Yes, our inner voice is often an inner critic that we wish – even begged – to shut up. But what if it was actually a superpower?
As with all good stories, it’s best to start at the beginning. Where does that inner voice come from? Psychologists suggest that our inner voices existed first to help develop language, and later to develop memory. Yoga philosophy talks about samskaras. When we have an experience, it becomes a path carved in the sand of our brain. The more you have the same experience, the deeper the path will become. Eventually the sand hardens and the path becomes permanent. This creates an internal pattern.
So where will the nemesis appear?
Inner thought channels are like well-worn grooves. When we are full of energy, we have the mental flexibility to move back and forth between these grooves. But when life gets tough, we naturally find the path of least resistance and slide into a well-worn groove. That’s when the inner critic rears its head as usual.
There’s good news here. When we are in a season of strength, we can actively work on creating the thought path we desire. And we can use this time in our lives to actively work to smooth out or reroute grooves that no longer serve us. Both psychology and yoga suggest that one of the most effective ways to create thought pathways is through a slow but steady and consistent mindfulness practice (meditation, prayer, journaling, yoga, quiet time in nature). We agree that it is something that can be done through activities (such as hiking).
So what do you do if you’re in the doldrums? There’s good news here too! Downtime offers a unique opportunity to groove in a completely different way. We can turn to therapy when we’re feeling down, and then we can learn new strategies and uncover old paths we didn’t even know existed. The difficult act of digging yourself out creates new grooves.
Building a mindset that serves us, that treats us well, when we need it most is a superpower. I watched a movie this weekend about Nelson Mandela and his deep belief in the ability to change human thought patterns and started thinking about our superpowers, samskaras. He became a champion of exposing society’s thinking patterns and empowering individuals to change them.
We have superpowers. Everyone thinks so. Let’s muster up the courage and give it a try.
Until next time,
Laura
