protective mind. They may complain a lot, see danger everywhere or see stress in daily life as something that cannot be handled.

The positive mind looks for pleasure, fulfilment and possibility. It is excited about finding new solutions. Some people are overly positive. They are either risk-takers, or they are overly enthusiastic about finding solutions to stress.

Then there’s the neutral mind. The neutral mind calmly assesses situations, finding a balanced solution to situations. It draws information from the protective negative mind and the enthusiasm of the positive mind to make a neutral decision.

The negative mind and positive mind are calmed into a neutral state of mind through practice and self-care. Self-care for the mind means taking a time-out. Self-care isn’t a luxury or something to feel guilty about. Just like a computer needs to be switched off and on again for it to work, the mind needs to be rebooted through self-care and relaxation.

For a list of time out ideas, visit www.relaxfromstress.ie, contact Relax From Stress on 086-2202734 or email tracy@relaxfromstress.ie

As appeared in the Connaught Telegraph newspaper on 18 Oct 2016