Why Mental Freedom Is the True Luxury

Mental autonomy has to be the pinnacle of human independence. Those who have got there, attest to its joy and energy. Yet we drive in the materialistic valley all our life and hope for joy. No wonder we live lives of quiet desperation.

Here are some simple, but not necessarily easy, ways to reposition our staircase to gaining mental freedom.

1.Aim for selective mastery in certain areas of your life.

Mental freedom is gained from having a firm grasp of a few foundational life skills that complement each other and create a scaffolding to mental freedom.

If you can pay attention to mastering the movements of your thoughts and emotions; master the quality and compassion in your relationships and the quality of your financial and physical health…you are set to create mental freedom way above the average herd out there. The more you master this mixed bag of qualities the more you strengthen your ability to rely on these invisible powers to gain mental equanimity.

These are all skills that define the quality of our mind instead of the quantum of our belongings.

2. Get comfortable with always being stubbornly curious.

I have found this single trait has served me very well. I have never quite known the exact outcome of my persistent dreams but having followed them stubbornly, they have brought me to shores that I could never have imagined. Curiously going with the flow has been a gift of wind from the everpresent unseen.

Our brains are wired for control, not for creativity. We have to force the brain to let go of some of its control for us to step into the fertile unknown. If you practice this active curiosity long enough in all facets of your life you will gain more freedom from the clutches of your safety-seeking mind. I love how Eve Ensler captures this nomadic determination.

“Cherish your solitude. Take trains by yourself to places you have never been. Sleep out alone under the stars. Learn how to drive a stick shift. Go so far away that you stop being afraid of not coming back. Say no when you don’t want to do something. Say yes if your instincts are strong, even if everyone around you disagrees. Decide whether you want to be liked or admired. Decide if fitting in is more important than finding out what you’re doing here. Believe in kissing.”
― Eve Ensler

3. Invent your own unique mesh of values and then follow that herd.

Become a fan of identification with values as the driver of your life. Cherry-pick your bespoke bunch. Let them be a bouquet of diverse values that help you live a wholesome multi dexterous life. Don’t follow anyone when selecting them. Mix Adventure with kindness. String perseverance with imagination. Create a set of values that have a pattern but not necessarily linear logic. I for example value courage, creativity, and compassion that serve my soil very well. Now follow that herd of values in all your actions and decisions. I have found that the finest moments of my day have this mix of autonomous, value-led action that blooms into mental equanimity.

“… Nix et al. (1999) showed in experimental studies that whereas task success can produce happiness, only success at autonomously motivated tasks maintained or enhanced vitality. ― Christopher Peterson, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification

4. Repeatedly soak your mind in nature.

Visiting natural settings such as parks, forests, and beaches is associated with improved mental health, according to a large international study. The new findings have been published in the journal Scientific Reports.

According to the Psypost, the study examined data from 16,307 individuals who had completed an online survey between June 2017 and April 2018. They found that people who visited green spaces more often tended to also report having better psychological well-being and less mental distress. The same was true of those who visited inland and coastal blue spaces. The findings held even after controlling for factors such as age, education, income, relationship status, and physical activity.

In addition, nature helps us cope with pain. Because we are genetically programmed to find trees, plants, water, and other nature elements engrossing, we are absorbed by nature scenes and distracted from our pain and discomfort.

Nature loosens the grip of the anxious mind.

Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, but it also contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones. It may even reduce mortality, according to scientists such as public health researchers Stamatakis and Mitchell.

This is nicely demonstrated in a now-classic study of patients who underwent gallbladder surgery; half had a view of trees and half had a view of a wall. According to the physician who conducted the study, Robert Ulrich, the patients with the view of trees tolerated pain better, appeared to nurses to have fewer negative effects, and spent less time in a hospital. More recent studies have shown similar results with scenes from nature and plants in hospital rooms.

In her interview with National Geographic, author, Florence Williams talks about her book, The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative, how modern technology is now revealing what goes on in our brains when we step outdoors — and why nature is so good for us. Neuroscientists, especially in the U.K. and U.S., are starting to look at how people’s brains respond to different environments. What they’re seeing is that if their volunteers are walking through a city or noisy area, their brains are doing different things than if they are walking in a park. The frontal lobe, the part of our brain that’s hyper-engaged in modern life, deactivates a little when you are outside. Alpha waves, which indicate a calm but alert state as seen in flow states and meditating monks, grow stronger.

Coda:

Freedom from your anxious mind is the ultimate prize of life. The rest is a consolation. The more we turn our attention to this goal the more we will find life getting simpler, not necessarily easier, but simpler to navigate our alternatives. Mental autonomy is a matter of skill, creativity, and patience but the rewards are tranquility, adventure, and authenticity.

Worth its weight in gold.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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