The issue of developing endurance and self-control of the individual is relevant “until I can’t”, especially during the increase in social activity and the development of technologies. The pace of life is so accelerated that it requires an increase in the speed of human reactions to certain influencing factors. Therefore, the ability to cope with the flow of information, make quick decisions, direct energy into several vectors at the same time requires learning.

You need to master the skills of constructive data processing. These are character traits that allow you to feel comfortable and remain productive in changing circumstances.

How to maintain composure when you just want to splash out emotions on the first person you meet? We will talk about this further.

Self-control and endurance - what's the difference?

Excerpt

self-control

Endurance and self-control develop in the course of growing up. It helps a person achieve more, better.

It is impossible to carry out a project without endurance. Without the ability to maintain composure, it is difficult to negotiate and reach a compromise solution. The level of skills determines the level of the individual as a whole and career, interpersonal prospects.

Motivation helps keep you calm. Depending on the goals pursued and the specific context, a person also develops a model of behavior.

• If we are looking for a way out of a crisis situation, then we should listen to the opinions and wishes of others, stop at the best option.
• If a person strives for power and self-affirmation, then a dispute or a search for a compromise is based on accepting only one's own point of view, which is different from the constructive one.

In the first case, the skill of self-control helps to contain one's own ego. In the second, self-control is not needed, since the goal is different and is achieved by the lack of tact and restraint.

Realizing the true motivation, keeping yourself in control is not so difficult.

Define Motivation

In a stressful situation or before an exciting event, set goals. The “Why do I need this?” technique will help with this.

Briefly describe the problem on a piece of paper. Then ask yourself the question “Why do I need this?” and answer it honestly.

When you get an answer, ask the same. Keep going until you get a satisfying answer or feel like you have enough. This technique will allow you to set goals and better prepare for an event or respond to a problem. It will be easier for you to hold yourself back.

Accept your own feelings

Limiting attitudes like “you can’t get angry or worry” do a disservice to a person. Psychology does not divide feelings and emotions into negative and positive. Emotion is a person's reaction to an external stimulus. If an external object brings discomfort - a person is offended, angry, worried. If comfort - rejoices, laughs.

Modern society insists on the existence of "unacceptable" reactions. This leads to problems, because unlived emotions do not disappear anywhere, they accumulate and splash out. And at the wrong time and in the wrong context.

What kind of self-control are we talking about?

Accept your feelings. It's okay to be angry, angry, annoyed. It is important to choose an acceptable way to express them.

It's one thing to respond to rudeness in a trolleybus with a spit in the face of the offender, and another thing to go to the gym in the evening and beat a punching bag, presenting his image.

Preventive measures

It is better not to solve the problem, but to prevent it. Therefore, preparation will help to avoid situations of loss of self-control. Daily relaxation, drawing, hiking or other relaxation techniques will relax the nervous system and give the brain a rest.

You can start relaxing right now. To do this, we have prepared the coloring "Antistress". This method is recommended by many psychologists. They claim that already at 2 minutes of coloring, you begin to let go of all problems, and you feel calm and balanced. Use our online coloring book for free.

Choose how you want to paint.

A systematic approach in this direction and daily training will help to restrain in stressful situations and overcome difficulties constructively, not emotionally.

It is difficult to give general advice to anyone who wants to learn to control himself. No two people are the same, no situations are the same. Someone is distinguished by high psychological stability, relatively easily endures physical and psychological stresses, experiences or hardships do not knock him out of the saddle. And for another, even simple everyday troubles, small conflicts at work can permanently unbalance, worsen mood and performance.

Depending on the physical condition, health, success in personal and work life, mental stability can change significantly. Therefore, in each case, the recipes for its preservation are different and individual. Nevertheless, those who wish to learn how to manage their emotions and mood, master quick ways to reduce excessive internal tension, can be recommended relatively simple methods of self-regulation, self-control and attention training.

Despite the seeming simplicity of the proposed exercises, mastering them and using them successfully depends on how seriously you take the exercises. Training should be carried out with the same systematic and perseverance as physical exercises. Only in this case can a significant increase in psychological stability be achieved.

