Gratitude Blog #4 - A mind filter

I don't know about you, but if you have ever woken up to a radio alarm that is set to go off when the news is on, it can be quite confronting. One minute your in a dreamlike state, and the next you are picturing shootings, natural disasters or any of the many distressing images that the news are reporting on that day. Several years ago, before I knew any better, this is how it was for me. For months we used to wake up like this. To a radio alarm where I had no control of the first few thoughts of my morning. I'd start my mornings stressed and anxious thinking the world was a bad place. I can't believe it too me so long to say, Enough! I want to control the first few thoughts that come into my mind each day. It wasn't hard to fix. We simply bought a new alarm clock that first starts with a soft light turning on, before starting it's slowing increasing in volume song.

It got me thinking of how often this happens at other times of the day. I started to notice times where I was exposed to negative conversations and situations without being aware of them. Once I became aware, most of the time, they were easy fixes. I either changed my habits so I wasn't in that environment or I choose only to engage in conversations that lifted rather than lowered my energy.

Social media has also been a little like that as well. We all know how the algorithm works. You clink on one thing in google only to finds you social feed inundated with whatever product or topic you showed interest in. It can start to feel like whatever you think gets reinforced over and over again to a point that you can make anything feel true. I am always very careful what I choose to engage in on any of my devices. 

We have to watch and filter our minds like we do our water. 

This was really bought home to me when I was gifted a copy of Mans search for meaning written by Viktor Frankl which recounts his harrowing experiences in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. While enduring severe hardship and deprivation, Frankl made a powerful observation: some prisoners were still able to find purpose and maintain dignity by nurturing others, upholding ethics, and envisioning life after liberation.Drawing from these experiences, Frankl outlines his logotherapy approach, which centers on the human drive to discover life's meaning. Frankl argues that even in the bleakest circumstances, individuals can take responsibility and choose their own thoughts, finding fulfillment by rising above superficial wants and committing to something greater than the self.

It is a very powerful read, and boy oh boy and I incredibly grateful to have been able to read it!