(This article is a follow-up from the ones published in previous weeks, episodes 0, 1, 2, 3 4 and 5, and more episodes will be published in the upcoming weeks)

A tremendous advantage of mobile phones is that they can be used for a virtually endless amount of things, as long as the appropriate application is installed. Typically, new phones come with a set of basic apps already installed, and in order to add more, all we have to do is search in the "app store", find the one we need and press a button to install it, often for a symbolic price, or even for free.

Even during those times when it appears to be idle, while it's switched on, the phone is always "doing something". At a minimum, it stays vigilant in case there's an incoming call or message. Then on top of that, it may be running other applications "in the background", for example, to count your steps, calculate your physical location, or play music for you, if you feel like it.

Similarly, our mind is always "doing something"; it's always thinking. And if we don't consciously give it something to think about, it will find its own thing, often in ways that don't help us at all.

So then, what "apps" could we "install" in our mind that will help us instead of harming us? Here are a couple of suggestions.

Positive thinking and thankfulness

Our brain unconsciously searches for more of whatever it is we pay attention to. Therefore, if we focus on being thankful and appreciating the positive things already in our life, our brain will start finding more of those for us, and as a result, we'll perceive more and more things we like, and we'll feel better and better.

Systematic use of negatives

The same applies in the opposite direction; that is, if we focus on negative things, we’ll start finding more and more of those. But what if there was a trick to take the things we don’t like so much and present them to our brain more positively? According to neuro-linguistic programming, that trick exists.

For example, if I feel very tired on a particular day, I can choose to say: “I’m exhausted”. The word “exhausted” has a certain effect on my mind and body, so much so that just thinking about it makes me physically tired. In contrast, if I say: “I don’t have a lot of energy”, the meaning is very similar, but the effect of the words on me is completely different. By expressing it this way, chances are I’ll feel a little more energetic, instead of tiring myself even more, and that may help me to carry on with my day until I can finally go home and rest.