The key to psychological freedom

Thoughts are not real.
This may seem like a strange or even counterintuitive idea, but it is based on the observation that thoughts are simply mental events that come and go. They are not permanent or fixed, and they do not have any inherent meaning or value.

When we identify with our thoughts, we give them power over us.
We start to believe that our thoughts are who we are, and that they determine our experience of life. This can lead to a great deal of suffering, as we become caught up in the negative thoughts that we have about ourselves and the world around us.

However, when we learn to see our thoughts for what they are – simply mental events – we can begin to free ourselves from their power. We can learn to observe our thoughts without judgment and to let them go without getting attached to them.

This is the key to psychological freedom.

The secret to controlling your thoughts

It’s tough for us to change our thinking.
Some of the things we can do to change our thinking:
• Be grateful and appreciative.
• Focus on what we want.
• Think about another person and how you can support them.
• Go for a walk.

Strategies like this are temporary and can be helpful when you’re lost in thought, but the real secret is to stop putting confidence in your thoughts. Remember, thoughts are like clouds in the sky. They have very little substance to them and when the light of awareness shines on them they evaporate.

The big misunderstanding

There’s a huge misunderstanding, that causes much of the suffering in this world.

It’s the belief that something outside of us can make us feel.

You’ll hear this idea repeated all day long in both public and private conversations. “You make me so mad!” “He made me feel so bad!”

More than likely you too adopted this belief as a child from the things you heard your parents and family say. You were led to believe that your behaviors could upset your parents. And so you also bought into the idea that external people, things and events cause feelings.

Because of the way your brain and nervous system work, it’s impossible for any external stimulus to make you feel anything.

It’s only when you attach a belief to an event that you’re going to experience emotions.

A great example of this is when the winners of a sporting event feel happy and elated. The losers, on the other hand, feel sad, discouraged and even angry. Is it the loss that makes them feel that way? Or is it the idea that they should have won, but didn’t?

Your feelings are always created by thought and the associated beliefs you hold at the moment.