Self-control exercises. How to learn to control yourself and the situation: life tips. A famous phrase says: we cannot change circumstances, but we can change our attitude towards them.

The development of self-control is initially an incorrect formulation, since self-control is a normal state of the human psyche. But in a stressful situation, it can be lost, just like a boat in a strong storm loses its balance and overturns. Therefore, your task is not to develop, but to learn how to control yourself, maintain and maintain balance, despite any external stimuli.

To understand how to learn this, let's understand what emotions are and how they work. Emotions are part of the signaling system that regulates human behavior depending on the prevailing circumstances. They can be compared to reflexes: when it's hot, you withdraw your hand, when it's scary, you step back, etc. The difference is that reflexes are a quick and unconscious reaction to some real or potential threat, while emotions are more complex markers, thanks to which you do not get confused in the multitude of surrounding phenomena.

Strong emotions such as anger, panic, and desperation also indicate a real threat, or more specifically, a threat that you perceive as such.

For example, a person may experience panic both in case of a fire and, if necessary, perform on stage. A fire is a direct threat to life, a performance is not, but panic or intense fear still occurs very often. In the same way, during domestic quarrels, uncontrollable anger can arise, which nature conceived as a reaction to a serious encroachment. For example, a mother bear becomes furious when something threatens her cubs.

Why does a strong emotion arise where there is no single good reason for its appearance - a real threat? Because our subconscious mind works differently than our conscious mind. Its markers have changed little since the time of the cavemen, it does not know what modern society, civilization, law and rules of conduct are. Therefore, public speaking is perceived by the subconscious in the same way as speaking to a tribe or community, and if it ends unsuccessfully, a person can be expelled. Exile in a primitive society is almost certain death, because the harsh conditions of existence allowed people to survive only in communities.

Don't trust strong emotions

The main trouble with emotions is the desire of a person to romanticize them: supposedly, you need to act exactly as feelings suggest. Sometimes this is true, because nature has provided for us a lot, and where the mind “sleeps”, emotional sensitivity can even save your life. But this does not apply to those cases when an imaginary threat is taken for a real one! So just know that if emotions overflow, they are almost certainly unfounded. If you explain and understand this fact for yourself, it will become easier to maintain composure in a stressful situation, because you will no longer have reasonable reasons to trust emotional states.

Identify markers of loss of control

A marker is a certain feature of physiology or behavior that can play the role of a “warning light”, signaling an imminent loss of exposure. All people are different, so each has its own individual markers. You will identify them if you observe yourself in stressful situations. General signs are characteristic of almost everyone:

• discoloration of the face - redness with anger and pallor with strong fear;
• shiver;
• sweating;
• strong gestures;
• raising the voice;
• increase in speech speed.

Most often, the signs on the list mean that control has already been lost, so it is advisable to make your own list of individual markers in order to recognize the danger as early as possible and develop composure.

Identify the main stimuli

That is, the situations, steps, or things that irritate you the most. We advise you to make a list by hand and periodically reread it. This is also a kind of markers: when you realize that you always react to the same situation in the same way, it is easier for you to mentally prepare for it and consolidate the ability to control yourself.

Irritants can be specific people: "former", bosses, relatives, colleagues at work, anyone. In this case, it is best to keep contacts to a minimum.

abstract

To abstract, you need to understand that you lose control in one of the three ways suggested above. When this fact is no longer in doubt, think about how you look from the outside. Evaluate your gestures, words, intonations, think about what you say and how. The essence of the reception is that from the side it is easier to correctly and qualitatively evaluate behavior. If you can try on the role of an observer, you can determine where you go too far. In addition, the very fact of changing the object of attention will play into your hands, because you will stop thinking about the stimulus and start thinking about your own reaction to it.

Breathe deeply and evenly

Between nervous excitement and its physical manifestations there is Feedback. When you're nervous, your breathing becomes labored, heavy, and uneven. When you have a panic attack, your breathing literally goes crazy. The first thing to do is to bring it back under control, this will eventually help you learn self-control. Control over the rhythm and depth of breathing returns the ability to control oneself, at least in part. This is why people who have experienced shock, trauma, panic attacks, or other severe stress are forced to take deep breaths.

There is nothing difficult in the exercise - take a deep breath through your nose and exhale through your mouth, repeat several times.

