There is scientific truth behind the saying, ‘an empty mind is the devil’s workshop‘. Whenever we are not focusing on the task at hand, our brain goes on the autopilot mode. And this is the crux of our woes. Let us see how.

Say you are eating your breakfast before going to work. Nine time out of ten, your mind is wandering to other more ‘important’ things. For example, you are running late for work. Even as you realize you have to take your kid to school on the way. And when you do get to office, you have to finish yesterday’s pending assignments before your boss inundates you with fresh ones. So on and so forth. As a result, you barely notice if you had cereals or toast for breakfast. You see, even before you leave home, you are already in panic mode. That is just the beginning of a very long a day. No wonder that by nightfall you are tired. If you pay attention, you will notice that this pattern continues day after day. We either obsess over the past or worry about the future, never really living in the present.

So what is the way out? Imagine what would have happened in the above example had we given the breakfast before us its due attention. Science has shown that we are able to entirely focus on one thought at a time. And the moment we focus our mind on something, the brain’s autopilot mode switches off. Since this autopilot is the source of all our random worries, we are spared the misery. Sounds easy enough. But it is easier said than done.

Enter mindfulness. The idea here is to be entirely aware of the present. This includes our surroundings and the workings of our body and mind. If we are able to do this every moment, the brain learns to intensely focus on ‘living’ and switches off its autopilot. The constant habit of worrying disappears. The quality of your life elevates.

You will be surprised to learn that we are really captives of our own mind. It is not the external stressors that suck out our life force, it is our habit of ‘living in our heads’ that does the trick. No matter how much we worry, we cannot change the past or the future. We only get ourselves worked up and anxious. Once we learn to let go of the worries and focus on the matter at hand, we are free from the shackles of anxiety disorders – the bane of our generation.

That being said, mindfulness does not develop overnight. It requires proper training and diligent practice.
If you are interested, reach out for help from a professional and get going!
drdebasmitapsychiatrist