Understanding Your Mind

You may have heard the simile that going to therapy is like going to the gym i.e. building your strength and stamina with handling thoughts and emotions, and sculpting the kind of mind that you would like to have. If this simile floats your boat, then by all means, please use it! 

I would also like to introduce you to a powerful metaphor, one that I particularly enjoy and which contains a mindfulness philosophy originating from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. This is that, the mind is a garden with many seeds and blooms. 

So, you may wish to consider yourself for one moment, as a gardener (with a green thumb!). 

You are tending to your garden, where many beautiful flowers are growing such as courage, calm, compassion, and creativity. Dotted among these blooms are overgrown shrubs, areas that require some more attention and scattered patches of weeds such as anxiety, sorrow, frustration and so on.

The way we take care of the garden of the mind is through the art of selective watering. 

We don't use weed-killers i.e. it does not do to criticise, blame, hurt or violently suppress yourself. 

We can water and tend the seeds, flowers and areas that you would like to grow, and simply stop watering the weeds and make compost with them instead.