There are times in life when you need to know how to reset your mind.
Sometimes you get stuck in life. You get caught up in perpetual cycles of thinking. You feel like you’re not progressing at all or you’re not heading in the right direction. And that is when you need to reset your mind. Meditation and other techniques can help.
You’ve probably already read some basic tips on resetting your mind.
Some of most common ways to reset your mind include:
- Meditating
- Getting enough alone time
- Going for a walk
- Exercising
- Reading fiction
- Getting more sleep (use this meditation for sleep)
- Chatting about it with friends
- Doing a brand dump by writing your thoughts on paper
- Exploring new things
- Massage
- Tai chi
- Improve your nutrition
- Reiki
- Yoga
- But there is a far more powerful way to reset your mind.
All the ideas above are good. They will make you think in new ways, refresh your mind, and make you more mindful. But they won’t actually reset your mind. The method I have shared below, however, will completely reboot your mind.
How To Reset Your Mind For Real
If you truly want to restart your mind you have to understand what it means to do so.
When we talk about resetting the mind, we mean letting go of our habitual ways of thinking, our way of looking at the world, and our beliefs.
In order to let go of those things, you need to understand why the mind gets attached to the same modes of thinking and being.
Your mind has attachments (upadana) that keep it locked where it is. These attachments can come from all sorts of places. For instance, your view of yourself, the people you hang around with, your job, your home and the places you frequent… all these things create a picture of the world in your mind. The more you continue to do the same things, the more attached you will be to your current mindset.
As you become attached to your view of yourself and your view of life, you also adopt habitual ways of thinking. You might notice that you think the same thing over and over again.
To reset your mind you need to change your thoughts and also change the way you live your life.
There are a million and one ways to do this, ranging from changing your job to associating with different people. However, the best place to start is within, with your thoughts. And that is where meditation can help.
In the following exercise I will show you how to use meditation to reset your mind and then how to go from there to changing your life.
- Begin with this all important attitude adjustment. Realise that the more information you put in your mind the more trapped you will be in your mind. Do what yoga guru Patanjali talked about in the Yoga Sutra. Practise Pratyahara. That is reduce the amount of noise you put in your mind, such as by getting off of social media. This will help to quieten your mind and increase your mental control.
- Sit quietly in a relaxing space. Close your eyes and mindfully observe your breath moving around your body. As you breathe deeply you will stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system, reduce amygdala activity, and balance cortisol. All of that will help you to relax and focus.
- Begin to become aware of the thoughts flowing through your mind. When you observe a thought, day to yourself, “This is just a thought”. This method is called Vipassana and is excellent for reducing the influence of thoughts in your life.
- You can also challenge your thoughts. When you notice a thought, try to make it more realistic and more positive. This is a classic exercise in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
- Continue meditating for 20 minutes.
- You have now finished the meditation. Open your eyes.
- Now as you go about your day, notice the influences that enter your mind. For instance, news sources and people you socialize with. Whenever you come across an influence, ask yourself, “Is this influence helping me?” If it isn’t, look for a better alternative.
This meditation is the best way how to reset your mind. For help with this, and to learn more about meditation, book an online meditation lesson with me today.