Change the object of attention

All you need to do is count to ten. If it is impossible to do the account during the conversation, take a break. Answer a phone call, get a drink of water, or talk to another person. The ability to speak beautifully is often associated with the ability to “recharge”. This is especially true for exhausting, difficult negotiations that last for hours: this way you can reset the accumulated negativity, restore sobriety to your thoughts. The art of influencing people is built on gaining an advantage. In difficult negotiations, the advantage is given to the one who manages to take a break.

Don't close your eyes and try to think positive, it never works. Only an occupation allows you to really get distracted and not be nervous, find it for yourself. Sharpen your pencil, clean your computer monitor, refresh your phone browser. The main thing is to do something.

Keep your cool

Physical signs of equanimity suppress emotional activity, we analyzed the reason for this phenomenon above using the example of breath control. But not only breathing can bring your well-being back to normal, there are even more curious psychological tricks. For example, a person is not capable of experiencing fear when he eats. Eating is closely related to safety, because at the dawn of human history, one was impossible without the other. You can reduce the impact of emotion in almost any situation if you just chew on something. Also an excellent medicine against strong feelings is laughter. An attack of real laughter can destroy all negative emotions at once, so much so that you don’t even remember about them. So, if you urgently need to get rid of annoying anxiety, take a couple of minutes to read jokes or watch a funny video on YouTube.

Pay attention to the right lifestyle

It is impossible to learn to manage oneself and one's emotions by "tactical" means alone. To do this, you need a base in the form of a strong psyche, self-confidence, good health. If possible, exercise, get enough sleep, eat right, spend more time outside and less time at the computer. See a psychologist if you have problems with self-esteem. This in combination will make you more stress-resistant than all the "military tricks" put together.

Get creative

The creative process allows you to perform any action ritually, through the created images. That is, when you really want to harm someone out of anger, envy or resentment, transfer this feeling to a drawing, a poem or an acting sketch. The result will surprise you.

read books

The most unflappable people are intellectuals, because books are the source of wisdom. The more books you read, the more examples of terrible mistakes made in the heat of passion in conflict situations will pass through your emotional background. To put it simply, the hero of the book lost his temper and killed a man, and you experienced the emotional consequences. More books, more vaccinations, less chance of losing control of yourself.

In addition to the theoretical part of training at the acting school, teachers offer practical stand-up classes that will allow you to perform more professionally on stage or simply teach you how to joke brilliantly at any party.

Reading time: 2 min

Self-control is the ability of an individual to maintain inner peace, as well as to act prudently and reasonably in difficult life situations. The origin of self-control is associated with behavioral stereotypes - social and cultural attitudes that are instilled from childhood. The sense of self-control includes resistance to any emerging situations, a firm hand and a confident look, an accurate reaction and quick calculation, as well as control over both one's own and other people's emotions.

Endurance and self-control

The volitional qualities that characterize self-control include endurance, determination, courage. Self-possessed individuals are marked by the ability and habit to control their behavior, their movements. Such individuals are able to control themselves and their speech, are able to refrain from unconscious actions. Endurance and great will is the ability to achieve something and wish, as well as the ability to force yourself to give up something when necessary. A self-possessed person is able to restrain his feelings, will not allow impulsive actions, will control his mood, and in the most difficult conditions he will not lose his presence of mind, keep his composure, and be able to pull himself together. A seasoned person is patient and enduring, both in relation to long-acting (boring work, aching pain, agonizing expectation) and short-term stimuli (for example, sharp pain). He knows how, if necessary, to endure hardships and hardships that cause him physical suffering and restrain, when necessary, his needs (thirst, hunger, need for rest).

E.P. Ilyin refers self-control to a collective volitional characteristic, which includes courage, endurance, and partly determination.

The fundamental and important personality traits for a leader are the ability to cope with the external expression of emotions, while remaining calm in an extreme situation, not reacting to irritants and maintaining inner peace.

The art of self-control

Self-control refers to the art of tact, tolerance, and patience. The art of self-control is marked by the ability to act rationally rather than emotionally. Self-control allows you to dominate not only yourself, but also over other individuals. This feeling helps in making the right decisions, especially in extreme situations. Self-mastery makes it possible to see this world through the prism of calmness, as well as self-confidence. AT Everyday life self-control is manifested in the ability to suppress desires and strong desires, in the ability to control emotional outbursts and show determination, as well as control behavior when fear arises.

