Body and mind are two main components of every human being. It’s actually amazing how our body interacts with our mind. Ever since I started my journey with Peace Revolution practising meditation and mindfulness on daily basis, I have come to learn how mind and body mutually influence each other. In this article, I would like to share some of my personal experiences about body and mind interaction with a special emphasis on how to go about frustration and bad moments.
Softening the mind
In psychology, the word frustration is defined as “a common emotional response to opposition, related to anger, annoyance and disappointment. Frustration arises from the perceived resistance to the fulfilment of an individual’s will or goal”[1].
It’s obvious that as human beings, we have to face frustration from time to time; yet, the way we react to it differs from one individual to another. When I get frustrated, I soften my mind in three simple steps, which I have learnt from my favorite blogger Henrik Edberg:
Step 1: Be here now
Frustration often comes with the state of mind getting somewhere in the future. This is somewhere you wish to be or you are reliving a stumble or failure from your past. Snap out of those headspaces and calm down by focusing your mind and attention on what is now, right here at this moment. During day I find 1-2 minutes when I focus my attention 100% on my breathing or what is around me at this very moment with all my senses.
Step 2: Appreciate what you have
After I’ve pulled my attention back to where it can be most helpful, I focus on what is still positive in my life. The quickest and easiest way to do so is to focus on appreciating what I have and becoming grateful for it.
Step 3: Focus on what you can do right now
With attention in the present moment, it’s now time to get constructive attitudes about what frustrates me. This can be done by asking oneself a simple question: what is one small step I can take right now to improve this situation? It may be seeing what you can learn from what frustrates you and trying another path towards your goal. Or it could be trying one more time and keep going (because not all things in life will come to you the first, second or third time you try).
Freed from frustration
“Sometimes a bad day will just be a bad day; this is because no matter what habits you adopt, life will never be perfect, positive or awesome all the time. And that’s OK. That’s life. But the interesting thing is this: if you accept that life is like this sometimes – and let go of the dream of perfection – then you’ll create less suffering for yourself. And life will become lighter, simpler and happier……” Henrik Edberg.
From my personal experience, when you manage to get rid of frustration, you feel as if a heavy burden is being pulled out of your shoulders. With such a feeling, your mind and body create a kind of enthusiastic harmony which leads to happiness, joy and above all you are driven by a very strong positive energy.
The opposite applies as well; frustration and negativity affect the mind, and when the mind accumulates negativity, the body becomes weak and sometimes driven by negative energy which most of the time leads to aggressive reactions and bad actions.
Conclusion
Mind and body are good companions; they entertain a very close relationship with the mind being the central source of positive or negative energy. The mind, thus, needs to get a good care through a constant mindfulness practice or any other stress management technique.
[1] Botton, Alain (April 2011). The Consolations of Philosophy, Vintage Books: New York, P. 80.
