Your Mind Can Trick You!

You will face some very challenging things in your life, and when those challenges present themselves, your mind can trick you into believing the obstacles you're facing are much bigger than they are.

Wait, what.

Yep, it's true, and you don't even realize it's happening.

How is that possible?

Whenever you face the unknown or uncertainty in your life, the natural human tendency is to focus on what could go wrong or how difficult it could be.

This is because your mind naturally goes there, and it does so to protect you.

Think about the last time when you were nervous or scared to face whatever you were facing. I'm sure you didn't say I got this, no problem.

It was more like, oh crap, I'm scared; what do I do now.

You see, your mind starts racing; your senses are heightened, your breathing changes, and your palms get sweaty.

This is because you start thinking of all sorts of different scenarios, and most of them are not good, which is why your body is reacting the way it is, and you start to panic and worry.

Your body goes into flight or fight mode so that you can put your armor up and protect yourself.

Maybe you've heard of it, or perhaps you haven't, so let's recap.

"The fight or flight response is an automatic physiological reaction to an event that is perceived as stressful or frightening. The perception of threat activates the sympathetic nervous system and triggers an acute stress response that prepares the body to fight or flee."

As I mentioned earlier, your body is hard-wired to protect you, and sometimes that hard wiring is precisely what you need, and other times it's the complete opposite.

What should you do when this happens?

The first step, which is often the hardest, is to learn to recognize the change in your body and acknowledge it before you make any rash decisions.

Now, I'm not an expert in psychology, and I'm certainly not saying you want to or can turn off the flight or fight syndrome.

From my personal experience, you can learn to recognize these symptoms and feelings. Which allows you to acknowledge them for what they are before making any decisions or conclusions.

When your mind starts racing, your senses are heightened, your breathing changes and your palms get sweaty, learn to acknowledge what you are feeling. Tell yourself it's ok and that you understand your body is trying to protect you.

Pause and take a few deep breaths to calm yourself down. This simple exercise can change your body and allow you to look at whatever is in front of you more objectively and openminded.

This is vital in learning how to make better decisions that are not based on emotions and feelings when facing these obstacles in the future.

I want to share something with you that is not only funny but highly relevant to making decisions in the future.

I call it the Booger Principle.

More on that in a minute, but for now, please go back to a time in your life when you have overcome obstacles that seemed so scary and massive that it almost felt paralyzing.

Specifically, look at the ones you faced head-on, regardless of the outcome. Now, ask yourself whether that obstacle was as big as you originally made it out to be.

Your answer 9 out of 10 times will be that you made it out to be bigger than it was.

I genuinely believe you didn't know or realize you were making it out to be bigger than it was because you were afraid of the unknown in front of you.

I'd like to explain what I mean using what I call my Booger Principle I mentioned a moment ago.

Yes, it's rather gross and funny, but I promise you it's highly relevant.

We've all been there, had a booger lodged in our nose, and it's driving you crazy. So you try to be discreet and put your finger in your nose only to touch it and think this is massive.

Once you get it out, you realize how tiny it is, and you are like, how could this be so tiny?

Well, that's the point of this principle. In your head, you made this booger out to be massive, but when you got it out, you realized it wasn't as big as you thought.

The obstacles in your life are like the boogers in your nose. They are not as massive as you make them out to be; once you face them, regardless of the outcome is when you realize that and feel great for facing whatever was in front of you.

Next time you face an obstacle in your life, remember the Booger Principle and use the tip below to center yourself.

Acknowledge your fear, take a few deep breaths, and tell yourself it's ok to be afraid. Remember, fear is just an emotion, and they come and go.

Then permit yourself to sit with your fear for a few minutes; you don't have to do anything but breathe and think.

Next, ask yourself, what's the worst thing to happen if I face this head-on with everything I have? Whatever the conclusion, it will be worth it.

Doing these simple steps (which take time to master, so please be patient with yourself) will allow you to make an informed decision instead of a knee-jerk emotional decision.

There are a few things to remember. First, never make permanent decisions with temporary emotions. Second, things in life rarely, if ever, go as planned.

Disclaimer, this is my view on things, and I'm not pretending to be an expert in any way or fashion.

Instead, I'm sharing what's helped me in my life in hopes it will help you.

If you found any value in the short blog post, share this post with someone you care about or on your social media.

As always, thank you for your time. It's the best gift you can give someone because you can never get it back, and that's not lost on me.

Sincerely,

Paul
@zup2u