Did you know there is a maniac taking up way too much space in your brain and wreaking havoc on your life? If you are a human being, this is likely the case. Just sit for a minute and listen…you will likely hear the voice of the maniac endlessly judging, analyzing, worrying, comparing, anticipating, regretting, etc. Honestly, it never shuts up!!! Imagine if this was someone following you around all day saying all the kinds of things it does? You would probably want to give it a good smack and get as far away from it as possible. The problem is we instead tend to hang on its every word. In fact, we even mistake it for our own voice. However, we are not the voice. We are the observer of the voice.
Once we recognize that we are not the voice, we might then assume that it is there simply to torture us. Although certainly annoying and a bit misguided, the voice is, in fact, trying its best to protect us. It collects and scans every memory from our past so that it may avoid any potential danger or harm in the future. Unfortunately, despite its efforts, the voice does little to protect us from anything and instead just causes needless suffering. So, how do we stop this maniac from running and potentially ruining our lives?
Presence. The one place the voice never visits is the present. When you bring yourself to the present, you can recognize and observe the voice for what it is…a maniac. From this centered place, you can best respond (rather than react). You might decide to ignore the voice, laugh at it, or maybe take some sort of appropriate action. Regardless, things will likely go much better, and you will likely feel much better.
Strong emotions such as fear, anger, devastation, hopelessness, etc. are all indicators that the maniac is hard at work and a sign that you need to bring yourself to the present moment. In these moments, thank your maniac for its service but let it know you can take it from here…because you can.
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