How does our mind function? Are the mind and the brain the same or different? Is the mind part of ourselves? How do we take care of our mind? We all have thoughts, but what exactly are thoughts? What are the emotions that we so often experience? Why do we feel anxious? These are some questions we often think about but don't necessarily receive answers to. This week, as part of the Self module, we delved into these questions with the help of Ms. Anindita Anand, a personal growth coach, therapist, trainer, and an expert in the field of mental health, through a session on Understanding Mental Self.
The session was significant in understanding the inner workings of the mind as it is an essential step towards understanding oneself. The session began with an engaging ice-breaking activity, where participants were encouraged to share their names, what they are pursuing, and one quirky fact about themselves.
Ms. Anindita then initiated the conversation by asking the participants, "What is the mind?" Interestingly, most participants focused on describing what the mind does rather than what the mind is. The mind is a state of being, a state of behavior, a state of function, the CPU of the human body, both beneficial and harmful, the controller and decision-maker, and so on were the responses received. The facilitator pointed out that the responses differed vastly because we do not have a definitive understanding of what the mind is. Another interesting thing about the mind is that nobody knows where it resides. The facilitator shared that if asked where the stomach or the eyes are, we will easily be able to point them out, but the mind is difficult to locate, and that is again because we have never truly been taught or told what the mind is.
Ms. Anindita then went on to elucidate that the mind is a thought and emotion-generating machine. These thoughts can be anything, from decisions to analysis, thoughts about the past or the future. Furthermore, there is a difference between thoughts and emotions. Thoughts are either audio or video or both that one experiences. Emotions, on the other hand, are the feelings of being - happy, angry, sad, love, fear, and disgust.
Now, coming back to the question of where the mind resides, Ms. Anindita explained that the mind is a dynamic system. It does not sit in one place like our liver and stomach; rather, it waivers throughout our whole body. Our mind is where our attention is. "Wherever we feel a thought and emotion connecting and a sensation in our mind, that is where our mind is at that point in time," the facilitator clarified. If we are thinking about a past experience and we feel tightness in our throat, that is where our mind is, in the throat - she illustrated through an example. Therefore, the mind does not have a specific place to live in. It is the only part of the body that keeps moving and has the ability to leave our conscious body and come back depending on what we are giving attention to. So, if unattended, our mind can have thoughts and emotions that are not always positive, and the quality, quantity, and type of thoughts and emotions we have are decided by the brain waves that pass through our brains resulting from the chemical reaction caused by external stimuli received by the brain.
The concept of Beta and Alpha waves was introduced by the facilitator. High beta waves lead to panic attacks restlessness, sleplessnes, nauseau etcetra. Ironically we have been wired to operate constantly on beta waves given the competitive, harsh disciplinary environment at school and at home.
Techniques like deep breathing helps to bring our brain beck from Beta to Alpha waves. Alpha waves contributes to low stress level, resulting in relaxation as one feels calm, it nurtures creativity, self refelction and better performace.
Stressing on the importance of taking care of the our mind, the session was concluded with a guided deep breathing exercise. We had already looked into Physical Self the past week. This week’s dicussion brought to light the fact that apart from our appearence, our values and attributes, self also encompasses what we think and the emotions we experience and this is what makes up the Mental Self.
Taking care of our mental self is of utmost importance to live a calm, creative and conscious life!
Our fellows practicing deep breathing technique