Mind Workout

A previous post detailed ANT therapy for automatic negative thoughts and this section will detail a mind workout for the brain that will help with ANTs coming in all the time. Dr. Amen  (and others) have commented that changing the way you perceive the world takes some consciousness so you can attend to your thoughts. Most automatic responses seem to tend toward negativity due the continual "fight or flight" response that was an essential part of the built-in survival system of the human race. In my view this has become a maladaptive response due to our comfortable environments and the only danger we see now is other people- competition, envy, hatred, separation (black, white, Asian, Hispanic, middle eastern).  So waking up to this takes some mind work out suggested- taking the emotional reins- as you need to be conscious to attend to the emotional triggers and CHOOSE to focus on better and more positive thoughts. If you do this long enough it becomes habitual due the brain making grooves for a new habit. 


One way to become accustomed to being conscious about emotional responses is to attend to other's positive emotions- look for people who are smiling, laughing, and seeming to be peaceful. This helps to become consciousness of the negative emotions such as-


sadness, anger, irritation, grievances, regret, anxiety, hatred or intense dislike
(Why I not smiling, laughing, etc)




Usually this is resonating with emotional pain in the past but take some deep, slow breaths to calm the brain down.  The brain will slow down and you can think of positive thoughts or actions you can try. The ANTs don't seem to develop if the practice of this mind workout becomes habitual. 


Abraham Lincoln says "People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be!"