7 Day Mental Diet

As you regular followers know, I am on a quest to become the perfect divine being that you know I am…haha.

All semi-joking aside 😉

Like so many others, my mind is full of a constant recycling of negative thoughts, beliefs and emotions.  These negative patterns have been holding me back for far too long now, so they have to go.

I have decided to go on a diet, nope I am not going Vegan, been there done that, got the t-shirt.  Nope, I am going on a Mental Hygiene diet.  What’s a Mental Hygiene diet you maybe wondering, well, it’s a little bit like fasting for the mind.  Just like physical fasting, it’s a way of riding yourself of the thoughts that are causing you discomfort.

It’s a mental cleanse if you will.

Mental Hygiene Basics

Just like all the best things in life, Mental Hygiene is very simple, but it’s not easy and it takes a lot of mental energy in the early days.  The rules are simple.

No NEGATIVE thoughts for seven days! You have to guard your thoughts like a sentry on guard.  While on your mental fast, if you do allow a negative thought to enter your mind then you must immediately cease the diet and then recommence the diet again in a few days starting from day one.

What Constitutes A Negative Thought

• doubt
•  fear
• worry
• anxiety
• concerns of any kind
• to criticize, judge or condemn anybody or anything or any condition
• self-pity
• jealousy
• envy
• irritation
• unkindness
• anger
• hatred

I have been working at this Mental Diet for several  weeks now and it is getting easier to perform, but in the early days it was really energy sapping.  The more I watched my thoughts the more I realized that at times I literally couldn’t even go more than a few minutes before I started having negative thoughts.

To be honest I did start getting a little angry with myself when I came to the realization of how many negative thoughts I was constantly having, and I did have rather a few false starts before I got to grips with what I was doing.

I also noticed that in the first couple of days of performing the diet, my mood did actually become more negative and my energy was much more depressed, and I didn’t have much time for the external world.

I could certainly feel the battle within me.

I haven’t managed to go for a full 7 days yet, but I am getting very close.

One thing I did notice was that there seemed to be a disconnect between my thoughts and the words I spoke.  I think there is a level of deep thoughts that I have yet to penetrate and comprehend, so I have to be much more aware of the words that I am using alongside the thoughts I am having.

The 7 day Mental Diet is a little misleading, because I think for most people it will probably take weeks if not months to truly master a high level of positive thoughts and words, and like everything that we master it will get easier with practice.

That being said I am starting to reap the rewards of my works, but it isn’t easy, but it is something I plan on sticking with as I consider it of vital importance on my path.

Don’t Accept Negative Thoughts

We all get negative thoughts that pop into our minds, the danger comes when we accept them and then dwell on them.  It’s the dwelling that does the damage.

One of the things I do that really helps me is to ‘lock’ my negative thoughts out my mind by first noticing them, and then making the conscious choice to lock them out.

How do I do this?

Personally, I take the time to think about ‘God’.  I don’t mean I start pondering about some bearded geezer sitting on a cloud throwing down thunder bolts!  I think about consciousness, I think about mind and how we are all connected.

It is rather humbling to think about God’s love for us, and by love I don’t mean a sentimental emotional love, but his unconditional acceptance of his children.

We are his children, mini-gods if you will.

God Not Your Thing?

If contemplating God isn’t your thing, then you could just replace a negative thought with a positive affirmation.

Go with what works for you, just don’t start denying your negative thoughts.  Recognize them, then refuse to accept them, and then replace them.

Give It A Try

I would say that this technique of mental fasting (hygiene) has been of great benefit to me, and I think that it can only positively benefit the lives of others if they are only willing to give it a try and persevere with it.