I think therefore I am. Descartes blew the modern world’s mind when he came up with this founding element in Western philosophy in the 17th century and yeah, we think he may have been on to something deep. Man!
We know it’s cosmic, baby, but hang onto your mung beans as we break it down into the two schools of thought this raised:
- Self-awareness = true existence. Translation: you can literally think so you are real. Okay, cool. Mind not too badly blown.
- Everything you think influences how you feel, something modern medicine has now proven to actually be true. Why? Quite simple, really: because the body can’t chemically tell the difference between fact and fiction.
Okay, now your mind might actually be blown, but hold onto your sanity because we’re about to take it on a holiday to recover. #PackYourImagination
By taking what we call Mind Holidays on a regular basis, you aren’t only doing yourself a mental favour, you’re also giving yourself a physical one. The body produces four different chemicals that make us feel good and by taking a mental trip you can give yourself an actual injection whenever you want. Psychedelic hey?
How Do I Take A Mind Holiday?
Well, it’s a bit like meditation really, but it’s less brain tricky and more brain trippy. Follow these simple steps to learn how:
- Find somewhere quiet where you can relax. You can sit or lie down, it’s up to you.
- Close your eyes and take a few slow, deep breaths.
- Imagine you are floating up and away, high up through the clouds and out to some other place, we’re going to go for a desert island in this example, but really, it can be anywhere you want to go. This is all about imagining sensory and emotional responses.
- Sight: Look down at the colours from the sky, soaking in the aqua water, the white sand, the lush greens of the rainforest, tropical birds gliding by.
- Touch: Float down towards it now and land softly on the sand. Feel the soles of your feet being gently warmed as you walk towards the water, then cooled as you reach it and wander in. Notice how silky and refreshing the water is as you float in it for a while.
- Sound: The gentle lap of the waves, the call of wild birds, an eagle here, a seagull there, the swish of little colourful fish as they jump nearby. The breeze swishing through the palm fronds.
- Scent: Breathe it all in deeply, the salted air, the fresh scent of bananas hanging in the trees. Someone has left some freshly chopped in a bowl for you over there with coconut, mangoes, strawberries and orange juice. How nice of them! And rather convenient as we move onto…
- Taste: Make your way over to the fruit now and taste all those delicious flavours as the sun dries your skin. Feel the juice swirl around your mouth, the crunch of coconut, the fresh bite of strawberries and the refreshing quench of the orange juice. Mmmmm… sweet!
- Time to drift on back now but take it slow as you float home. (Alternatively, you may want to stay a bit longer – in which case, add a dash of rum to the juice and meet a hot cabana man – but that’s a whole other mind holiday. Actually, that’s just fantasising. Behave!)
- Come back into your body and take a moment to just enjoy how you feel. There should be a nice chemical buzz going on by now. See? We told you it was trippy!
We recommend that you take regular mind holidays and be aware that the mind can take other kinds of chemical breaks too. Imagine yourself winning the lottery, getting your dream job, falling in love with the cabana man… anything that makes you feel good. Because remember, your body won’t know the difference, and you’ll end up feeling a nice buzz which is totes awesome. #MindLiterallyBlownNow #PeaceOut
Let us know how your Mind Holiday went by leaving a comment with some your favourite places to visualise, or hop on over to the Members Facebook Page and share your mind holiday stories. #SoGroovy