Judge Your Thoughts

The judgement of our thoughts is a golden opportunity for resilience training. Explore considerations for optimizing function despite adversity through training of our thought patterns.

Distress is Simply a Thought

I was sitting in my steam tent other day reflecting on the importance of our thinking patterns, specifically the judgement of our thoughts.

I love using saunas as a form of mental resilience training. 

Listening to my mind when it’s under stress.

Conditioning my thoughts to maintain rational control.

Using strategies to persist despite building discomfort.

One day, I will invest in getting a barrel sauna, but at this point I just use one of the cheaper steam tents you can buy online. They can get up to ~150 degrees Fahrenheit which is plenty hot when the heat source is steam. There is an opening at the top for your head so you can relax in a chair comfortably, but I like to sit on the ground and cover that opening.

As time passes inside what my kids call “The Hot Box”, the stress response inevitably kicks in gradually. 

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Thought Generation

Without stress, thoughts can sometime be completely random. Seemingly out of nowhere, I’ll have thoughts appear in my head for no reasonable explanation. Sometimes they’re beneficial, sometimes they’re ridiculous.

The majority of our thoughts, however, are in response to external events.

Stimulus -> response.

Whatever the circumstance, our initial response is a thought. This thought typically happens subconsciously based on mental models our brains use to categorize information known as schemas. 

The schemas on which we operate dictate how we habitually respond to a given circumstance. These cognitive frameworks are influenced by genetics, past experience, and most importantly the consistency in which we apply them.

Habits, therefore, are more mental than physical. Our tendencies are derived from established schemas. 

Schemas are a fantastic tool for so many applications, particularly matters of safety and survival. We need mental shortcuts that allow for efficient actions in order to effectively respond to threats.

Our ability to quickly come to conclusions, however, also has its downsides. 

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