The main problem most of us have, is an overactive imagination, which is very clever at deceiving us.
If we see that our shoes are muddy, then that is a correct interpretation of the message our eyes send to our brain. We know our shoes are muddy because we can see the shoes and the mud.
However, if our mind then starts to think about the reaction of our boss when we arrive at work with muddy shoes, we are entering into the world of fiction.
Our mind will churn and can convince us that our boss will be livid when he sees the mud. "He's going to make a loud comment which the entire office will hear, which will be so embarrassing. It may affect my chances of a pay rise. I must go home and change my shoes, but if I do that I'll be really late for work, which will look bad, and my boss will be even more cross. I'd better not go in today. Best if I just go back home and ring in sick."
Can you see how the mind weaves complicated fictional stories which make us worried, anxious, fearful, upset? We daily base small and big decisions on the fiction our minds create, which can produce turmoil in our minds and in our life. We can make things so much more difficult for ourselves by believing the fiction provided by our minds.
The fictional storyline runs in the background of our lives every day, constantly.
"I hope Freds exam went well today. What will we do if he doesn't pass? I'll have to help support him ....."
"What shall I cook for dinner tonight? If I cook chicken again the kids will revolt. But there is nothing else in the house. I guess I could stop of at the shop on the way home. But I'm so tired. I just want to rest. Those kids are too demanding ..."
The imagination lacks any concrete basis. A memory may be the base of the imagined scenario, however even the memory is a subjective interpretation of something experienced.
So our minds constantly churn, and we are constantly affected by the churning. Our emotions are like puppets, constantly having their strings pulled by the mind... and we become upset.
Calming the mind stops the churning.
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