In ancient poems and teaching stories, you may have noticed that the mind is often referred to as a monkey, “the monkey mind.” The mind is also sometimes described as an unruly horse on which we are riding, more or less skillfully.
Much of what we call “stress” has to do with a feeling that things are “spinning out of control.” So I thought it might help to offer you a few effective steps you can take that will begin to free you from the stress of “spinning out of control.”
When my stepson was a young boy just learning to read, he was riding in the car with his mom one day. As they passed a big box toy store, he jumped up in his seat and read out loud the words of the store’s big bright banner: “The new Lion King toys are here!”
We all encounter suffering in relationships. Why? Because we make a few fundamental errors. Once we correct these errors in our thinking, and begin to act accordingly, we can save ourselves quite a lot of needless suffering.
Does the idea of a “joyful relationship” sound far-fetched? Everyone wants happy and healthy connections! So why is it such a challenge to maintain happiness and harmony in our relationships?
What does recognizing oneness have to do with healthy sexuality? We are always imagining separation and antagonism where there isn’t any. Due to our sense of separateness from each other, we often generate fear.
Someone asked me, “How can I have a healthy relationship if I had no good role models?” The first thing to do is to cultivate a healthy relationship with yourself.
If you are like most people, you may often feel as if your mind is tormenting you and there is no escape. Ironically, when the torment is very vivid, our mind is actually dull, lacking in clarity and creativity.
We human beings have an amazing capacity to form positive mental habits. Every day we have innumerable opportunities to change the channel. We can shift from a fearful state of self doubt to an empowered state of peace and happiness.
Do you start and end your day immediately thinking about your “To Do” list or your “To Avoid” list or a mix of both? If so, you may have gotten used to a constant level of stress or anxiety and a speedy thinking mind, jumping form one line of thought to another: “I absolutely have to finish that report today” .