Self-control manifests itself in the following forms: patience (to endure difficulties and inconvenience), abstinence (self-denial - rejection of harmful and reasonable use of useful), equanimity, calmness (a state of balance, peace and calm), self-discipline, steadfastness (preservation of devotion and fidelity at the time of trial and temptations).

How to keep your composure

Often, impressionable, as well as unbalanced natures, are not able to cope with a stressful situation for the nervous system without much shock.

Loss of self-control and control over your emotions occurs due to the response of the brain and endocrine system to stress, which is provoked by complex chemical processes in the body. Simply put, it's all about the hormones. However, for some reason, some people are able to control their behavior at the time of quarrels, while for other personalities, conflicts end in breaking dishes, scolding, fists and slaps.

Self-control refers to the ability to think clearly at the moment of emotional peak of tension, and this ability is purely individual. In many ways, this ability depends on behavioral stereotypes - cultural and social attitudes that are instilled from an early age. And the fact that for some people this is a sign of bad taste, for others it is the norm. Therefore, there is a completely different reaction in similar situations. The ability to maintain self-control is influenced by the characteristics of the nervous system and psyche, the physical state, stressful situation. If a person is tired, hungry, in physical pain, is in an unresolved interpersonal conflict, then it is likely that it will be very difficult to restrain himself. A person who knows how to control his emotions will not be ashamed of his behavior later. This is a big plus. However, there are also disadvantages.

It has long been proven that there is a connection between the state of health and negative emotions. Carefully concealed emotional experiences, accumulating, deplete nervous system.

Unexpressed over time will make itself felt, for example, taking the form of increased irritability or some kind of disease. Therefore, controlling negative emotions is important in order to then easily get rid of them.

Some individuals maintain composure by releasing tension during outdoor activities, sleep, sports, or love. Others unwind from the adrenaline rush after watching horror movies, rollercoaster rides or bungee jumping.

How to learn self-control? In order not to delve into a state of continuous stress, you need to choose for yourself effective method the release of the accumulated negative. You should not accumulate situations when you have to suppress aggression and anger, assuring yourself that everything is fine and nothing happened. You should learn to develop a physiological response to a stressful situation, blowing off steam not with a cry, but with the help of a civilized form of aggression. Feeling crowded a large number negative energy should be directed to peaceful purposes, for example, trying to resolve issues in the heat of rage that are difficult to resolve in a normal state.

In the absence of the opportunity to adequately respond to the offender, you can take advantage of relieving emotional stress with the help of a swimming pool, fitness, yoga, and spas. How not to lose self-control? It is necessary to control your feelings, desires, thoughts, intentions, impulses, actions and words. It is important to learn how to evaluate yourself and carry out introspection of your actions.

Loss of self-control is manifested in the weakening of self-control and self-discipline.

Self-control is expressed in the fact that the individual goes deep into his inner world evaluating and analyzing it. Assessing his feelings, thoughts, desires, a person determines for himself their admissibility.

How to maintain self-control? In order not to lose self-control, one must have self-discipline. After finding out which thought, desire, feeling is alien to us, and which is for the good, it is necessary to correctly respond to these manifestations: either embody, develop, cultivate, support, or stop, eradicate, suppress. The individual suppresses, eradicates the bad in himself, and develops and cultivates the good.

How to develop self-control

There are several feasible first aid tools for developing self-control:

• ignoring external stimuli, for example, for training, you can use a phone call that does not ring on time. The task of the individual is to ignore the call, so you can learn to abstract from other stimuli that unbalance yourself;

• delaying time and not immediately responding to the opponent's explosive reaction, while using a count of up to ten;

• the ability to shift your attention and relax at the right time.

The state of stress, excessive fatigue, tension cause in the body chemical reactions that negatively impact behavior. Both the body and the psyche need relaxation and rest. To do this, it is necessary to create in the imagination a place to which the individual will mentally move as soon as he feels tired or overstrained. It can be, for example, an autumn park, a room with an easy chair, a beach with palm trees - everything that can lead to a state of tranquility and the return of comfort. It is necessary to find in yourself that reference point that will replenish the reserves of vital energy.

