Quiet minds are focused minds and above all disciplined minds, in these times when immediacy and multitasking are in charge, it is a real privilege to be able to achieve that inner balance in which thoughts, emotions and behaviors are in perfect harmony and focused on what really matters.
Shiba Yoshimasa, a 14th-century Japanese general, has already said that the most important quality of any warrior or samurai is to calm his mind to understand the rival he will face.
- This kind of idea never ceases to inspire us.
- But if there is one thing that most of us know is that it is not easy to train the mind in this discipline where emotional regulation.
- The capacity for reflection and inner serenity are present.
- In charge.
There is no shortage of good advice, books that teach us to train our attention and, of course, disciplines such as mindfulness that make meditation an ideal strategy for educating nervous minds.
However, not everyone fits these approaches. And if that’s the case, it’s mainly because our thought patterns don’t change so easily. It’s not easy to stop a mind so used to running faster than life itself.
However, over time and in search of the strategy that best corresponds to our particularities, can we regain a more relaxed mind and then allow our reality to reorient itself towards well-being?
“A calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so it’s very important for good health. “Dalai Lama
In Buddhist philosophy there is a very interesting concept: “the spirit of the monkey”. This term refers to a restless, exalted and even exasperated mood that goes from branch to branch in the forest of thoughts, which is lost in its own concerns, which sticks to the ego and is unable to see what is really important.
A strategy for what? Monkey spirits to become calm spirits is to take them out of the forest of worries, keeping us on solid foundations, only then, with our feet on the ground, we can have more control and perspective.
It is at this point that the person achieves the balance and internal security that creativity, reflection and personal control that allow to make better decisions begin to emerge.
Then we will see what virtues define calm minds to understand why we have to work on this skill.
Dr. Peter Roy-Byrne, Director of Psychiatry at the University of Washington, points to one important aspect: anxiety disorders are more common than depression and are often equally disabling.
Anxiety is this awkward travel companion who comes and goes in our daily lives, an enemy we can face by bringing our minds to calm and mindfulness.
When our mental focus finally knows how to focus on what’s most important at all times, mitigating negative emotions and silencing intrusive thoughts, calm begins to appear.
“Monkey spirits” or anxious spirits have a curious ability. Everything that happens around them affects them and impacts them in an intense and inevitable way. It doesn’t matter how insignificant a particular event is. Everything will eventually spread to extinguish well-being.
Quiet minds, on the other hand, have exceptional virtue. They are able to distance themselves, put on a protective filter, look more ser serenity at what surrounds them, better control what happens and better manage their impact.
A focused and relaxed mind is a mind that has learned to manage your emotions, so far from silencing your anxiety, hiding your fears and diverting your face from worries, the quiet person knows how to effectively manage these inner universes.
He has learned to understand his fears, to understand that anxiety is part of life, but it is always better to keep it under control.
When our inner being is trapped in the network of stress and anxiety, we don’t act on things, we just react. We are like a blade dragged by the wind, which has no control over its movements and ends up being hit here and there. However, this does not happen in calm minds.
They’re part of the reflection. They don’t act instinctively, they look at the world in perspective and they’re proactive, they rarely get caught up in storms because they see them coming, because they’re brave and they don’t hesitate to take on challenges.
People are not defined by their nationality, language or culture, they are defined by the decisions they make at all times, so an exceptional way to have more control and success in each of these steps is to learn to decide with serenity.
In this peaceful place there is trust, there is order, there is perspective and there is, in turn, the voice of experience mixed with intuition, that is where everyone can make the decisions that will guide the course of their lives with greater success.
In conclusion, psychologist Daniel Kahneman says that, beyond what you feel at some point, you always have to act calmly, yet we must remember that calm does not arise from nothingness.
This inner state is formed, promoted and valued as we take control of our emotions and thoughts at all times, let’s put it into practice.