1. Control of external manifestations of emotions

Take a closer look at your movements, posture, posture, hands, because the appearance is a mirror of our inner state. By correcting it, you can influence your mental state. Most often, we are hindered by excessive mental tension, which changes our appearance not for the better. Here are exercises that can be used to relieve excessive mental tension, for emotional relaxation.

• Start with the face. Look at yourself mentally - as if from the outside - or look in the mirror. Rid your face of unnecessary internal "clips". Inhale, hold your breath for 10-15 seconds. After exhaling, run your hand over your face, as if removing the remnants of tension, anxiety, irritation. Remember to smile - lift the corners of your lips up, “smile” with your eyes. Don't forget that your face looks more attractive this way.
• Mental tension can also manifest itself in our speech. Watch your voice, do not go to a very low or high timbre. With strong excitement, the pace of speech usually speeds up, the thought is ahead of its verbal expression. Given this, control the pace of speech, slowing it down has a calming effect.
• Do not allow yourself a “depressive” gait and posture: slouch, lower your head down, pull it into your shoulders. Check the condition of your hands, fingers. They must be calm. The nervous movement of the fingers not only exacerbates the tension, but also betrays your condition.

After such self-control over the external manifestations of the mental state, one should learn to control orientation of consciousness, i.e. distraction from emotionally significant situations, depressing thoughts and memories.

2. Management of neuropsychic tension and mood

To reduce it, you can use breathing exercises that involve a long breath hold. They are performed sitting, standing and lying down.

• Exercise 1. Take a deep breath, hold your breath (5-6 seconds), tighten the muscles of the body, then slowly exhale and relax all the muscles. Repeat 9-10 times, each time trying to increase the time for holding the breath, exhaling and relaxing.
• Exercise 2. Take a slow and deep breath, tensing your muscles. Pause - 2-3 seconds, then a quick exhalation and rapid relaxation of all muscles. Perform 2-3 minutes.
• To relieve tension, you can also use the squeezing and unclenching of the fingers, rotation of relaxed hands, feet, shoulders, head, microtension of individual muscle groups, all kinds of exercises to relax the muscles of the face.
• If you experience lethargy, you have reduced muscle and mental tone, then to activate the psychophysical state, you can use the following technique: while inhaling, relax all the muscles as much as possible, especially the face, arms, shoulder girdle, then make a “forced” (short, sharp) exhalation with strong and rapid tension of the muscles of the body, and then relax.

You can use techniques to improve your mood revitalize pleasant memories- "Reproduction of positive emotions." To do this, being in a comfortable position and closing your eyes, relax. Breathe evenly and calmly. Vividly imagine a landscape or a situation that you have associated with positive emotions, a sense of psychological comfort, for example, a walk in a shady garden, a quiet forest clearing, swimming in the sea, relaxing on the warm sand of a beach, etc. In other words, take it out of the “bank positive memories" that acts on you in a calming way. Against this background, say any phrase you choose that characterizes autogenic training.

“I am completely calm ...” (Remember the feeling of pleasant peace you have ever experienced.)
“Nothing bothers me…” (Remember the feeling of serene peace or tranquility.)
“All my muscles are pleasantly relaxed for rest ...” (Feel this relaxation, a comfortable posture should contribute to this.)
“My whole body is completely at rest...” (Remember the feeling of pleasant rest and relaxation when you lie in a warm bath.)
“I am completely calm (a) ...” (Think about peace and rest.)

This technique helps to turn to one's internal psychoenergetic resources to restore psychological "freshness", the state of "renewal". However, in order to use these resources, you first need to accumulate in your memory as many “resource” plot representations as possible associated with positive emotions, feelings of good mood, high performance and comfort. Therefore, form in advance for yourself a personal “bank of positive emotions”, plot images of situations that are correlated with vivid emotions and experiences of joy, success, happiness and spiritual well-being. Carefully store your "treasures" and often check if they have faded over time.

If you cannot get rid of unwanted emotions, use the technique recommended by the doctor K. V. Dineika (1987).