Speaker of the Medical and Psychological Center "PsychoMed"

Self-control is a real art. Today, a person with a positive attitude is valued. But even the most resilient of us have not the best moments. What to do with feelings that are commonly called negative, how to learn to control yourself and your emotions in any situation?

It is believed that it is necessary to fight the negative by any means, and positive emotions, on the contrary, should be cultivated. Psychologists have a different opinion: without sadness there will be no joy. Suppress, mask negative emotions - the path to serious psychological problems. How to be? Learn to accept and consciously manage the "other side of the coin." We will consider the secrets of mastering this art with specific examples.

How not to be offended by people and let go of the situation

Reasons for resentment can be found in every day of your life. An old friend did not invite you to visit, a friend wrote an SMS in honor of her birthday, but did not call. Colleagues at the corporate party ignored your joke; the husband refused a simple request; friend did not thank for the service rendered. This feeling makes a voluminous, multi-colored and rich picture of being black and white. Everything in your eyes becomes simple and clear: here I am - white and fluffy, generous and disinterested, but here - nasty people and the same world around. Why hide, feel good among the bad, feel righteous anger towards the offender, reproduce in my head a scene of violent repentance, sweet.

But the end result is always the same - suddenly a person discovers that the voluntary state of the victim "ate" his spiritual strength and time, which could be used with much greater benefit. Fortunately, getting out of this state is not as difficult as it might seem.

Resentment and pain in the soul

The main danger of feelings of resentment is the scrolling in the head of the same situation, fixing on the personality of the offender. This leads to the fact that resentment grows beyond measure, bringing more and more harm. The reason for "walking in circles" lies within yourself. Considering that you have no right to be offended, that you deserve such treatment, you are trying to hide the fact of resentment from yourself and others. Leave this attitude! Being honest with yourself, having understood your own feelings, tell yourself and (even to yourself) the culprit of the discomfort: “I was offended.” Awareness and recognition of the reason that caused the storm in you will stop it.

understand, forgive

Overcoming resentment is impossible without "absolution" of the offender. And you can do this only by standing in his place, understanding his motives. Look at the situation from the other side. Perhaps the offense was inflicted by accident, and in fact the person did not want to hurt you? If so, is it worth wasting mental strength on chance?

"I am alone"

Before pouting, think about the consequences for yourself.

• Firstly, with those who are offended for any reason, others are not particularly eager to communicate.
• Secondly, perhaps the reason is not so serious. Then why waste your precious nerves on this at all?

It's about me

But what if you yourself have a "stigma in the cannon"? You could accidentally provoke a person to such a reaction or made too high demands. Be honest with yourself. And remember that the recognition of mistakes and a more loyal attitude towards your neighbor will bring relief to you too.

How to manage anger and resentment

Throughout your life, you have met with anger more than once or twice. His. With inept handling, this feeling can pretty much break firewood. But if you learn to manage anger, it may well become a helper, not an enemy, allowing you to improve yourself, better understand yourself and the motives of your own actions, and motivate you to new achievements. So, if something pisses you off, use the tactic of domestication in order to pass for a balanced person and benefit from even the most unpleasant situation.

Leave the fight!

When it “rolls”, most often a person tries in every way to calm down. In vain. In this case, the thunderstorm should subside naturally. Recognize that you are entitled to this feeling. Acceptance of a negative reaction shifts attention to solving the problem, saving energy on a futile struggle with the elements.

Let off steam

But in a way that does not harm yourself or others: take a walk, call a friend, take three deep breaths, close your eyes. No less effective is to mentally imagine yourself throwing thunder and lightning at mortals. Do you like this blushing, almost exploding creature with a distorted face? Then imagine how skillfully you suppress anger, showing miracles of self-discipline. Visualization does not allow anger to take over, helping to return to normal.

Prioritize by focusing on the solution, not the problem

Again and again to return to what irritates, or to complain about the irritant is easy and even pleasant. But in reality, this only harms, preventing you from developing and taking an active, adult position in your own life. Instead, learn from the current lessons to continue to be more inventive and smarter.

Remember that you are a “reasonable person”

In other words, carefully study all the triggers of your anger, think over all the “retreats” in advance. For example, if a co-worker pisses you off by talking loudly and for a long time on the phone in the office, use her conversations as a break from work. Few people will like anger, and anticipating explosive moments, it is quite possible to remain collected and calm.

