Mind of Snaps - Positivity Podcast | Ep. 19 - "Checking in with yourself"

The regular Mind of Snaps podcast is on a hiatus still, but I'm working on bringing it back. There ARE still more podcasts available on my Mind of Snaps Youtube channel, but they just haven't found their way here yet.

I have been releasing Positivity Podcasts from my Patreon here for a while now and I'd like to know if you'd like more of these to be released. I'm doing my part to put out as much positive and encouraging content as I can during these intense times we're faced with. If you'd like to make it easier for me to dedicate the time to continuing these on a daily basis after that, subscribing to my Twitch channel, tipping, dropping bits in Twitch and/or subbing via the Patreon can make a massive difference - but so can just tweeting out my content, sharing it on socials or telling a friend you think could use a boost. Every little bit counts...literally.

This is my 19th Positivity Podcast on the Patreon and I hope it reminds you to check in as often as you can. Pay attention to what's happening in your mind and see that it's not coming from you. You have the ability to change the way your mind operates and the way you see the world around you.

The format for these podcasts definitely evolved over time, but I hope you enjoy listening, even though times have changed.

Listen, and let me know your thoughts.

Hang in there friends, we're all in this together.

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Make sure to subscribe to the Patreon if you'd like to make it easier for me to create more free content for everyone!

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Jessy (Mind Of Snaps / SheSnaps)