Lying on your back, relax your muscles, close your eyes, try to feel a state of languor and focus on unwanted emotion. As you inhale, mentally say, "I am consciously mastering the power of this emotion." Hold your breath and mentally say: “The power of this emotion is subordinate to me”, while sticking out and pulling in your stomach 3 times. While exhaling (through a slightly rounded mouth), say mentally 2-3 times: "I can control my emotions."

Then standing (legs apart) take a full breath, slowly raising your hands up. Stay in this position and do not breathe for 3-4 seconds (fingers clenched into a fist). After that, you need to quickly lean forward (legs straight), relax your arms down. Exhale sharply, saying a short "ha". Straighten up, inhaling and raising your arms up. Exhalation should be done through the nose, lowering the hands down. Repeat 3-4 times. Exercise must be performed 23 times during the day.

K. V. Dineika explains the effectiveness of this exercise by the fact that there is a reflex relationship between emotions and breathing processes. A slow, full breath promotes protective excitation, and the verbal formula during inhalation plays the role of a psychodynamic stimulus aimed at realizing the strength of an unwanted emotion that should be converted into positive energy. The movements of the diaphragm massage the solar plexus, which improves venous outflow from the abdominal cavity and the nutrition of the heart. Against this background, the spoken phrase strengthens the will and confidence in success.

3. Managing your mental state by shifting your attention

Attention is the most important condition for the successful implementation of any kind of activity. It is necessary for a person in his working, educational and everyday life - in everyday life, communication, during leisure. Without it, the integration of mental activity, the arbitrary and involuntary orientation of our consciousness is impossible.

Attention ensures the accuracy and completeness of perception, the ability to selectively extract the necessary information from memory, highlight the main and essential, make the right decisions. It also regulates the course of all mental processes and conscious human behavior. That is why attention training is necessary to strengthen memory, external and internal control, to develop mental self-regulation abilities, including stress management.

Attention exercises do not require complex equipment or a special room. They can be performed alone with yourself at any time of the day, if only there was an opportunity to be silent for a while and immerse yourself in your thoughts. The object of attention is your body or objects that are close or far enough away from you.

K.S. Stanislavsky proposed to conditionally divide the entire space of attention into four circles:

1. large - all visible and perceived space;
2. middle - circle of direct communication and orientation;
3. small is your "I" and the nearest space in which it resides and acts;
4. the inner is the world of your experiences and sensations.

Switching attention from a large circle to a medium, small, and inner one is a great exercise for training self-control. This is one of the techniques that can be used to relax, restore psychological stability and prevent emotional exhaustion. Switching attention allows you to rebuild the train of thought, the nature of sensations, reduce cognitive tension, thereby contributing to voluntary change and mental tension. Let's take a look at some of these exercises.

3.1. "Searchlight". Select any point in the large and a point in the small circle of attention. Imagine that you are able to send a beam of light with your eyes (like a searchlight beam) that can illuminate anything with colossal power and brightness. When the "beam" is aimed at something, nothing else exists, everything else is plunged into darkness. This "spotlight" - your attention! Now swing the “spotlight” from the first point to the second and back. The pace of strokes can vary from 1 second to several, depending on the degree of mastery of the exercise, i.e., the ability to catch each point with the utmost concentration of attention.

3.2. "Continuous Contemplation". In a comfortable, free position for 1-5 minutes, closely examine any object that is not too complicated, trying to find as many details as possible in it. In this case, it is allowed to blink as much as you like, but the look must remain within the subject. Repeat the exercise until you can keep your attention on it relatively easily.

3.3. "Rhythmic Contemplation". Choose any object - subject. While inhaling, gaze at it intently, illuminate it with an internal “spotlight”; as you exhale, close your eyes and try to erase the impression. Do the exercise 30-50 times. After mastering this rhythm, do everything in reverse: contemplation - on the exhale, "erasing" - on the inhale. You can change not only the rhythm, but also the pace of the exercise.

3.4. "Mental Contemplation". Without interrupting or briefly distracted by something, contemplate any object for 3-4 minutes. Then, closing your eyes, try to recall the visual image of the object in all its details. Then open your eyes and compare the "original" with the "copy". Repeat the exercise 5-10 times. The purpose of the exercise is to achieve a clear inner vision. Not everyone succeeds in such a task.

