Most of the people confuse the role of 'heart' and 'mind'. Since ancient times, heart was associated with life, emotions and feelings. Where as mind was always associated with intelligence, rational and reasoning.

Confusion in the role of heart and mind leads to conflict and conflicts create tension in life. Going back to earlier articles and reasoning presented, life is simple, let's keep that way. One exercise that will help keep it simple is to keep the heart and mind constrained to their role.

First of all, let's understand what does it mean to 'live with your heart and think with your mind'.

Do you remember, one day, when you were walking down the street, or travelling by bus/train or you were in supermarket or mall, in other words you were in some public place. You catch a glimpse of person. You have never seen that person, you will never see that person again. Still for some reason, you feel very attracted to that person. That person does not even resemble anyone from you past. That person is not even attractive or looking something extraordinarily different. That person is just another ordinary human being. Could be a man, a woman, an old man, a little kid, a street vendor, a taxi driver ... just anybody.

On the other hand, you see someone, in similar situation and this time instead, you feel like going and slapping that person or simply you just don't like that person. For no reason at all. 

This has happened with all of us. It happens often again. All such unexplained feelings and emotions are basically act of our 'heart'. It just picks up the frequency and if the frequency is not matching, it gives you wrong feelings like the sound from old crackling radio. When it pick ups right frequency, your heart sings like a good quality FM stereo radio.

How about mind? Mind's role is to analyse. Analysis is done, based on data. Data is always of past. Hence mind, usually lives in past. For example, people when they grow, start forming their own views and opinion. Based on their views, opinion and experience they make their choices. Especially in the field of personal relationships.

Martin and Jessica, were discussing the issue of heart and mind with me at a party where we were invited. After listening the arguments, Martin wanted to know how to differentiate between what is heart feeling or mind thinking. Whereas Jessica wanted to learn how to live with heart and think with mind.

For Martin, my suggestion was as follows:

Go to a park or possibly out of town, in to country side, where there is less of urbanisation and more of nature to see. Hear the sound of birds, the wild calls of strange animals, see the unseen trees and never imagined colours. I asked him to do this just casually. Simply walking through the nature seeing the colours, hearing the sound and smelling the fragrance. Not thinking about what it reminds you of but feeling the moment how it makes you feel like.

Once this exercise is done often, the heart is automatically retrained to live and express the 'moment' as it experiences it. Rest all is your mind.

Solution for Jessica was simpler:

I asked her to close her eyes and guess what time it was. Not approximate time but more accurate time. When she mentioned time, I asked her to open her eyes and look at her watch and see how accurate/inaccurate she was in predicting the time.

She was to keep doing this exercise till she found her accuracy in 'sensing' or 'feeling' the time. Most of the time our mind is so over occupied that we miss the real world and the real timing of our everyday life.

Next article will be last in the series of stress management. I will continue writing more on various topics of life, health and happiness. Please do comment and send in your questions. I will be more than happy to reply to your questions.