How to get out of despondency and apathy

Despondency, apathy ... It turns out that these emotions can also be useful. All this is a natural process that is launched by the body itself in order to protect itself. The mode, economical on emotions and activity, allows you to survive difficult moments with minimal damage, so that in the future you can rejoice, dream and hope with a vengeance. Cope with a difficult period can be one who, even in the most critical moments, does not forget: life is given only once. Answering the following questions honestly will help you remember this. By the way, it is best to interview yourself every evening, and not only during attacks of melancholy, as a preventive measure.

• What have I learned today?

Only schoolchildren and the most responsible students can call this question easy. But those who are older will probably think about it. You will no longer feel the taste for life if you act according to a worked out, automated scenario every day. You can diversify your impressions by regularly getting acquainted with something new: previously unfamiliar words, scientific facts ... Do not forget about new physical exercises - your body also needs fresh impressions.

• How much have I been through today?

Mental health should always be at the top of your priority list. Meanwhile, many treat themselves worse than their own mobile. They complain when they see a scratch on it. They run to the store and buy a durable case for it. At any moment, they drop their cases in order to charge the "assistant" as soon as possible. To find time for themselves, their energy should be at the level of 10% at best. Do not follow such a pernicious example! Take breaks to recharge. Since breaks are required even by the most modern technology, why are you worse than a perfect, but not a living device?

• How did others feel because of me?

Not everyone asks such a question. Meanwhile, the manifestation mere attention to the neighbor gives a sense of the value of one's own life, gives meaning to every day spent.

• What made me smile?

It is very important for emotional health to go into the world of dreams with a light heart, without depressing thoughts. To do this, make it a rule to end your day on a happy note, even if it doesn't work out. Simple, but so necessary things for anyone will help: listening to your favorite song, kissing loved one, listing all the good things that happened during the day, mental reproduction of especially pleasant memories from life.

• What will I do better tomorrow?

This question is especially relevant for perfectionists who reproach themselves for shortcomings and miscalculations. Everyone is wrong. Much more important reaction is not misses. After all, no matter how sad failures are, they are useful to some extent, for example, they bring clarity. After them, a person manages to become more far-sighted - he suddenly realizes what is really required for further movement in the right direction. So let yourself "see the light."

Every day we are faced with troubles that are necessary to cope with for our own well-being. Negative emotions and well-being that everyone can experience, losing control over the situation and themselves, can lead to sad consequences.

In order not to test yourself for strength and not be in danger, it is important to be able to pull yourself together and control the circumstances. This will help you avoid many problems and vicissitudes of Fate. To change your attitude and behavior, use the suggested recommendations.

Don't focus on failure

Remember that life goes on as usual and often brings rather unpleasant emotions. However, this state of affairs is not at all a reason for the blues. Learn to perceive what happened more calmly, without driving yourself into depression and worsening your own well-being. Failure is an occasion to reconsider your actions, relax and unwind before correcting inaccuracies and oversights. Negative emotions that accompany you in case erroneous actions, require adjustment, perseverance in achieving the goals and objectives.

Don't get discouraged

Dissatisfaction with one's own life, joyless everyday life and daily boredom from monotonous and routine actions can weaken a person. Try to find the reason for your despondency in order to change for the better. Do not forget that life is diverse, and after a dark stripe, a bright one will always come. In order to avoid such a state, find something to your liking, get out into nature, find a source of inspiration in yourself or in the space around you. Allow yourself small pleasures as a reward for the routine, and your mood will improve rapidly.

Remain calm in conflict situations

Arguments, raised voices, shouting and irritation are not the best helpers in resolving disputes. Learn to deal with your own emotions and remember that cold confidence and calmness (even if only external) quickly cool down the aggression and pressure of your interlocutor. Having calmed the discontent and guided by the arguments of reason, you will be able to defend your innocence without worsening your well-being and mood with unnecessary worries. If the opponent is not able to listen to your words, end the conversation. So you avoid internal tension and overwork.

Do not respond to aggressive attacks

Remaining calm in the event that you are called into conflict is important for emotional and physical health. If you are faced with such a situation, gather yourself internally and try to disengage from the aggressor. Count slowly, evening out your breath and focusing on your own sensations. Often your icy calm quickly cools the ardor of the offender, who is unable to lead you to reciprocal emotions. Do exercises to control emotions with the help of breathing exercises.