3.5. "Inner Spotlight". Being in a comfortable, relaxed position, focus your attention on any part of your body, “illuminate” it with a “spotlight” beam, switch off from external noises, extraneous thoughts, immerse yourself in the feeling of what you are contemplating (1-3 minutes). Staying in the inner circle of attention, move the "spotlight" to another part of the body, "get used" to this bodily sensation. In addition to training internal attention, this exercise promotes contact with your physical "I".

3.6. "Focusing". Sit comfortably in a chair with your eyes open or closed. On command: "Quiet" concentrate your attention for 10-20 seconds on any point or part of your body. Then move your attention to another part/point closest to it. For example, consistently focus on the hand, finger, etc. The exercise helps to learn how to control attention and develop self-control.

3.7. "Mirror" . Sit straight in front of the mirror, without tension. Breathe evenly. Mentally mark a point on the mirror at the level of the eyebrows. Focus on it, look at the point without blinking, straight, without straining the muscles of the face. When the need arises to blink, you should rest, directing your gaze into the distance. After a long concentration on the point, the image of the face in the mirror begins to blur. Close your eyes and in your thoughts figuratively reproduce the pictures of nature, imagine yourself healthy, cheerful.

Positive thinking gives confidence to behavior in difficult situations. It creates the ground for overcoming life's stresses, because a person gets the opportunity to consider a difficult situation more sensibly and optimistically; mood and feelings are "fueled" by such resources as faith, hope and optimism.

Nothing underestimates the resources of stress resistance as much as your own insecurity, low self-esteem. Belief in one's own capabilities helps to mobilize the reserve capabilities of the human psyche. Self-doubt is manifested in actions, deeds, feelings, therefore it is very important to be able not to succumb to a bad mood, apathy, inactivity, always control yourself, believe in your abilities, find something positive in any circumstances.

Thoughts, beliefs, internal dialogue have a creative influence on the scenario of a person's life. They are manifested not only in behavior, feelings, but also in attitude and readiness to overcome life stresses.

To get started you need:

1. Identify irrational thoughts and beliefs that cause or increase suffering and mental discomfort.
2. Carry out a self-analysis of the internal dialogue and eliminate from it all destructive speech turns, appeals to oneself (thought-images), in which doom, self-blame, self-abasement, lack of faith and hope for success, which are imbued with a denial of support resources and overcoming stressful situations, are seen. For example, “I can’t change anything in my life”, “I always make mistakes and I can’t forgive myself for this”, “I don’t believe that my life can change for the better”, “I am unhappy and will always be like that ... ”, “no one can help me, all people are cruel and selfish”, “I have no strength ...”, “I don’t deserve anything good”, “no one wants to understand me, I will always be a lonely person”, etc. d.
3. Replace them with constructive or positive ones that contribute to the mobilization of internal psychological resources and strengthen self-confidence. This will require the transformation of not only internal speech (dialogue with oneself), but also external speech addressed to other persons, society, the Universe (Table 1).

Table 1. Negative thinking rework

The positive thinking of an optimist finds a positive side in everything and, based on this, draws up a plan of action, starting from the present moment. In this case, life and events inevitably have their justified meaning. As Peter Lawrence said, “Dreams come true for optimists. Pessimists have nightmares.”

Those who are fixated on past failures and predict the same for themselves in the future will not be able to turn the tide of events in their favor and fall into the “trap” of expected disappointments and new defeats. He who condemns himself, life and other people for past events misses the chance to develop in himself the most important resource of stamina - the quality of optimism.

The ability to think positively is your individual resource that can support you in any cognitively difficult and emotionally stressful situations.

Who knows how to subdue his anger,
He is like a wise man who won his battle without starting it...

From my own experience, I came to a clear understanding of what it means to "own yourself", and how important it is to maintain inner peace of mind in any life situation. Personal experience has convinced me of the wisdom of making decisions from a state of peace and quiet. And moreover, such decisions always turned out to be the most correct and effective, because, at such moments, I relied on feelings, and not on emotions.

"Peace, first of all, should be inside you. Peace and harmony ..."

