How to know the human mind?

First of all, to understand how the human mind works and unlock its secrets, it is necessary to conceptualize two things, what is mind and brain, what are the most appropriate definitions and the difference between them.

To begin with, the brain is the central organ of the nervous system and is something tangible. To make it clearer, you can compare the brain to the physical part of a personal computer. Another concept that needs to be understood in depth is the mind.

It is a state of consciousness or subconsciousness, which allows human beings the possibility to express themselves. It is compared to the logical part of a computer and is intangible. After clarifying these two concepts, it is time to delve deeper into the subject. Learn more in this article!

Functioning of the human mind

The human brain and mind are fascinating, but despite all the advances in medicine and science, it is still not possible to fully explain all the secrets that these two things hide. Learn more in the topics below!

What is brain

The brain is the central organ of the nervous system. It can be compared to a hardware, which is the physical part of a personal computer. It is located inside the cranial box and it is to it that all the information we receive is taken. Although the brain represents only 2% of our body, it is one of the ones that consumes more oxygen.

Thus, it is responsible for controlling all our movements, for example, moving our arms, legs, among other things. It is also responsible for integrating sensory stimuli and also for neurological activities, such as speaking and memorizing something.

What is mind

It is possible to define mind as a state of consciousness or subconsciousness in which the expression of human nature becomes feasible. This is also a concept widely used to describe some functions of the human brain, which are related to cognitive ability and behavior.

More specifically, the functions of the mind are those that make human beings conscious such as, for example, the ability to interpret, desires, creativity and imagination, the senses, among other things. The term "mind" can also refer to human personality and capabilities.

Unconscious

The unconscious can be defined as a state of mind that is responsible for keeping the human organism functioning perfectly, harmonizing all parts of the body. The mind is capable of controlling the autonomic nervous system, the immune system and all other vital and automatic functions that exist within the human being.

The human being comes into the world already reproducing a series of functions of utmost importance for his survival, without having to do it voluntarily. This is only possible thanks to the action of the mind, more specifically in an unconscious way.

Conscious

The conscious part of the mind is responsible for the actions we take voluntarily. It also has the domain of 4 extremely important parts which are: analytical, rational, willpower and short-term memory. The analytical part of the mind is responsible for analyzing all the things that occur and make decisions.

The rational part of the mind is responsible for justifying actions and assigning a reason for certain attitudes. Willpower serves to motivate the individual to do or complete something, and short-term memory has the function of storing important information that you use in your daily life.

Subconscious

The subconscious can be defined as the part of the mind in which the essence of each person is found. It is divided into 5 fundamental parts, which are: long-term memory, habits, emotions, self-preservation and idleness. The long-term memory is responsible for storing experiences lived throughout life, like a kind of database.

Habits are a competence of the mind that serves to optimize the daily tasks, making the body spend less energy. They are established from repetition, which makes some behaviors even automatic.

Emotions refer to emotional issues. Also, self-preservation is the mind's ability to alert us to danger and idleness is a kind of warning of what will bring discomfort.

Critical factor

The critical factor works as a kind of protection factor for the subconscious, because it is responsible for filtering the information that enters the subconscious or not. Throughout life, the human being receives an infinite amount of information, many times, they are not in accordance with the programming of the individual's mind.

The critical factor is the mechanism used by the mind to decide what enters the subconscious or not. Then, what is accepted becomes part of the essence of the human being and his personality.

Aspects of the unconscious

The capabilities of the unconscious part of the human mind are fascinating. It is responsible for maintaining life, as the vital functions of the body are maintained by the subconscious mind. Learn more about some aspects below!

ID

The ID is a psychological aspect of the mind. It has the function of storing the psychic energy, the most primitive impulses and propensities of the individual. This function of the mind, the ID, is simply guided by pleasure, there is no specific rule for its functioning, the only thing that matters is the satisfaction of desires, action and expression.

The ID is located in the unconscious level of the brain, and does not recognize social standards, this means that for this aspect of the mind, there are no classifications such as right or wrong, for example. The ID is also the place where sexual impulses are located, and is always looking for ways to realize these impulses.

Ego

Among ID, Ego and Superego, the Ego is the main one, according to the renowned psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. It has elements of the subconscious mind but functions at the conscious level. The Ego performs its functions based on the principle of reality. One of its attributions is to limit the capacity of the ID, when it judges that some of its desires are inadequate.

The Ego, especially from the early years of life, will be responsible for ultimately making decisions. An individual who does not have a well-developed Ego, consequently will not develop the Superego, which will be addressed in the next topic. As a consequence, this person would be guided by exclusively primitive impulses.

