Anxiety and Depression Relief
Our minds can be tricky to manage, how do we deal with unwanted thoughts, where do they come from? Understanding this is so liberating and has been an obsession of mine for many years. Sadly, the answers are hard to find, there’s a lot of misinformation and suggestions that only address the surface, but there is hope! Before we get there, there are a few things we need to understand:
Conscious mind vs Subconscious mind Processing Power
I’m sure we all know that we have a conscious (thinking) and subconscious (unconscious) mind, but how many of us know this?
Conscious
- 40 bits of info/sec
- 2,000 bits of information per second
- 100-150 mph
Subconscious
- 20 000 000 – 40 000 000 bits of info per second
- 400 billion bits of information per second
- 500 000 times more than what the conscious mind can process
- 100,000 mph
While numbers may vary, all the research is unanimous on the fact that the unconscious is far superior.
The 7 Second Rule
A few years ago, I came across research by Dr John-Dylan Haynes on “Unconscious determinants of free decisions in the human brain”. This was a game-changer for me on my road to recovery and made me understand what I was up against. His research proved that our subconscious mind, through past memory pattern recognition makes decisions on our behalf a good 7 seconds before our conscious decision-making process even kicks in.
Based on these jaw-dropping facts, it is evident that our unconscious controls the majority of our decision-making. This is exciting news as not only explains why change is so incredibly hard but steers us towards the solution. I blended this with research on our self-talk/Inner voice, memories and dedicated a whole chapter to this INCREDIBLE AND EFFICIENT anxiety and depression relief method in my book: Why Suffer Alone: Overcoming Negative Thoughts, Overthinking, Panic Attacks, Depression, Stress and Social Anxiety
How to use the 7 second rule for Anxiety and Depression Relief
- When triggered, simply observe the first thought that pops into your mind, deliberately delay reacting for 7 seconds or more, why? Well easy, this gives you time to examine the solutions offered by your subconscious mind, if it carries a high emotional load, do NOT resist, simply let the wave of emotion pass and then make a conscious objective decision.
- Always remember the first thoughts are inaccurate and based on how you’ve reacted in the past. Your unconscious mind is simply offering this as a solution to save you time and energy, you do NOT have to react. It is important to also know that Thoughts are information based on your past experiences.
- Always wait 7 seconds before responding otherwise you are not truly in control but automatically reacting based on how you’ve reacted in the past.
- To be truly conscious and responsible for your decisions, simply observe the first thoughts that pop into your mind, count to 7 in your head then consciously examine the situation and thought again, you’ll soon realize that you go against the first thought almost every time.
- By doing so, you are slowly rewriting your automatic subconscious memories and patterns to react more favourably in the future. The 7 second rule can work for you rather than against you. You’ll soon realise that your mind is a tool, it is impartial, and you are in control of it. With this understanding, it’s possible to attain lasting change
References
https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.2112
[https://spdrdng.com/posts/conscious-vs-subconscious-processing]
Click the image to Get a copy of
Why Suffer Alone: Overcoming Negative Thoughts, Overthinking, Panic Attacks, Depression, Stress and Social Anxiety
What this book shares is the life lessons of someone who has spent many years in the dark cloud of depression, anxiety, and elevated stress levels. It was a life of disempowerment, of thriving on the victim mentality, and of endless suffering without purpose. It was also a time of bondage, of bad memories stored away right in the top drawer of the memory bank, ready to be flipped open and shared whenever possible, ready to disempower whenever it could.
It is, however, also a story of hope, one that started when fears were faced head-on. When you opt to run from your fears, you will always be chased. Hence, the advice, tips, guidance, and practical examples shared in this book are from a life of overcoming victimization and the freedom you, too, can enjoy when you take responsibility for your life.
The hope is to help you find the wisdom, courage, motivation, and inspiration you need to move from darkness and into the light.
In Why Suffer Alone, you’ll discover:
- What is Stress, the 5 Stages of Stress and how to look out for them
- The Cycle and challenges of Change
- Panic Attacks, What Happens in Your Body When You Have a Panic Attack and how to Get Through a Panic Attack
- Depression—A Cause or an Effect
- Your Brain and how it Adapts to a Change of Perspective
- How Neuroplasticity Works and How to Use is to Your Benefit
- Expand the Horizons of Your Emotional Intelligence
- Your Self-Talk, it’s purpose and Adjusting the Tone of Your Inner Voice
- What is Overthinking and how to Know the Signs
- Why Negative Thoughts Trap Our Minds Much Easier
- Role of Desire and Expectation
- How to Set Yourself Free From Negative Thinking
- How to Break Bad Habits
- The Importance of Living in the Moment
- How to Overcome Social Anxiety and Build Your Network of Support
- Meditation, how it works and how to Meditate
- The Importance of Visualization
- Mindset Growth Hacks
PLUS, WE’LL TAKE A DEEP DIVE ON Freedom and What it Truly Means to be free
- how to overcome depression
- how to overcome Anxiety
- how to overcome Stress
- how to overcome Fear
- how to overcome Negative Thoughts
- How to deal with depression
- How to deal with depression and anxiety
- How to deal with depression at home
- How to deal with anxiety
- How to deal with Negative Thoughts
- Stress anxiety depression relief
- Panic attacks and anxiety relief
Available in Paperback, Kindle eBook and Audiobook (Audible & iTunes) Click here for more