The scent of new life

When I began to comprehend this art, my life began to seriously change and, of course, only for the better. I began to look differently at myself and at the world that surrounds me, it has become completely different ... unbelievable. But is it? What has become different? Me or the world? What changed? When I asked myself the question: “What is actually happening”? The answer came from the depths of the Soul… I myself have changed… and only I…

My inner transformation was reflected in everything, it was a look from the inside, a look of a person in love with life. This is comparable to the fact that the most beautiful flower in the world has blossomed in me, and its delicate aroma emanated on everything that surrounded me. The most delicate smell filled the world with completely different colors, as if I took a brush and began to paint a bright, happy and love-filled picture ... a picture of my new life.

But in order to achieve such inspiration to create my own life in a state of love and joy, I needed to take control of my thoughts and learn to control myself in any situation, but for this I had to become an observer. observer of his own life.

Every day I tried to observe myself, what I do, how I speak and think. I practically did not realize my life as a whole, only some torn parts that divided it into many different events and dates. They existed either in the past or in the future and were completely devoid of the present moment "Here and Now".

In observing myself, what struck me most was that I paid a lot of attention to negative thoughts that aroused corresponding emotions in me. As personal experience shows, one comes out of the other, and if you clearly control your thoughts, you can drastically change your life and skillfully control yourself in any situation.

In this article, we will try to understand this in more detail. In order to master the special art of "Self-mastery", for a start it is worth understanding what thought is in general and how it comes to us.

All the most interesting...

I will cite many quotes or excerpts from the books of Anastasia Novykh, which helped me at one time not only to realize the power of my thoughts, but also to be convinced from my own experience of their strong impact on the world around me. At this point in my life, I continue to form the habit of shifting my attention from a negative thought to a positive one by an effort of will, which undoubtedly helps me to be the master of my life. So let's get started...

What is a thought?

“Thought is an information wave. Its information is encoded at a certain frequency, which is perceived by our material brain, or rather, its in-depth structures. And when a person thinks something bad in your direction, then naturally, it all catches your brain at the subconscious level. And when deciphering this code, the brain begins to model this negative situation in you, which then, as an unconscious order of the subconscious, comes to life.

“- Quite right. Thought is real power. Much more than one can imagine. Thought is capable of moving planets, creating and destroying entire galaxies, which was originally proven by God himself.”

“After all, the thought is not visible. It cannot be weighed or touched, but it exists, since it has appeared in our minds. Thought has volume (at least informational). It is fleeting in its existence, because it is quickly replaced by other thoughts. Thought has no mass, but can have colossal consequences in the material world. Basically, it's Nothing.

(From A. Novykh's book "AllatRa")

“Have you ever thought about the infinity of your consciousness? About what is thought? How is she born, where does she go? Have you thought about your thoughts?
- Well, - Andrey hesitated, - I constantly think, think about something.
- It seems to you that it is you who think, it is you who thinks. Are you sure these are your thoughts?
- And whose else? The body is mine, so the thoughts are mine.
- And you follow them, if they are yours, at least one day. Where do they come from and where do they go. You rummage thoroughly in your thoughts, what will you see there, except for shit? Nothing. One violence, one nastiness, one care to get drunk, put on a fashionable rag, steal, earn money, buy, exalt one's megalomania. And that's it! You will see for yourself that the thoughts generated by your body end up with one thing - material support around you. But are you like that inside yourself? Look into your soul... and you will encounter the beautiful eternal, your true Self. After all, all this external fuss around is seconds ... Do you realize this?

(From the book by A. Novykh "Sensei. Primordial Shambhala")

I will also cite as an example the statements about the thought of the scientific director of the Institute of the Brain, academician, world-famous neurophysiologist Natalia P. Bekhtereva, who has deeply studied the work of the brain for many years.

It's a riddle

Natalya Petrovna, did you manage to "catch" the thought with the help of equipment? Many hopes were pinned on the positron emission tomograph at the disposal of the Institute of the Human Brain ...
Thought - alas, no. Tomograph not inThere is nothing to confirm or deny here. Other methods and devices are needed, they have not yet been developed. Today we can judge the state of the active points of the brain. In the brain, during special tests, certain areas are activated ...
“So thought is still material?”
- What is the idea here? We can say that in these areas there is active work - for example, creative work. But in order to “see” a thought, one must at least extract from the brain information about the dynamics of the impulse activity of neurons and decipher them. So far, this is not feasible. Yes, certain areas of the brain are related to creativity. But what exactly is going on there? It's a mystery.