Who knows how to subdue his anger,
He is like a wise man who won his battle without starting it...

On the own experience a clear understanding came of what it means to “own oneself”, and how important it is to maintain inner peace of mind in any life situation. Personal experience has convinced me of the wisdom of making decisions from a state of peace and quiet. Moreover, such decisions have always turned out to be the most correct and effective, because, at such moments, I relied on feelings, and not on emotions.

"Peace, first of all, should be inside you. Peace and harmony ..."

The scent of new life

When I began to comprehend this art, my life began to seriously change and, of course, only for the better. I began to look differently at myself and at the world that surrounds me, it has become completely different ... unbelievable. But is it? What has become different? Me or the world? What changed? When I asked myself the question: “What is actually happening”? The answer came from the depths of the Soul… I myself have changed… and only I…

My inner transformation was reflected in everything, it was a look from the inside, a look of a person in love with life. This is comparable to the fact that the most beautiful flower in the world has blossomed in me, and its delicate aroma emanated on everything that surrounded me. The most delicate smell filled the world with completely different colors, as if I took a brush and began to paint a bright, happy and love-filled picture ... a picture of my new life.

But in order to achieve such inspiration to create my own life in a state of love and joy, I needed to take control of my thoughts and learn to control myself in any situation, but for this I had to become an observer. observer of his own life.

Every day I tried to observe myself, what I do, how I speak and think. I practically did not realize my life as a whole, only some torn parts that divided it into many different events and dates. They existed either in the past or in the future and were completely devoid of the present moment "Here and Now".

In observing myself, what struck me most was that I paid a lot of attention to negative thoughts that aroused corresponding emotions in me. As personal experience shows, one comes out of the other, and if you clearly control your thoughts, you can drastically change your life and skillfully control yourself in any situation.

In this article, we will try to understand this in more detail. In order to master the special art of "Self-mastery", for a start it is worth understanding what thought is in general and how it comes to us.

All the most interesting...

I will cite many quotes or excerpts from the books of Anastasia Novykh, which helped me at one time not only to realize the power of my thoughts, but also to be convinced from my own experience of their strong impact on the world. At this point in my life, I continue to form the habit of shifting my attention from a negative thought to a positive one by an effort of will, which undoubtedly helps me to be the master of my life. So let's get started...

What is a thought?

“Thought is an information wave. Its information is encoded at a certain frequency, which is perceived by our material brain, or rather, its in-depth structures. And when a person thinks something bad in your direction, then naturally, it all catches your brain at the subconscious level. And when deciphering this code, the brain begins to model this negative situation in you, which then, as an unconscious order of the subconscious, comes to life.

“- Quite right. Thought is real power. Much more than one can imagine. Thought is capable of moving planets, creating and destroying entire galaxies, which was originally proven by God himself.”

“After all, the thought is not visible. It cannot be weighed or touched, but it exists, since it has appeared in our minds. Thought has volume (at least informational). It is fleeting in its existence, because it is quickly replaced by other thoughts. Thought has no mass, but can have colossal consequences in the material world. Basically, it's Nothing.

(From A. Novykh's book "AllatRa")

“Have you ever thought about the infinity of your consciousness? About what is thought? How is she born, where does she go? Have you thought about your thoughts?
- Well, - Andrey hesitated, - I constantly think, think about something.
- It seems to you that it is you who think, it is you who thinks. Are you sure these are your thoughts?
- And whose else? The body is mine, so the thoughts are mine.
- And you follow them, if they are yours, at least one day. Where do they come from and where do they go. You rummage thoroughly in your thoughts, what will you see there, except for shit? Nothing. One violence, one nastiness, one care to get drunk, put on a fashionable rag, steal, earn money, buy, exalt one's megalomania. And that's it! You will see for yourself that the thoughts generated by your body end up with one thing - material support around you. But are you like that inside yourself? Look into your soul... and you will encounter the beautiful eternal, your true Self. After all, all this external fuss around is seconds ... Do you realize this?

(From the book by A. Novykh "Sensei. Primordial Shambhala")

I will also cite as an example the statements about the thought of the scientific director of the Institute of the Brain, academician, world-famous neurophysiologist Natalia P. Bekhtereva, who has deeply studied the work of the brain for many years.

