Turn Off Self Doubt

I offer you this article titled “Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head” from the New York Times, by Elizabeth Bernstein.

Most of us lose time to negative thoughts; Reframe your thinking and feel more positive.

The more someone has a thought, the stronger the circuit of patterns of activity between proteins and other chemicals, gene expressions and neural connections grows. “It’s like a ski track in the snow.”

Think of the last time you told yourself something critical or negative. Then think of the last compliment you gave yourself.

Which is easier to remember?

Many of us — whether due to genetics, brain chemistry, our experiences or coping skills — tell ourselves way too many negative thoughts. We ruminate, thinking the same negative, unproductive thoughts over and over.

Each thought is made up of a complex pattern of activity between proteins and other chemicals, gene expressions and neural connections in our brain. The more we have a thought, the stronger this circuit grows. A well-developed thought is like a ski track in the snow. The more you ski down a path, the easier it is to go down that path and not another,” says Alex Korb, a neuroscientist and author of The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time.

With intent and practice, you can create another path. Psychologists call the technique cognitive reappraisal. The result will be stronger neural networks devoted to positive thoughts, or a happier brain.

This is part of the reason we practice with Benefactors and Loving-Kindness. Our practice is to recall that our true nature is not the negative thoughts that we have from time to time. It is the open, aware, and caring sense of connection with other beings.

We were never trained to recognize this as we grew up from childhood. So, now we need to train the mind to be able to recognize the positive, caring, and life affirming nature, a felt sense that is always present beneath all the thoughts and feelings that we experience during the day.