“- Quite right. This suggests that we are not used to controlling our thoughts in everyday life. Therefore, they guide us as they want, entangling us in their "logical" chains. And an uncontrolled thought basically leads to a negative one, since it is controlled by the animal nature in a person. Therefore, there are various spiritual practices, meditations in order to learn, first of all, to control thought.”

“- I would say, with healthy thoughts - a healthy mind, and with a healthy mind - a healthy body.
- Tell me, but you all the time emphasize the importance of thinking correctly, both in physical training and now, - Andrey noted. - But for some reason I used to think that you always just need to act correctly. And thoughts can be different when choosing an action: both good and bad.
“That’s where you’re wasting precious time fighting with yourself. You should not have a choice between a bad and a good thought. Because there should be no negative thought in your head at all. The meaning of the highest Art, the Art of the Lotus, is to learn how to think correctly, that is, “kill the Dragon in yourself”, “defeat the Dragon”. Have you heard such an expression?
- Yes.
- That's the whole point. The greatest victory is the victory over yourself. What does this mean? It means conquering your negative thoughts, learning to control them, learning to control your emotions. I repeat once again, there should not be anything negative in your head. Only a positive factor! Then you will not have to waste time fighting with yourself and your actions will always be positive. The world, first of all, should be inside you. Peace and harmony.
- So, it turns out that in any act of a person his thought is reflected? - Thinking about something of his own, Andrey asked.
- She is not only reflected, she directs his action. After all, thought is material.”

(From the book by A. Novykh "Sensei. Primordial Shambhala")

Work on yourself

"How often do you feel good? In a great mood? In high spirits? How often do you say to yourself: "Everything is fine, everything is fine, everything will work out for sure." How often do you try to control thoughts? It's like a snowball - one thought clings for another, and now we are already falling down with a nervous breakdown. The materialization of our bad thought has already occurred. We need to be able to control ourselves. It is a colossal job to win a victory over ourselves every day, to control the energy of thought. When people really change their attitude to the past and present, no one without blaming, then the present and the future of themselves, as well as their children, really change! The key to creating a desirable future is in our today's thoughts, feelings, beliefs."

(From the article “Proof of scientists that thought is material”)

“When a person does not control his thoughts, everyone is to blame for his troubles and insults, he condemns everyone, is dissatisfied with many things, teaches everyone, not following his own teachings in life, and so on. But when a person begins to take care of himself, he pays attention not to external, but to his own internal reasons, why in this way and not otherwise, he perceives and reacts to the world around him. A person begins to understand why he succumbs to these external provocations and how to divert attention from his multiple egocentric desires, resentments, and aggression of the Animal nature.”

(From A. Novykh's book "AllatRa")

