My mind surprised me today with a simple sentence out of the blue. It said “I love being a mummy.” What surprised me most is that this was the first time my mind had said this to me unprompted. I've been a mummy now for nearly two years and it has been amazing - there is no doubt in my mind, despite all the inevitable ups and downs, I absolutely do love being a mum. But my mind, doing what minds do, tends to always emphasise the negative. I've lost count of how many times my mind has told me that “I hate being a mummy”, “I don't want to be a mummy anymore”, “I'm a bad mother” etc. This is why it was such a pleasant shock to hear the opposite today.
So why is this? Why does my mind always barrage me with negatives rather than bolster me with positives? Well it goes back to our 'stone-age minds’. Back in prehistory our minds evolved to be a very effective don't-get-killed device. It was useful for our ancestor’s minds to warn them of dangers - the stone-age man who is wary of potential predators when outside was far more likely to survive than the man whose mind always tells him “I love being outside”.
Now, in the present day, our minds carry on this legacy in the form of negative commentary. That's why the mind far more often says things like “I hate being a mummy” than “I love being a mummy”. It's trying to ensure our safety by going on and on about things we find difficult, and being a parent is difficult, incredibly rewarding but at times so very difficult.
So next time your mind is giving you a hard time just thank it - “thanks mind” - it is just trying to do it's job after all!
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