Behind the Mind

By Ashmita A, Edited by Kavya Gurunath, Harvi Karatha, Ameya Aneja, Layout by Harini Akurathi, Art by Sharon Pan & Blogged by Gunkriti Kaur

The subconscious mind, one of the most complex layers of our brain, plays a huge role in our lives and futures. Understanding how it works will help you tap into it and make use of its benefits.

Our brain is perhaps the most complex organ of our body. Within it are three distinct layers: the conscious, subconscious, and unconscious minds. The subconscious mind makes up about 95% of your brain power and manages everything your body requires to function properly. The subconscious mind is not creative or logical, yet it remembers everything you have ever seen, said, or done. It controls your actions through emotions and instinct. The unconscious mind is somewhat a part of the subconscious. The other 5% of your brain, the conscious mind, interacts with the physical world through your senses. It helps you think and rationalize.

The main function of the subconscious mind is to store and retrieve data from your life. It ensures that you respond exactly the way you are programmed to. To do this, it makes everything you say and do fit into a consistent pattern with your self-concept, or a collection of beliefs you have of yourself. As your subconscious is subjective, it does not think or reason independently of the conscious mind. It follows the commands given to it by your conscious mind.

Your subconscious has a homeostatic impulse. It maintains your body temperature, keeps you breathing regularly, and your heart beating at a healthy rate (Tracy, 2018). Through your autonomic nervous system, it maintains balance among the billions of cells involved in your physical existence, creating harmony within yourself. It also practices homeostasis in your mind by making sure your thinking and acting manners are consistent with what you have done in the past.

The subconscious mind has memorized all of your comfort zones and works to make sure you do not stretch beyond them by making you feel emotionally and physically uncomfortable whenever you attempt something new. This sense of discomfort is a psychological sign that your subconscious has been activated. However, in order to accomplish more, you must break the wall your mind has created and go out of your comfort zone. This will reprogram what has already been stored in the mind and expand your comfort levels.

You can utilize your subconscious to acquire its great benefits. Here are some things you can do to tap into your subconscious mind:

1. Communicating to your subconscious

a) Eliminate fear and negative self-talk; repeat positive affirmations to reprogram your thought patterns. Since “you cannot outperform your image of yourself that is stored in the subconscious mind” (Karefilakis, 2019), you must alter any negative images of yourself that have been stored into positive and optimistic ones.

b) Set goals fueled by passion and envision yourself achieving them. This will increase your motivation levels and help you use your conscious mind to override the programmed thoughts in your subconscious. Once your subconscious mind understands what your conscious mind wants, it will start taking steps to make it happen.

c) Develop your writing skills. The subconscious mind plays a huge part in what we write and thus, journaling is a great way to reach it. Our subconscious absorbs so much information and ideas, most of which doesn’t even pass through our conscious mind. Therefore, getting ideas down on paper is a great resource and helps you to get in touch with your subconscious emotions and thoughts.

2. Taking care of yourself

a) Meditation and yoga. These will help you calm your body and stabilize your state of mind.

b) Look after yourself and take care of your body. Exercising, eating, drinking plenty of water, socializing, and relaxing are all important for your body. By taking care of yourself, you’ll be functioning at an optimal level, ensuring that your conscious and subconscious are working their hardest to make your dreams a reality.

References

Heljala, H. (2018, December 3). How to Use the Power of the Subconscious Mind to Succeed. Management 3.0. https://management30.com/blog/subconscious-success/

Karefilakis, M. (2019, February 22). The Conscious and Subconscious Mind. Kare Psychology. https://karepsychology.com.au/the-conscious-and-subconscious-mind/

Mayer, G. (2018, March 14). Subconscious Mind – How to Unlock and Use Its Power. Thrive Global. https://thriveglobal.com/stories/subconscious-mind-how-to-unlock-and-use-its-power/

Tracy, B. (2018, December 12). The Power of Your Subconscious Mind. Brian Tracy’s Self Improvement & Professional Development Blog. https://www.briantracy.com/blog/personal-success/understanding-your-subconscious-mind/

By Sharon Pan