“This is a good result. It is difficult to catch the thought of your animal nature, and even more so to fight it. With this category of thoughts, in principle, it is impossible to fight. Because violence breeds violence. And the more you try to kill her, the more they will manifest themselves in you. The best way to protect against them is to switch to positive thoughts. That is, the principle of aikido, gentle care, works here.
- And if they chase me all day. What, I can't cut off some strong word? Ruslan asked.
- No matter how you "chop off", all the same, negative thoughts will be pumped up according to the law of action - counteraction, action - reaction. Therefore, you should not fight them, but move away from them, artificially develop a positive thought in yourself, that is, focus on something good or remember something good. Only in this way of gentle withdrawal can you conquer your negative thought.
- And why thoughts are absolutely opposite to each other? I also sometimes get confused in my thoughts.
- Let's just say that in the human body there is a spiritual principle, or soul, and a material principle, or animal, bestial, whatever you want to call it. The human mind is the battlefield of these two principles. Therefore, you have different thoughts.
- And who then is "I", if the thoughts of others.
- Not someone else's, but yours. And you are the one who listens to them. And whoever you prefer is who you will be. If to the material, bestial beginning you will be evil and harmful, and if to the advice of the soul - you will be a good person, it will be pleasant for people to be with you. The choice will always be yours: either you are a despot or a saint.
- And why did it happen that my admiration for the taming of my anger led ... to pride or something, the growth of megalomania. After all, she seemed to have done a good deed, but the thought skidded in the other direction? I asked.
- You turned to the soul - your wish came true. I weakened control over myself - you were pulled over by the animal nature, and imperceptibly for you, by your favorite egoistic thoughts. You liked that you are praised from all sides, that you are so smart, so reasonable, and so on ... There is a constant war of two principles in you for you. And on which side you will be, your future depends.
I thought about it for a bit, and then clarified:
- That is, that “tricky” who reminded me of pain and prevented me from concentrating, the one who megalomaniac ...
- Quite right.
- So there are a whole bunch of these thoughts!
“Yes,” Sensei confirmed. “They are legion, so it is impossible to fight them. This is not kung fu for you, this is much more serious. You can fight with those who resist. But it's pointless to fight the vacuum. For a vacuum of negative thoughts, you can create only the same vacuum of positive thoughts. That is, again, I repeat, switch to the good, think about the good. But always be alert, listen to what your brain is thinking. Watch yourself. Pay attention to the fact that you are not tense, but thoughts are constantly swarming in you. And not just one thought. There may be two, three, or even more of them at once.
- It's like in Christianity they say that a devil sits on a person's shoulder on the left side, and an angel on the right. And they constantly whisper, - Volodya noticed.
“Quite right,” Sensei confirmed. - Only for some reason the devil whispers louder, he probably has a rougher voice ... What is called the devil or the devil in Christianity is a manifestation of our animal nature.
- When I discovered this division of thoughts in myself, I thought that maybe I had schizophrenia. There, after all, something is also connected with the splitting of consciousness, - my person said, finally emboldened.
Sensei smiled and jokingly replied:
- There is no genius without signs of madness.
Nikolai Andreevich laughed:
- Yes Yes Yes. By the way, I see something similar with myself.
Here Stas entered the conversation, thinking aloud about his own:
- Well, if the mind is a battlefield of two principles and, as I understand it, their weapons are thoughts, then how can you tell who is who? How is the spiritual and animal nature manifested in thoughts? What's this?
- The spiritual principle is the thoughts generated by the power of Love, in the broadest sense of the word. And the animal principle is thoughts about the body, our instincts, reflexes, megalomania, desires, completely absorbed by material interests, and so on.”

(From the books of A. Novykh "Sensei. Primordial Shambhala")

“- Remember: everything is in you! When you change inside, the world around you will also change. Material problems are a temporary phenomenon, a kind of test for you... You can't imagine how material your thought is and how it uses the power of your attention. If you give preference to your bad thoughts - kakodemona, then, excuse me, it's your own fault that your "hemorrhoids" have passed into the chronic stage. And if you gave preference to good thoughts, that is, daily stimulated your center of positive thoughts of the agathodemon, you would be amazed at your internal changes and how the world is changing around you, as if God himself turned his eyes on you and came to your aid . These are indescribable inner sensations of the Presence. When you are in great Love for everything around you, when you give this Love to God, your soul, which is His particle, wakes up. And when the soul wakes up, you will change first of all. And if you change, it means that a completely different reality will open up, opportunities will open up that you never dreamed of ...

This conversation, which had involuntarily silenced the entire company, ended as abruptly as it had begun. When Sensei finished speaking, there was silence, broken only by the crackle of burning coals. Everyone sat in silence, immersed in the mysterious world of their thoughts. The flame of the fire was extinguished, leaving a reminder of its former existence in the reddish cracks of the coals heated by it, and even those, gradually cooling down, went out, turning into a pile of ashes.

Practice "Lotus Flower"

This spiritual practice is called Lotus Flower. Its meaning is as follows. A person imagines, as if planting a grain inside himself, in the region of the solar plexus. And this little seed in him sprouts due to the power of Love, formed by his positive thoughts. Thus, a person, controlling the cultivation of this flower, artificially gets rid of negative thoughts that are constantly spinning in his head.