It's a riddle

Natalya Petrovna, did you manage to "catch" the thought with the help of equipment? Many hopes were pinned on the positron emission tomograph at the disposal of the Institute of the Human Brain ...
Thought - alas, no. Tomograph not inThere is nothing to confirm or deny here. Other methods and devices are needed, they have not yet been developed. Today we can judge the state of the active points of the brain. In the brain, during special tests, certain areas are activated ...
“So thought is still material?”
- What is the idea here? We can say that in these areas there is active work - for example, creative work. But in order to “see” a thought, one must at least extract from the brain information about the dynamics of the impulse activity of neurons and decipher them. So far, this is not feasible. Yes, certain areas of the brain are related to creativity. But what exactly is going on there? It's a mystery.

“- Quite right. This suggests that we are not used to controlling our thoughts in everyday life. Therefore, they guide us as they want, entangling us in their "logical" chains. And an uncontrolled thought basically leads to a negative one, since it is controlled by the animal nature in a person. Therefore, there are various spiritual practices, meditations in order to learn, first of all, to control thought.”

“- I would say, with healthy thoughts - a healthy mind, and with a healthy mind - a healthy body.
- Tell me, but you all the time emphasize the importance of thinking correctly, both in physical training and now, - Andrey noted. - But for some reason I used to think that you always just need to act correctly. And thoughts can be different when choosing an action: both good and bad.
“That’s where you’re wasting precious time fighting with yourself. You should not have a choice between a bad and a good thought. Because there should be no negative thought in your head at all. The meaning of the highest Art, the Art of the Lotus, is to learn how to think correctly, that is, “kill the Dragon in yourself”, “defeat the Dragon”. Have you heard such an expression?
- Yes.
- That's the whole point. The greatest victory is the victory over yourself. What does this mean? It means conquering your negative thoughts, learning to control them, learning to control your emotions. I repeat once again, there should not be anything negative in your head. Only a positive factor! Then you will not have to waste time fighting with yourself and your actions will always be positive. The world, first of all, should be inside you. Peace and harmony.
- So, it turns out that in any act of a person his thought is reflected? - Thinking about something of his own, Andrey asked.
- She is not only reflected, she directs his action. After all, thought is material.”

(From the book by A. Novykh "Sensei. Primordial Shambhala")

Work on yourself

"How often do you feel good? In a great mood? In high spirits? How often do you say to yourself: "Everything is fine, everything is fine, everything will work out for sure." How often do you try to control thoughts? It's like a snowball - one thought clings for another, and now we are already falling down with a nervous breakdown. The materialization of our bad thought has already occurred. We need to be able to control ourselves. It is a colossal job to win a victory over ourselves every day, to control the energy of thought. When people really change their attitude to the past and present, no one without blaming, then the present and the future of themselves, as well as their children, really change! The key to creating a desirable future is in our today's thoughts, feelings, beliefs."

(From the article “Proof of scientists that thought is material”)

“When a person does not control his thoughts, everyone is to blame for his troubles and insults, he condemns everyone, is dissatisfied with many things, teaches everyone, not following his own teachings in life, and so on. But when a person begins to take care of himself, he pays attention not to external, but to his own internal reasons, why in this way and not otherwise, he perceives and reacts to the world around him. A person begins to understand why he succumbs to these external provocations and how to divert attention from his multiple egocentric desires, resentments, and aggression of the Animal nature.”

(From A. Novykh's book "AllatRa")