www.MindofSnaps.com

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Transcript

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Hello, my friends. Happy Saturday. Today is April 4th 2020 and I'm gonna be sharing with you a podcast I shared with my patrons on November 4th, 2019. This one is like it's something I've been emphasizing every day. If you've been hanging out in my streams, have you been following me on Twitter? This idea of checking in with yourself is something that I reference frequently for a reason. I don't even think this requires too much update to it because the information is still very accurate. But I will give you just a heads up on how things have changed since then. So since 2019 when I read that and learned a little bit and started getting blown away by what goes on in my mind and paying attention to the voices, Um, in this amount of times, you know, this is November 2019 all the way to April 2020. The voices and I have become great friends, which makes it sound a little weird and and potentially a little bit more like like schizophrenia or D I D or something. But it's nothing like that. It's something we all have. We all have inner voices, and we all have the potential to kind of be a little more friendly with them, except that they're they're not feel so ashamed of every thought that arises in your brain. And I'm really grateful because when I sit and pay attention to the tones of the voices now because of all of this diligent, deliberate, intentional effort, they're much kinder. I hear the kind of voice is way more when my own negative voice pops in there and says some unkind stuff. Surprisingly enough, now, instead of all of the voice, is kind of getting on that and continuing this negative rumination instead, I have my own internal thoughts popping up to say, Wait a minute, that's wrong. That doesn't fit in with your belief system anymore. So for those of you who are struggling with these patterns of thought, they really can change. It takes a lot of effort. It does, but it is a simple process, so just keep going, keep putting as much kind, empowering positive things as you can in your mind. Keep releasing that which does not serve you, you know, anger, jealousy, greed, hatred, fear, shame let it all go see it, except that it's there. No need to be upset yourself for it and then refocus. I hope you enjoy this positivity podcast. And I hope that you read the book. I referenced in it because it's very good. Have a great day. Be kind to yourselves. Hello, Happy Monday, Friends. It is time for another positivity podcast, and I'd like to start this one off by thanking you all once again for your kindness and generosity and for choosing to support the efforts of this patriot. I think it's pretty evident that I am a huge fan of mindfulness and spreading positivity, and this patriotic is one of my favorite ways to do so. You choosing to support me helps me afford to take the time to record thes and to work on more resource is that I can put out for free eventually as well. I'm working really hard to rely less and less on twitch revenue as well. So I want to be able to keep the focus of my streams less about money and more about you. So thank you again. Your contribution really is so greatly appreciated today. I'd like to talk to you all about learning how to check in with ourselves and see what's going on in our minds and bodies and from there deciding what to do with the information we learn when we check in. I was watching a documentary recently about a Buddhist monk, Thich, not hon. I'm probably terribly pronouncing that, but I'm trying my best. And there was one part I found particularly fascinating that I've been working to incorporate into my life. Some of you who watched this stream may be aware of this already. Every 15 minutes at their monastery, Ah, gong or a bell is rung in everyone and everything stops for one minute. Everyone falls silent. During this time, everyone is aware that they're supposed to be essentially just checking in with themselves. They're taking a look at their bodies and how they feel physically, as well as checking in on their thoughts and seeing what's going on in their minds. After the minute is up, everyone returns back to whatever they were doing, seemingly revitalized. It was kind of entertaining to even watch in this documentary because one of the groups that they focused on was this group of people that were playing music together, and it was like record scratch almost. You know, everyone just stopped, but no one looked bothered. Everyone was just smiling and happy, and they closed their eyes, some of them. Some continued to look around, but they stopped and then assumes The minute was up. The music began again. It was beautiful, I thought about how cool of a concept that was and decided to try and incorporate something similar in my own life. Initially, I really thought that doing something like this every 15 minutes would drive me crazy. It feels like it's such a short amount of time. I really figured I would start to get burnt out and frustrated by the constant interruption. I have been very pleasantly surprised because I realized that 15 minutes of purposeful, focused work tends to feel more enjoyable, and the 15 minute reminders were helping me to stay focused for longer. So when the alarm buzzed on my wrist, I feel grateful for it for another chance to check in with myself so that I know the next 15 minutes are also going to be very enjoyable Now when it comes to the actual check in process. I'm thankful to have been reading a book lately that gave me some valuable insights that I could bring into these little check in sessions. The book is called Words Can Change Your Brain, and I think I've already referenced it during one of these positivity podcasts. Honestly, it's so full of good information, I will likely end up referencing it more in the coming weeks. Anyway, One of the parts that stood out to me immediately was a section that taught me about the voices in my head. Yep, voices, actual fucking voices. So quoting directly from the book, here's what they have to say about these voices. When you pay close attention to your inner speech, you'll discover that each emotional state anger, fear, depression, joy, contentment, etcetera has it's own voice and style of communicating. If you think this sounds like having multiple personality disorder, you're not far from the truth because we all have dozens of sub personalities and each one has a temperament of its own. Each of these inner voices has a different effect on your brain. A self critical voice will stimulate error detection circuits, whereas a self reassuring voice will stimulate the neural circuits involved with compassion and empathy. Yeah, so that was eye opening. Seriously, I set still after reading that section and tried to listen for the voices. Amazingly enough, they appeared relatively quickly. I started to recognize how different each voice really did sound, and that while they sounded like me, they also didn't. It's hard to describe, but sit down in silence with yourself for a minute, and you will soon understand what I mean. Now, when I do my check in moments every 15 minutes, I listen in like I'm eavesdropping on a random conversation, and I try to discern which voice or voices are speaking up and kind of running the show, so to speak. What