The mind management for total fitness

Mind is one of the most critical element in fitness. How we manage our mind determines to a large extent how fit we would be.

So, in this blog post, let us explore some thing about mind that would help us to build robust fitness and use the power of mind and not get defeated by it.

Mind makes noise

There is a song in bollywood. It goes something like,

Goli maari bheje mein, ki, bheja shor karta hai.

(shoot your mind, it makes such a noise)

A train of thoughts passes through our mind everyday. All the while, we are awake, our mind is upto something or the other. We are always thinking some thoughts.

And if these thoughts are unsettling thoughts, then they could rob our peace of mind. And make us restless. In such a state of mind, it is easier to lose our immunity and become susceptible to many illnesses.

Our mind and body are one

We need to understand that our mind and body are one. So, mind is just a part and not a stand alone part. It is in continuum with our body. Or we can say that mind is another dimention of our existence.

So, whatever our body feels strongly gets transmitted to the mind. Ans whatever the mind feels is transmitted to our body. So, in a way they influence each other.

And therefore, it is a very important fact to understand. We might have experienced it when we have felt deep emotions of fear, anger or love. These emotions that we experience create body responses.

When you are in extreme anger, you might start stammering. Even a bed ridden person gets up on hearing something overjoyful and feels the ecstasy for few moments.

Mind is a warehouse of thoughts

Our mind manages several thoughts. Thoughts are just like food items. And just like food items, they are either good or bad.

Those thoughts that help and keep us healthy can be considered good thoughts.

But just like In food, good quality and their purity is always in question. You will find a lot of thoughts encircling our mind but reaching nowhere. Such thoughts are junk thoughts that can potentially make us fall ill.

Therefore, managing our mind and managing our thoughts is of supreme importance for finding our fitness.

Our body language infact is nothing more than our mind seen in action. Those who sit straight, pay attention and look straight in the eye ate having their mind like a clean sheet of paper – easy to write and read.

On the other hand, a body that’s slouching, keeping the back bent or sitting in a position distributing the body weight unevenly is a reflection of a mind in a mess or a lazy mind.

So, it is important that we manage our mind to manage our health and fitness. In this context, what can we do to find out fitness ?

Silence your mind

Sometimes doing nothing is the best thing to do. When our thoughts become unmanageable or when you start feeling overwhelmed by an array of thoughts, then tell yourself to stop thinking.

And this command can always be given to your mind. It’s your mind. You own it.

For those who have never tried doing it would find it difficult intially. But, with practice and the tips provided below, it will become possible and easier in due course of time.

4 practical ways to silence out mind

1. Cultivate the practice of writing your priorities in life.

As a working executive, I often get carried away by loads of work on my table. So what I do is I have a day book that I use to write down the tasks.

The diary or the notebook helps me to categorise my work and prioritise the things to be done. After that no matter what goes around, a quick glance around at my list of things to do brings my focus back to things that need my attention.

The habit of writing down helps me to recollect myself and pay attention where it is required.

The same can be done to bring the focus in other areas of life: family, relationships, personal fitness etc. By writing down, things become manageable and the junk thoughts cease to bother you.

The habit of writing has helped me to build several good habits and manage my behaviour and actions in life.

2. Get moving

If the number of thoughts in your mind start bothering, then withdraw yourself from taking any decision or action at that moment. And divert your attention to doing some physical activity. This would distract and disturb your derailing mind and stop it from getting totally derailed.

The principle that works here is the principle of energy transmission. You start to supply energy to physical activity that you have been supplying to your mind so far.

If you are at work, get up and go and fill your water bottle. Or fetch yourself a cup of coffee. Or simply get up from your chair and take a walk around. Go to the parking lot and come back.

Physical activity helps the mind to lose energy and transmits the energy to be consumed by physical actions of the body.

If you are at home, do the dishwashing, dust the room or organise your shelves. Or simply walk in the corridor.

3. Spare moments to stay in silence or simply observe

No matter how many thoughts have ascended on your head, they won’t be able to bother you until you try to act on them.

So, one of the best ways to manage your mind is to stay in silence and observe. Yes, we can withdraw ourselves from taking any action.

Refrain from judgement, refrain from decision, refrain from coloring a thought as good or bad, optimistic or pessimistic, profitable or loss. Simply observe like a third person.

As you would cultivate the practice, you would notice that the conflicting thoughts would just consume each other and cancel themselves without taking any action.

And when you have not become a part of thought and have taken to action, you won’t have any emotional baggage to carry forward.

In many critical situations, I have found best actions in inactions.

4. Don’t go to bed with overburdening thoughts in mind

Such thoughts can be like a pyre. In hindi, we say,

Chinta chita ke samaan hota hai.

(worries are like lying on the deathbed)

To cancel and make yourself lighter, pen it down or record it somewhere. This helps to cancel the worries and provides you with thinking plank. In hindi,

Chinta nahin, chintan karo

So, we can see that mind management using various tools would keep us mentally fit and would help us to find our total fitness.