“This is a good result. It is difficult to catch the thought of your animal nature, and even more so to fight it. With this category of thoughts, in principle, it is impossible to fight. Because violence breeds violence. And the more you try to kill her, the more they will manifest themselves in you. Most The best way protection from them is to switch to positive thoughts. That is, the principle of aikido, gentle care, works here.
- And if they chase me all day. What, I can't cut off some strong word? Ruslan asked.
- No matter how you "chop off", all the same, negative thoughts will be pumped up according to the law of action - counteraction, action - reaction. Therefore, you should not fight them, but move away from them, artificially develop a positive thought in yourself, that is, focus on something good or remember something good. Only in this way of gentle withdrawal can you conquer your negative thought.
- And why thoughts are absolutely opposite to each other? I also sometimes get confused in my thoughts.
- Let's just say that in the human body there is a spiritual principle, or soul, and a material principle, or animal, bestial, whatever you want to call it. The human mind is the battlefield of these two principles. Therefore, you have different thoughts.
- And who then is "I", if the thoughts of others.
- Not someone else's, but yours. And you are the one who listens to them. And whoever you prefer is who you will be. If the material, animal nature - you will be evil and harmful, and if the advice of the soul - you will good man, people will be pleased to be with you. The choice will always be yours: either you are a despot or a saint.
- And why did it happen that my admiration for the taming of my anger led ... to pride or something, the growth of megalomania. After all, she seemed to have done a good deed, but the thought skidded in the other direction? I asked.
- You turned to the soul - your wish came true. I weakened control over myself - you were pulled over by the animal nature, and imperceptibly for you, by your favorite egoistic thoughts. You liked that you are praised from all sides, that you are so smart, so reasonable, and so on ... There is a constant war of two principles in you for you. And on which side you will be, your future depends.
I thought about it for a bit, and then clarified:
- That is, that “tricky” who reminded me of pain and prevented me from concentrating, the one who megalomaniac ...
- Quite right.
- So there are a whole bunch of these thoughts!
“Yes,” Sensei confirmed. “They are legion, so it is impossible to fight them. This is not kung fu for you, this is much more serious. You can fight with those who resist. But it's pointless to fight the vacuum. For a vacuum of negative thoughts, you can create only the same vacuum of positive thoughts. That is, again, I repeat, switch to the good, think about the good. But always be alert, listen to what your brain is thinking. Watch yourself. Pay attention to the fact that you are not tense, but thoughts are constantly swarming in you. And not just one thought. There may be two, three, or even more of them at once.
- It's like in Christianity they say that a devil sits on a person's shoulder on the left side, and an angel on the right. And they constantly whisper, - Volodya noticed.
“Quite right,” Sensei confirmed. - Only for some reason the devil whispers louder, he probably has a rougher voice ... What is called in Christianity the devil or the devil, this is a manifestation of our animal nature.
- When I discovered this division of thoughts in myself, I thought that maybe I had schizophrenia. There, after all, something is also connected with the splitting of consciousness, - my person said, finally emboldened.
Sensei smiled and jokingly replied:
- There is no genius without signs of madness.
Nikolai Andreevich laughed:
- Yes Yes Yes. By the way, I see something similar with myself.
Here Stas entered the conversation, thinking aloud about his own:
- Well, if the mind is a battlefield of two principles and, as I understand it, their weapons are thoughts, then how can you tell who is who? How is the spiritual and animal nature manifested in thoughts? What's this?
- The spiritual principle is the thoughts generated by the power of Love, in the broadest sense of the word. And the animal principle is thoughts about the body, our instincts, reflexes, megalomania, desires, completely absorbed by material interests, and so on.”

(From the books of A. Novykh "Sensei. Primordial Shambhala")

“- Remember: everything is in you! When you change inside, the world around you will also change. Material problems are a temporary phenomenon, a kind of test for you... You can't imagine how material your thought is and how it uses the power of your attention. If you give preference to your bad thoughts - kakodemona, then, excuse me, it's your own fault that your "hemorrhoids" have passed into the chronic stage. And if you gave preference to good thoughts, that is, daily stimulated your center of positive thoughts of the agathodemon, you would be amazed at your internal changes and how the world is changing around you, as if God himself turned his eyes on you and came to your aid . These are indescribable inner sensations of the Presence. When you are in great Love for everything around you, when you give this Love to God, your soul, which is His particle, wakes up. And when the soul wakes up, you will change first of all. And if you change, it means that a completely different reality will open up, opportunities will open up that you never dreamed of ...

This conversation, which had involuntarily silenced the entire company, ended as abruptly as it had begun. When Sensei finished speaking, there was silence, broken only by the crackle of burning coals. Everyone sat in silence, immersed in the mysterious world of their thoughts. The flame of the fire was extinguished, leaving a reminder of its former existence in the reddish cracks of the coals heated by it, and even those, gradually cooling down, went out, turning into a pile of ashes.

Practice "Lotus Flower"

This spiritual practice is called Lotus Flower. Its meaning is as follows. A person imagines, as if planting a grain inside himself, in the region of the solar plexus. And this little seed in him sprouts due to the power of Love, formed by his positive thoughts. Thus, a person, controlling the cultivation of this flower, artificially gets rid of negative thoughts that are constantly spinning in his head.