THE MIND GREMLINS 2

Isn’t it funny how fickle we are as human beings, our great strengths, courage, determination, our phlegm, our verve, our steadfastness, our resolve and all the other superlatives that we can think of, yet the moment something goes wrong, down it all comes crashing like a pack of cards. The endurance of the human being is legendary amongst the species of life forms that roam the earth, we’ve conquered, created, built, devised, produced and still behind that robust and elegant facade is ‘us’, the real ‘us’ the bit that thinks and feels and laughs and cries.

Our minds are what we fill them with but our minds are also filled with the thoughts of others most of which has nothing to do with us what so ever. We can even take on the mantle of sayings and feelings that our parents repeated to us when growing up, and some parents were not only negative but literally cruel in their ignorant delivery of what they said, or still say. These subliminal thoughts which lie within us can greatly affect who we are and how we get on in life. If we come from a strong positive family background then we tend to be that type of person, if we come from a weak and pathetic parental background then that’s how we will also tend to be, although we always have the option of breaking free, never make that an excuse, unless you are a parrot.

But regardless of whom we are and where we emanate from we are still whom we are in terms of how we are “hard wired” and the way we think and feel is always peculiar to ourselves. Our little foibles, idiosyncrasies, likes, dislikes, fears, phobias, aspirations, feelings, and all the little bits and pieces that makes us individuals in the grand order of life and humanity. Many people have a very “switchable” attitude in life in that when everything is going well they feel fabulous and that the world is a wonderful place and if you believe in God, that God is good and great, like when winning a race you thank God for that deed. Yet just as quickly when life takes a tumble and a turn for the worst everything becomes unfair, miserable, and unjust and God’s nowhere to be seen or worst case scenario thoughts reign in the “he wants us to go through” these things scenario, which is stupid. We can fool ourselves as long as we like but the bottom line in life is life is as it is and it’s full of contradictions and twists and turns and there are no guarantees or equalities nor fairness clauses other than what man has put into place himself, and that varies enormously all over the world, and is not that fair anyway.

The default side of living in a technological age is that we are recipients of the technology we create for ourselves become ‘hooked’ upon what’s available and the things we can do or utilise for our own enjoyment, so we lose often the ability to create our own stability. We lap up “hype” from emotionally and creatively driven stories and copy designed by the fickle themselves who seek to turn what is in reality mundane and has little purpose into something of hollow value with a glitter facade. Our positive mental health is paramount to living a good, fun packed, emotionally stable, loving and caring life, so the moment that is compromised then everything starts to falter within, it’s that simple. How we deal or come to terms or adjust to the changes in our life is paramount to how quickly we can get back on course and enter ‘life’ once again free from the doldrums and self created emotional gloom and the feelings of lowness which often prevails.

Whatever happens to us in life it is processed within our minds, tablets, booze, weirdo stuff, etc won’t change how we think or feel, although keeping healthy and active tends to revitalise sluggish thoughts and feelings and keeps our bodies in prime condition, all has a positive effect in more ways than just agility.  Our body is holistic in nature it needs all the parts to work to optimum performance so if any don’t and we don’t do anything about it, our own self abuse isn’t going to help us on our way to a better state in life.

When we get pushed into a corner and see little way out or circumstances of a negative nature loom large we often retort to self withdrawal, wanting “space” and “time to think” which is fine for a short spell, but once it overflows into days and possibly weeks and even longer then withdrawal symptoms start to manifest themselves as the mind isn’t getting the stimuli and mental nourishment it needs to work efficiently. Cocooning oneself isn’t an answer nor is it a solution it’s more like opting out with excuses than anything else. Our level of happiness and composure in life comes from within, being dramatic and telling all about your problems makes it worse as it gives it gravitas and fuels feelings of sympathy which in themselves have no value or strength.

The mind gremlins come out to play the moment we are feeling low, they just love the negative vibe they get from our own self created morose feelings and gross indecisive thoughts. The more we feel sorry for ourselves, the more we feel pitiful the more they love it, they jive to unrest, they boogie to indecision, they funk to panic, they waltz to hysteria, and they rave to restlessness,  and if self sorrow comes into play and feelings of “why me” (why not?), then they have an almighty ball. Those negative thoughts and words that flit and fly around your mind, the inner mental pep talks about how it will get worse and there’s no way out, and regurgitating all of the past and spreading it out, reliving it again and again, wallowing in your little faults, making mountains out of molehills, what a time they have feeding on what you are giving them yourself, a veritable banquet of dark mental detritus.

Our capacity to overcome and regain our composure is great and it’s within all of us to forge ahead to better things no matter what has beset or befallen us, we are the masters of who we are and our own destiny as well as keepers of our own happiness. The moment we admonish any of these on to conditions outside of our control then we have literally lost the plot as well as the ability too. Whilst others may be able to assist us, where outside circumstances may aid us, our life is still within us and it’s there until we die, how we utilise it for the better is solely down to our own creativity within. Honesty rather than fantasy or just plain “wishing and hoping” is a grounding experience because what we literally have we can use, what we wish for is forever illusive. There is no kudos in negativity encompassing emotions and feelings of self pity, it only tends after a while to whittle our self resolve down to a moment when we lose the desire and ability at which point untold mental conditions start to manifest themselves within the body.       

Of course the mind gremlins have friends, anger, frustration, lack of humour, a short temper, irritability, irascibility, grumpy, touchy, greed, envy, fear, selfishness, etc and whole host of other like minded acquaintances that you probably know only too well. Unfortunately whilst you’re concentrating on these life starts to pass you  by then you wonder why things are getting worse, even though you are the instigator of it all, it’s short sighted and selfish but it’s all been chosen by yourself so no one really wants to hear about it. There’s nothing like turning the chemical imbalance within your body to something other than it should be then wonder why you don’t feel well or you manifest lots of minor ailments that never develop but never the less reside at the initial stages such as sniffing and flu symptoms, rashes, mild hyperventilation, indigestion, itching, mood swings, irregular sleeping disorders, sweaty palms, headaches with sore spots, and lots of other self generated goodies. Yes this is all your doing, your mind is so fantastically great you’ve chosen to unleash it’s power of self destruction and given up your ability to enjoy life.

We must at all times be in charge of who we are and that literally means when we don’t feel like it too, we still must be in charge and not let loose the mind gremlins that say nasty things to us and try and bring us down with feelings of insecurity and failure and loss and lack and all the other stuff that they feed upon. They are the failures not ourselves, they are the ones that need help not us, they are the ones who we have given permission to roam freely within our minds, and we know how to stop it too.  If you believe in God you have a way out, if you don’t just be positive and fight the infiltrators with stuff they don’t like, love, happiness, positivity, greatness, laughter, not giving in, success ahead, those are our friends we have who are our soldiers and fight for us, the ones who bring us success and a life that we need to enjoy. We all have "Mind Gremlins"  and when at times they come out to play, just rest in the knowledge that you have already won the race, despite outside circumstances, feel secure that life will be good and great and just because you possibly can't see it, it's there, just like electricity and air. Now concentrate on sleeping in the knowledge that positive change is always there.

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©John Rushton / The Life Alchemist 2012

An excerpt from “THE MIND GREMLINS?”, part of a series on Emotions…   (CD available)