BATTLE OF THE MIND

by Fawunmi Elizabeth

Do you know it is one thing to know what to do, another thing to know how to do it, and another thing entirely to know how to start?

For many people, the difficulty goes beyond knowing what they want to the struggle of taking the first step. We have dreams, plans and ideas, yet fear, doubt and uncertainty can keep us from acting on them. This is because some of the greatest battles we fight are not with the people around us, but within our own minds.

They say the greatest battles are fought in silence. Inside the mind, where no one can see the war.

The human mind is constantly filled with thoughts. We think about our past, worry about the future, evaluate our abilities and interpret the events happening around us.

However, these thoughts encourage us to move forward. At other times, they become the very things holding us back.

A student may fail an examination and immediately think, “I am not intelligent enough.” Another student may experience the same failure but think, “I need to understand where I went wrong and try again.” The event is the same, but the interpretation is different.

This is where psychology gives us a deeper understanding of the battle of the mind.

The cognitive theory of psychology emphasizes the role of thoughts and interpretations in shaping our emotional and behavioural responses. How we interpret what happens can influence how we feel and the resultant action than the event itself.

When a person constantly thinks, “I cannot do this,” they may begin to feel incapable and eventually stop trying. When someone repeatedly tells themselves, “I will always fail,” they may avoid opportunities because they are already expecting failure. In this way, thoughts can become mental barriers.

A person can therefore be physically free but mentally trapped. Past failures, rejection, criticism, fear and the opinions of others can become invisible walls around the mind.

In some cases, society also contributes to these limitations by influencing what we believe about ourselves and what we think is possible.

However, the mind can be challenged and renewed.

Being aware of our thoughts gives us an opportunity to question them. Instead of allowing one failure to define our abilities, we can ask what the experience has taught us. Instead of allowing fear to make every decision, we can acknowledge the fear and still take the first step.

This does not mean pretending that problems do not exist or simply thinking positively. It means developing a healthier and more realistic way of interpreting our experiences.

The battle of the mind may be silent, but its effects are visible in our choices, relationships, confidence and pursuit of our goals. Sometimes, the greatest victory could be the decision to not allow fear to control our actions and not the absence of fear.

You may know what to do. You may even know how to do it. The hardest part is the decision to start.

And perhaps, that is where the real battle begins.

The mind can become a prison built by our thoughts, or a pathway shaped by them. The choice begins with what we allow ourselves to believe.