In our high-tech world we are advised to practice ‘good digital hygiene’. Our cell phones and other digital devices can easily become infected with all kinds of viruses, malware, spyware, ransomware, personal data harvesting, etc., so it’s recommended to reset our phones or at least turn them off and back on daily to clear some of these potential threats.
In a similar way, the outer and inner stresses of our lives can cause the mind to become infected and go into negative spirals of thought and feeling, so it’s wise to practice ‘good mental hygiene’.
We ‘reset’ the mind by bringing ourselves fully present. Because in these moments, alert awareness takes priority over the mental noise. And while the mind won’t be quiet for too long, each time we become aware of the silence that is present under all thinking and feeling, even briefly, it interrupts the incessant, habitual, (and dis-empowering) inner-talking.
In these moments of presence we can take a breath and simply be — not trying to know what it all means — and the space between thoughts becomes greater and more significant. And even in the midst of these uncertain times, it opens our consciousness to a recognition of the beautiful simplicity and clarity of our natural Being.