Meditation

If you grew up like I did, you’ll have a lot of negative self-talk mixed in with a lot of negative coping mechanisms. An exercise I’ve found that ameliorates many of these ‘mental fires’ as I like to call them, is challenging each thought as it arises. Ask why you view yourself this way and try to provide past examples in your life that prove the contrary. It takes work and a lot of meditation but I’ve found eventually, that every time a negative thought arises, my thought pattern shifts to happier thoughts and memories. Neurons that fire together wire together and when you start setting memories of your past traumas and negative thought patterns down a healthier road, you’ll start to find a way out of that downward spiral into a clear mind.

Yogis and Buddhists meditate their whole lives trying to reach a state of intense ecstasy called nirvana which literally means ‘extinguishing the fire’. Our minds are filled with the fires of past traumas and desires and the more we challenge these thoughts and put our minds in healthier places, the closer we get to clarity/experiencing reality as it is and the further we get away from suffering.