What Is the Conscious Mind?
Let's start with the conscious mind. Imagine your dream house without worrying about money, then recall a place where you felt pure joy for the first time.
The thoughts that arise as you think about these things come from your conscious mind. Simply put, any thought process you know belongs to your conscious mind.
One of the brain's main centres for conscious thought is the prefrontal cortex. A downside to conscious thinking is that it’s highly taxing and limited. Your conscious mind can focus on only one thing at a time, consuming a lot of energy to do so.
Try finding the square root of 2400 while writing a grocery list. You’ll find you can switch back and forth between these tasks, but your conscious mind can’t handle both simultaneously.
Think of a time you’ve used your conscious mind for an extended period—studying all day or working late into the night on a hard project. You likely felt drained after such intense conscious thinking.
What Is the Subconscious Mind?
The subconscious mind is a tremendously valuable resource. It doesn’t wear you out while working and operates without limits. Your subconscious might be solving thousands of problems right now.
The downside? You’re unaware of this until your subconscious thoughts surface in your conscious mind. So, we need to create the right environment for our subconscious minds to thrive.
System 1 and System 2 Thinking
Daniel Kahneman’s book, Thinking Fast and Slow, provides another way to understand the difference between the subconscious and conscious minds. Kahneman describes two modes of thinking he calls System 1 and System 2:
- System 1 is emotional, fast, and automatic.
- System 2 is slower, methodical, and logical.
- System 1 works in parallel with System 2.
For example, if you see someone staring at you, System 1 might assume they’re upset with you. Then, System 2 steps in to process the information and figure out what’s really going on.
Kahneman warns that System 1 and System 2 are just metaphors for how the mind works. Pinpointing specific examples of this process would oversimplify things. Nonetheless, these systems are helpful for understanding different thinking patterns.
Kahneman describes System 1 as automatic thinking and System 2 as effortful. The main idea here is focus. In a famous experiment, participants were asked to watch a video and count how many times people passed a ball. This task required System 2 thinking. The intense focus needed for this task made most people miss a person in a gorilla suit slowly walking through the scene while the ball was being passed.
How to Programme Your Subconscious Mind to Work for You
Intense focus can make us miss details and solutions that our subconscious mind can provide. Sometimes, we need to step back and relax instead of forcing solutions. Here are 5 tips to make your subconscious mind work for you:
1. Eliminate Stress
Your subconscious mind won’t help much when you’re stressed, exhausted, or confused. Managing stress is crucial if you want to generate great ideas that work in your favour.
Imagine working on a project with a tight deadline and worrying about losing your job while your entire family depends on your income. This immense stress can paralyse your subconscious mind, preventing it from thinking calmly to access the creativity you need.
Most people in our example focused so intently on the task at hand that they missed the most exciting part of the video. Stress and tension can narrow our focus, causing us to overlook crucial details, weakening our ability to pause and connect broader patterns and ideas. Therefore, it's essential to find ways to manage stress. Here are four aspects of effectively handling stress:
- Try to reduce stress in your life by eliminating stressors. This could mean finding a less demanding job or leaving work earlier.
- Change how you perceive unavoidable stressors. This doesn’t mean denying the existence of stress but thinking differently about it. Look for the silver lining or see the bigger picture. For example, if you can't leave a stressful job, focus on the financial benefits it provides or the satisfaction you occasionally get from it.
- Find ways to relax throughout the day, like meditating or watching funny YouTube videos, to clear your mind and reduce stress.
- Take breaks that completely remove you from stress, like taking a vacation to the beach. During these breaks, turn off your phone, forget about work, and allow yourself to feel refreshed and renewed.
2. Take Breaks
Taking breaks is not only a way to manage stress but also a crucial part of tapping into your subconscious mind. For instance, if you’re working on an article or brainstorming for a major project, schedule regular breaks where you step away from the task entirely. This allows your subconscious mind to work freely, bringing about new solutions effortlessly.
This is why great ideas often come to you while you are showering or driving. When you're not intensely focused, your subconscious mind has the calm and clarity to bring ideas to your conscious mind. So, ensure you take regular breaks.
The Pomodoro Technique is a fantastic method for this. It suggests working for 25 minutes and then taking a 5-minute break, which helps you refresh and gives your subconscious mind time to generate new ideas.
3. Be Creative
Your subconscious mind is great at finding interesting solutions without effort, but it needs inspiration. Engage in creative activities like painting, writing, or dancing. Immerse yourself in creative environments, such as visiting museums, reading poetry, or walking in nature. This creative input fuels your subconscious with the inspiration it needs.
4. Don’t Pressure Your Subconscious Mind
Understanding that you can't compel your subconscious mind to work is crucial. While your conscious mind may struggle when pushed, your subconscious generates its best ideas when not coerced.
So, always strive to relax, whether through a soothing shower or a leisurely walk outdoors, for example. When you're not intensely focused on solving a problem, your subconscious mind thrives on creativity. Therefore, unwind, give yourself some time, and rest. This way, your subconscious mind strengthens itself to think more effectively.
5. Play
Finally, don't underestimate the importance of play. Playfulness is inherently enjoyable and allows your subconscious mind's fun-thinking style more opportunities for innovation. Turning your tasks into enjoyable games will make you feel more relaxed, engaged, and collaborative with your colleagues. This means you'll be more prepared for work, enabling your subconscious mind to access your desired creativity.
You can also add some fun throughout the day to benefit from this freer, less restrictive thinking style. Transform your commutes into a form of entertainment, play games like charades with your children, or go bowling. Doing so will help you experience the joy of childhood, along with wonder and curiosity—all essential elements for enhancing your subconscious mind.
In Conclusion
The approach to dealing with and harnessing your subconscious mind differs significantly from engaging with your conscious mind. If you can leverage your subconscious mind correctly, it may help you achieve what you desire by unlocking your hidden potential.
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