Are you one of those people whose mind is always full? You have plan A and then you have plan B just in case A doesn’t work out. You are such a great thinker…all your energy goes into thinking. At times it is exhausting, and there is no space in your mind for rest or stillness.
Even the language you use reflects this great power to think your way out of any situation. You tend to say ‘I think’ or ‘I know’ rather than ‘I feel’ or ‘I sense’. You are a doer – you can make anything happen and you can make it happen fast. You more than likely experience a sense of frustration if things don’t happen quickly enough for your liking.
You can be irritated if others slow things down and get up in their emotional response. You like to approach things with your logical linear thinking style and others can sometimes find that very direct and maybe even intimidating. That’s not your intent – you just want to get on and make the situation better. You can be a warrior; an agent for positive change.
Sometimes you can be a bit judgemental. It’s not that you mean to judge people but your mind works at such a speed that you may have summed someone up very quickly. And you may well be right, but there may also be occasions when with a little more time, you see a different aspect of that person and you need to modify your original character assessment.
The Chinese call the mind The General. We all need The General – at times we need protection; at times we need rules and at times we need this focus and discipline. Someone with this busy mind has a very powerful General indeed.
The Chinese refer to the Heart as The Emperor. The heart is where our consciousness resides. When we come from the heart, with The Emperor, there is a sense of majesty, of tradition, of richness and beauty. We all also need The Emperor, so it becomes about whom we give our power to. Do we want our life and decisions to be ruled by The General or do we want to be ruled by The Emperor?
Do we want to live dominated by rules and regulations or by richness and beauty? The General can be very powerful and some of us can lose our connection to our heart without even realising. We are so busy doing, that we forget to feel.
What to do if this feels like you?
Well anything that you can do to allow even a small space into your busy mind can help. Make a list so you don’t need to hold onto those things in your mind any longer. Physical exercise is a healthy way for The General to release any built up frustration or anger.
A walk in nature will also soothe The General and promote some stillness into his mind. The power of deep diaphragmatic breathing can never be overstated, so taking a few deep breaths as you wait at a red light can be a great habit to adopt. This signals the body that you are safe and also allows a moment of respite from all those thoughts.
Change is powerful when it is subtle and also imperceptible. The new way is absorbed before the amygdala (the part of the brain that processes emotions) has a chance to question or reject the new way. By creating that small space in your mind, you allow your energy to come into your heart and give the ultimate power to The Emperor.