I've learned has been super valuable in me, understanding myself better and learning how to tell some voices to chill and encourage others to speak the fuck up. Even just the words the voices in your head are using matter and can completely change what's happening in your brain. Here's another excerpt from the book that describes that in great detail. Angry words send alarm messages to the brain, and they partially shut down the logic and reasoning centers located in the frontal lobes. Fearful words like poverty, sickness, loneliness and death also stimulate many centers of the brain, but they have a different effect from negative words. The fight or flight reaction triggered by the amygdala causes us to begin to fantasize about negative outcomes, and the brain then begins to rehearse possible counter strategies for events that may or may not occur in the future. In other words, we overtax our brains by ruminating on fearful fantasies. We can learn how to retrain our brain by interrupting these negative thoughts and fears by redirecting our awareness, setting positive goals and building a strong, optimistic sense of accomplishment. We strengthen the areas in our frontal lobe that suppress our tendency to react to imaginary fears. Not on Lee. Do we build neural circuits relating to happiness, contentment in life satisfaction. We also strengthen specific circuits that enhance our social awareness and our ability to empathize with others. If you intensely focus on a word like peace or love, the emotional centers in the brain calm down. The outside world hasn't changed at all, but you will still feel more safe and secure. This is the neurological power of positive thinking, and to date it has been supported by hundreds of well designed studies. How wild is that? Angry words send alarm messages to the brain. The idea that they shut down the logic and reasoning centers of our brains is easy for me to agree with. As a formerly perpetually angry person, I can look back now on my angry days and recognize how many actions I took that we're not in my best interest. But at the time, I couldn't see past my desire to lash out. I can also personally attest to the idea that focusing on words like peace or love can calm down the emotional centers of the brain. Lately, one of my favorite phrases to repeat throughout the day and sometimes during my meditations is may peace reign in the hearts of all people. I noticed quickly after saying this to myself, internally or externally, the voices in my head start to change and soft in, I feel the changes begin to take hold and open me back up to the peace and joy within myself in the world around me. So let's say you decide to do this. Check and experiment on yourself, whether you do it every 15 minutes, every hour, twice a day, whatever. How can you start to work on bringing in more positive or encouraging thoughts? Aside from simply focusing on singular words, learning how to ask yourself the right questions could certainly help. One other example also discussed in the book Words Can Change Your Brain References Study that asked a large group of adults ranging from 35 to 54 to write down each night, three things that went well for them that day and then to provide a brief explanation why over the next three months, though clinically depressed, their degrees of happiness continued to increase and their feelings of depression continued to decrease even after they had discontinued the writing experiment. They go on to explain that positive words and thoughts propel the motivational centers of the brain into action, and they help us build up resilience. When we are faced with the problems of life by holding a positive and optimistic thought in your mind, you stimulate frontal lobe activity. This area includes specific language centers that connect directly to the motor cortex, responsible for moving you into action So if you're looking to stop ruminating thought patterns and instead focus on words and thoughts that can help propel you into action. They also included a great exercise from a clinical professor of psychology at Weill Cornell Medical School, Robert Leahy. Dr. Leahy lists thes six steps toe. Undermine those negative ruminations and redirect your mind to a more beneficial state. One. Ask yourself if your negative thinking has ever helped you in the past. Usually the answer is no. Two right down your negative thoughts. Then put the sheet of paper aside. When you look at it later, the problem will not seem as large. Three. Ask yourself if the problem is riel or imaginary. Is that part of the present or the past? If it's the past except the past and let it go four. Instead of focusing on your problem, focus on an immediate goal that you can accomplish. We talk about this one and chat all the time. When you're focused all the time about what you can't do, it can feel exhausting and overwhelming when you take a moment and redirect yourself and say, What can I d'oh. Your brain is gonna do what it can to support you in those efforts and find something that you can do that you can work on that you can accomplish. Five. Except that many problems are unpleasant, difficult and unfair, and that some of them simply can't be solved. That's hard, but it's so necessary. Acceptance is so key. Six. Take a break and focus on doing something enjoyable. Go for a walk, Talk to a friend, take a break and separate yourself from this ruminating pattern of negative thinking. So this week I'm challenging you to check in with yourself more. Whatever timeframe works for you, whatever timeframe works for you, and when you check in with yourself, first check in with your body. See if there's any tension built up anywhere that can be released. Try bringing your shoulders up to your ears and squeezing them tight. Then take a deep breath on and on the exhale. Release the shoulders. Do the same thing with your facial muscles. Check in to see if there's some tension there or in your hands that could be tightened even further and then released. How long? With a deep breath. Then check in with those thoughts of yours get in touch with them and determine which voices you're hearing in what the tones are what they sound like in your mind. Determine if these thoughts have merit or if they help you in any way, see if there's a way you can accept them and let them go, or if you should instead redirect yourself to something more positive or helpful. We have a tendency to run on autopilot, which can be great for certain tasks. But when it comes to the inner workings of your mind, I think it's best to start establishing a greater sense of control over what goes on in there. You have more control than you may realize and remember everything. Psychological is also biological. So if you want to help heal yourself in body and mind work on both. As often as you can remember, awareness is the first step. An awareness allows you to seize control of the process and the outcome. So take the time to check in with yourself more and then come into stream and let us know how you're doing and what you've learned. Let us know about the voices. I can't wait to hear how the experience goes for you. I really can't. I have really been enjoying that 15 minute timer lately. And I honestly imagine you will too. Now, take this information and go kick some ass in your week. Manifest dope. Shit. You got this?