Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess summary

Before we explore how to alter our thoughts and manage our minds, let’s take a moment to think about exactly what the mind is and how it works.

The mind is energy generated through our thinking, feeling, and behavior. This energy builds thoughts, which are real, concrete things in our brains. Specifically, thoughts are ideas embedded with memories of associated information, emotions, and physical feelings.

During a bubble bath one night, the author’s diamond earring – a gift from her children – fell into the water. She panicked, but not for long.

She quickly acknowledged the situation and her reaction. Then, she processed her mind-set and understood that it was a natural response to potentially losing a special gift. To find it, she needed a different response. So, she thought of patting down the bubbles in order to see clearly. Using this strategy, she found her earring.

Ever heard the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day?” Well, it applies to mind management, too.

Changing toxic thoughts and establishing positive behavior doesn’t happen overnight. And while many people believe that habits form over 21 days, it actually takes a lot longer than that. Sixty-three days, to be exact. 

In the previous blink, you learned that you can create structural changes in the brain by applying the Neurocycle method. But here’s an interesting fact: the brain is always changing.

Our experiences and states of mind alter the brain’s structure and chemical makeup. And when we experience challenges or toxic thoughts, these changes harm our mental and physical health.

Here’s an unfortunate truth: everyone goes through some kind of trauma at one point or another. It can be as disturbing as war or a more day-to-day experience like bullying, illness, or infidelity. Whatever form it takes, trauma needs to be addressed because it leaves toxic thoughts – which, as we’ve learned, harm our brains and bodies.

One of the difficult things about trauma is that we’re left wondering why the traumatic event happened. And that’s a question we often can’t answer. So, rather than trying to figure out the why behind our traumas, a better approach is to focus on healing.

In an earlier blink, we discovered that, in addition to getting enough sleep, eating well, and exercising, mind management plays a role in a healthy lifestyle. But here’s something interesting: it can also help us improve on the other areas.

The Neurocycle, its three principles, and the five steps can be used to ensure that we sleep better, adopt good eating habits, and incorporate exercise and movement into our lives. By doing this, we build a great foundation for a healthier life.