Superego

Superego is a competence of the mind, both conscious and unconscious. Its development occurs in the early years of life, at the moment when the individual, still a child, begins to understand the teachings given by parents, the school, among other sources of principles.

In addition, the superego has a social function, and is the result of all the experiences that this individual lived in childhood, such as impositions and punishments. It can be understood as something that regulates actions, based on censorship, guilt and fear of consequences. Concepts such as morality, ethics and the separation between right and wrong are in the superego.

Parts of consciousness

As already covered during this article, the mind is divided into some parts, which are the conscious, the subconscious, the unconscious and the critical factor. The conscious also has some divisions, which you can check in more detail in the following topics!

Analytical

The analytical part of the conscious mind is responsible for making an analysis of everything that happens around the individual. It serves to make the person think before making decisions in his daily life. The analysis of everything that surrounds him is a competence of the analytical part of his mind.

In this way, performing calculations, separating what is morally right or wrong, solving a problem or even the simplest choices that are made in everyday life start the analytical part of the mind, for example.

Rational

The rational part of the conscious mind, as the name implies, is responsible for giving reasons and justifications for all decisions that are made by the individual. At certain times, these motivations are concrete and true, at other times, they are only created to strengthen the will to do something that should not be done.

In other cases, the reasons and justifications created by the rational part of the mind are only to cover up the real motivations that led to a certain action. This is one of the facts that makes the mind so curious.

Willpower

Willpower is the part of the conscious mind that serves to drive you to make a certain decision or do something, either to start or finish something. However, one of the weaknesses of this competency of the conscious mind is that it works like a kind of battery, which loses its power over time.

Initially, willpower may drive the individual full force, but as time goes on, this gradually diminishes. An example of how willpower works is people who start a treatment against a certain disease, but give up midway through the process.

Short-term memory

Short-term memory is responsible for storing information that you generally use in your daily life. Memories such as what you ate 7 days ago are not stored by short-term memory, because it is not essential for your daily life.

However, information such as your address, cell phone number, credit or debit card password, your data such as your CPF, RG, zip code, among other important things, are stored in the short-term memory, because they are relevant information for your daily life and your mind needs to have easy access to them.

Parts of the subconscious

The subconscious of the human mind is where the essence of the human being lives, that is, everything that he is and all the programming that has been inserted into him is present in the subconscious. Just like the conscious, it is also divided into parts that you will get to know in more detail below!

Long-term memory

Everything that is experienced throughout life is permanently recorded in a database of the subconscious mind of the individual. Mainly the moments that you experienced and that went unnoticed by you. Thus, the long-term memory can be compared to a small box where you keep old photos.

This comparison can be made due to the fact that you can't access these memories, nor see them, however, they are well stored in your subconscious. Therefore, long-term memory is really fascinating.

Habits

The human mind, as a survival mechanism, has as one of its intrinsic properties, the ability to find ways to save as much body energy as possible. It also does this through some mental shortcuts, which are the habits.

They are mechanisms of the mind that are strengthened through continuous repetition, sometimes even automatically. Therefore, the more someone repeats a task, the more it becomes automated in the mind of the individual. Activities such as brushing your teeth, tying your shoes and driving are examples of habits.

Emotions

The subconscious is the depository of all our emotions and feelings. It is where they are stored. Long term memories are also directly related to emotions, because they are loaded with a very strong emotional weight, so they end up in the subconscious of the individual.

The emotions that are felt by a particular person are able to determine what kind of emotional programming they will have in their subconscious. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to preserve the mind from negative emotions, however sometimes they are unavoidable.

Self-Preservation

Self-preservation is a function of the subconscious, which aims to keep the human being protected from anything that offers danger. The filter that is made by the mind in relation to what can be dangerous or not is performed based on previous experiences that the individual has and in their emotional programming.

The human being's capacity for self-preservation can provide an alert to a real or illusory danger, something that exists only in his mind. Whatever the nature of that danger, if it is considered a risk by the subconscious mind, he will certainly avoid it.

Idle

Idleness is a skill of the subconscious, which alerts you to risks and also to situations that may create discomfort. One of the subconscious' measures to protect from this is to avoid change as much as possible, because it doesn't want you to get frustrated trying to do something new.

In this case, the subconscious mind ends up finding it much safer and better to keep the individual within the safety zone, as it is filled with things that are familiar to you and the possibility of failure and disappointment is much less.

