Julie Noparstak, LCSW

Duality of mind is a quality that can exist in the undisciplined and fragmented mind. Our thoughts are ever present and without a witnessing quality anchored in a sense of authenticity and being grounded in our own experience, we can be easily swayed into uncertainty, indecision, and confusion. Duality of mind can create in us a deceptiveness where we come to believe that a thought is real, when in fact, it is often just a thought. As we learn how to introspect, we come to understand that it is up to us to choose and decide on what thoughts to give our attention to, and which thoughts to ignore.

Our emotions are a guide, but only if we know how to practice and consistently use emotional regulation skills can we rely on them as our ally. Recognizing the signals our bodies give us that we are feeling an emotion gives us the opportunity to go within and consider it. Our chest feels heavy, we get a nervous stomach, there is pressure in our head, we clench our fists–these are signals of our emotions. We feel emotions in our bodies and once we identify an emotion, we then ask ourselves why we are feeling anxious, sad, nervous, overwhelmed, happy, etc. Noticing and feeling our feelings and relating them to our experiences in the present will give us the ability, with awareness, to understand our own truth versus relying on others, guessing, or just going through the motions of life. Living from our awareness enables us to create, with intention, our lives and our experiences versus getting caught up in what others want from us or getting stuck in our own confusion.