Why it's hard to change bad habits and negative thoughts
Everyone possesses both a subconscious and a conscious mind. The conscious mind is active when you are aware of what you are doing, such as when you read these words. Your attention is focused on understanding the text in front of you.
This awareness is an essential part of your daily experience, allowing you to engage with the world around you.
In contrast, the subconscious mind, often referred to as the unconscious mind, serves as a vast storage system. It holds all the skills, knowledge, and experiences you've gathered throughout your life. This process of storage is crucial for efficiency.
It enables you to react to various situations with little effort. Take the simple act of opening a door, for example. When reaching for the handle, turning it, and stepping outside, those actions require little conscious thought.
You have performed this task so many times that it becomes automatic. Your subconscious handles these routine responses, freeing your conscious mind to tackle more complex challenges that require deeper thought.
However, when a familiar routine changes, your awareness is immediately engaged. Consider a doorknob that needs to be lifted instead of turned. This sudden change breaks your usual pattern, forcing you to focus and think.
Your subconscious does not have a set response ready for this new action, necessitating involvement from your conscious mind. This scenario highlights how the subconscious enables you to perform daily tasks effortlessly, while the conscious mind steps in when unexpected situations arise.
At the beginning of life, your subconscious is like a blank slate. You are born with basic instincts, but your actual experiences fill this canvas. From your first days, you begin learning essential skills. These include holding a spoon, rolling over, sitting up, and eventually walking. Each of these milestones builds the groundwork for further learning and development.
Along with physical skills, you also absorb social norms and acceptable behaviors. You learn to sit at the table, speak politely, be honest, and take responsibility for your actions. Understanding what is right and wrong becomes a core part of your upbringing. These lessons are vital for interacting with others and contributing positively to society.
Emotions play a significant role in how you use your subconscious mind. Through various experiences, you discover what makes you feel joy, sadness, excitement, or loss. Over time, these emotional responses become ingrained in your subconscious.
You begin to react almost automatically to different triggers, which is key to your emotional growth and stability. As these feelings embed themselves in your subconscious, coping with them becomes easier and less mentally taxing.
In summary, the subconscious mind acts as a navigational tool in your life. It helps streamline daily routines, manage social interactions, and regulate emotional responses. This hidden guide is critical for maintaining balance and ease in your day-to-day existence.
Recognizing the power of your subconscious can enhance your understanding of its influence on your choices and behaviors.