The functioning of the collective unconscious

The collective unconscious can be defined as a series of latent images, which are called archetypes. They are inherited from the ancestors of each person. The individual does not remember these images consciously, but inherits a predisposition to act in situations as his ancestors did.

With this, the theory of the collective unconscious states that the human being is born with a series of predispositions of thought, understanding and action. For example, the fear of heights can be transmitted through the collective unconscious, creating in the individual a certain predisposition to this phobia.

How to take care of the health of the mind

There are several measures that aim to preserve the health of the mind. As the human being is holistic, that is, everything that affects the mind can affect the body itself, some body care can directly interfere with the health of the mind. Learn more below!

Take care of your diet

Many people think not, but the care with the food is essential to have a healthy mind. So, it is important to always keep in mind that the fact that you eat well does not interfere only in your physical shape or your body, but has direct results in your mind.

Your overall wellness has to do with how you eat, so it is essential that you opt for a menu that is quite varied and also balanced. Prefer natural and nutrient-rich foods.

Practice physical activities

Getting the body moving is extremely important for the mind. Emotional well-being is directly linked to the practice of physical exercises. If you are not yet in the habit of exercising, try to start slowly, preferably under the guidance of a physical education professional.

Walking also generates a sense of enjoyment, just like physical exercise. This feeling of accomplishment after physical activity is important for people's mental well-being. So whenever you can, exercise regularly.

Prioritize sleep

Sleeping the recommended 8 hours of sleep is a fundamental habit for the health as a whole, not only for the mind. It is of utmost importance to sleep well, so try to have a good sleep routine. Poorly slept nights are a driving factor for the emergence of a series of mental and emotional disorders.

In the midst of the day-to-day rush, many people end up neglecting the appropriate hours of sleep. Because of this, with the passage of time and the accumulation of bad nights of sleep, they end up developing some pathological conditions.

Time with loved ones

Spending time with loved ones creates a sense of indescribable pleasure and happiness, so try to set aside time in your schedule to spend with the people who make you happy. Doing this regularly is guaranteed to improve your mental health considerably.

Unfortunately, many people consider this factor as something of little relevance. Little do they know that this simple habit could prevent a series of psychological problems. Use your time with quality and in favor of your mental health.

Time for leisure

Doing activities that generate well-being for you is something extremely important in your life. Whatever your favorite pastime is, try to do it whenever you have time. Take time to read, dance, draw, play a game, and whatever else you like to do should be done at the appropriate time.

Leisure time is for you to escape from the stressful routine of everyday life and not to be preoccupied with your daily obligations. This brings an indescribable relief to the mind.

Contact with nature

Although many people despise it, contact with nature is fundamental for the well-being of the mind. This closeness to the natural environment is good for both the body and the mind. Breathing fresh air, being out in the open, connecting with the environment and getting away from the city is good for your health.

Try to escape a bit of the hectic routine of the cities and go to the countryside or some environment that gives you a little more contact with nature, you will see the difference that makes breathing fresh air and contemplating the natural wonders.

Develop your faith

To begin with, the advice is for you to develop your faith, regardless of the plurality of religions and beliefs that exist in the world. Faith is an attribute that is linked to how the individual relates to the world and also to people.

It brings hope and optimism in the midst of difficult times, demonstrating the ability to believe, produces hope and the belief of better times. Therefore, believe in life and in something that has meaning for you, be it a personal goal, someone, or something else.

Self-knowledge

Self-knowledge is one of the most important skills to develop in life. It is through it that you can discover what your own limits, strengths and also weaknesses are. There are several ways to achieve self-knowledge, including therapy.

However, therapy is not the only way to get to know yourself, there is also meditation, theater, play activities, among others. Whatever you choose, do what makes you feel good.

Allow yourself to feel

It is essential that you understand your feelings and also the causes of them, whether good or bad. The culture as a whole imposes on human beings that some feelings are destructive, this causes people to repress with all their strength those emotions that are considered negative.

However, all feelings are important so that people can become strong and value their own feelings. Love, joy, fulfillment and other feelings, are equally important because they characterize the person.

What is the advantage of taking care of the mind?

The advantages of adopting mind care are numerous, starting with the fact that having a healthy mind will help you in several aspects of your life. Health is also a primary factor, because no one wants to suffer from pathologies related to the mind, such as anxiety, depression, among other diseases.

The quality of life of the individual improves considerably from the moment he begins to take care of his mind. The routine becomes lighter, the joyful moments are multiplied and the health as a whole is benefited. However, it is necessary to pay a price for this, it is necessary to have discipline and willpower to take care of yourself.