How to Escape the Prison of the Mind

The mind, at times, can be worse than a physical prison; worry and fear can take us into a dark state of panic and the world can feel like a very scary place.

But it doesn’t have to be like this; you can escape the prison of the mind, and live a happy and care-free life. Read this post to find out how.

Get Back to Reality

The mind will come up with plenty of exaggerated and unrealistic ideas that are unlikely to ever materialise but when we are locked in a prison of thought, these ideas seem so real and they tend to cause great suffering. Negative thoughts can create anxiety and a whole load of mental pain because we live our thoughts in the mind as though they are really happening in reality.

If, for example, we are having a worrying thought about the future or we are feeling frightened by the past, it is likely we will envision ourselves experiencing whatever traumatic event we are thinking about, which causes anxiety and suffering.

If we suddenly snapped out of the negative trail of thought, and brought our attention back to the present moment, we would probably view our thoughts for what they are – just thoughts. But it can be difficult to distinguish the difference between a thought and reality when the mind goes into overdrive.

Become familiar of the process that takes place when your mind runs away with itself; being aware of warning signs, such as worry and fear, will give you more control over what to do with the thoughts before they escalate into a myriad of worry.

Be mindful of your thoughts, and take notice of when you enter into the prison of negative thought. Once you learn how to keep an eye on your thoughts – it does take practice – you will then have a choice over what to do when negative thoughts arise.

The trick is to not give the thoughts much attention – it is only when we focus on them that they become all-consuming. Simply allow negative thoughts to pass through your mind as quickly as they entered. This will help bring your attention back to the here and now, and away from the mind, and will help put things back into perspective.

Focus on the Good, Not the Bad

Our thoughts don’t only impact us while we are thinking them; they have a huge impact on every facet of our being, even affecting our physical lives.

The thoughts we think most are the ones that trickle their way into all areas of our lives, which is why it’s important to train ourselves to think in a way that is positive and uplifting. The more we think positive thoughts, the more positivity we experience – and vice versa with negative thoughts.

Allow positive thoughts to populate your mind; think enriching thoughts as often as possible, whilst letting negative thoughts leave with ease. Any positive thoughts will eventually make their way into your physical world and benefit your life in tremendous ways.

You can get into the flow of thinking in a way that is more positive and rewarding by introducing affirmations to your mental vocabulary. If you are new to affirmations, you might like to try The One-Month Affirmation Challenge.

Get Out of Your Mind

It is important to highlight that it is not possible to control the mind, as doing so would involve thought, but we can shift our focus away from thought.

In reality, the only way to take a break from the mind is to divert our attention from the mind and onto the present moment. When we are truly aware of our surroundings, thoughts take a back seat and our attention is placed on whatever is happening right now, which provides some often-much-needed relief from thought – even if only for a brief moment.

There are several ways to create present moment awareness, some of which are mentioned here, but it really comes down to calming the voice in the mind by concentrating on your surroundings, whether it is a physical object, your breathing or sounds.

How do you escape the prison of your mind? Let us know below!