Mastering Your Mind: A Guide for Men

When humans start panicking mistakes get made. We all go into times of panic due to circumstances that life throws at us. Unfortunately, most people are not equipped to deal with the intense pressure that leads to panic. This panic has all kinds of negative effects that originate from an untrained mind. Most people have no knowledge about the human brain and how the mind functions. They haven’t studied the mind and they haven’t experimented with their own mind to see how they can get control over the mind in times of adversity. But the key is not just reacting to bad circumstances but rather building a strong mindset and then being able to use certain tools and techniques to calm the mind when life circumstances lead to panic. Panic is the enemy. Decisions made in panic mode always lead to disaster and should be avoided at all costs.

Imagination And Fear

When we humans get scared our imagination takes control of our minds. The imagination starts creating all kinds of imaginary situations that lead to anxiety and stress. So the obvious answer is to get control over the imagination. But this is no easy task for an untrained mind. For the small group of men out there that have worked on their minds for many years through daily disciplined practice the task of calming the mind is a lot easier. That being said if you are new to studying and disciplining the mind then today is the best time to start, the only better time was yesterday. The importance of taking control of your mind cannot be overstated. You don’t want to become like the out of control minds and bad leaders you come across every day in the world. Those people become hysterical, indecisive, and out of control in the face of adversity. And to avoid becoming one of those people you need to start by taking control of your mind.

Avoiding Talking About The Mind

Unfortunately, people avoid talking about the mind because they expect complex techniques that are difficult to master. The truth is that most methods and techniques to calm the mind are simple. The only challenge is being consistent and disciplined in training the mind. Most people, for example, try meditation for a few days and then quit. Or they learn a new method to calm the mind then try it a few times but then forget about it never to be used again. Or sometimes the technique sounds too simple to be true or effective. So they quit. The focus of this article is just a few simple methods to calm the mind in times of stress and panic. Like mentioned before we need to get the imagination under control in times of stress and adversity.

How To Overcome Anxiety

(1) Focus On Your Breathing

When panic starts the most important thing to do right away is to get control of your breathing. When in panic mode you will start breathing shallowly and take in less air. So step one is to slow your breathing and take ten slow deep breaths in and out to calm yourself down. Then focus on just normal relaxed breathing. Repeat the process when you feel your breathing becoming anxious again.

(2) Slow Down

The Navy Seal and author of the book “The Operator” Robert O Neil says “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast”. Meaning stop frantically reacting to whatever is in front of you and slow down. We tend to take rushed or hurried actions under stress and this leads to disaster. So slow down. Don’t react, rather respond in a calm and calculated way.

(3) Focus The Mind

So step 3 is to focus the mind on the simple task. The Navy Seal Robert O Neil used a very simple method to calm his mind in the helicopter ride to the target. He counted zero to a thousand and then thousand to zero to a thousand. But other simple techniques can also be used.

Try the following:

– Cleaning your room or house and just focus on the process and nothing else.

– Martial arts practice is a great way to focus the mind.

– Yoga, focus on movement and breathing.

– Adult coloring books. By just focusing on coloring the patterns in front of you will focus and calm the mind.

Conclusion

So being able to control your mind in times of stress or adversity is a valuable skill. So next time you find yourself facing a stressful situation remind yourself that you can take control of the situation by calming your mind and avoiding making panicked decisions. And remember, “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast”. Until next time.