If you are neurodiverse there is a high probability that you think in feelings and imagery. In case no one told you, that is your subconscious mind.
Psychologists say that 90% (or more) of our thoughts and behavior come from our subconscious mind and 10% (or less) from our conscious mind.
I like to think of my subconscious mind like the person in the image for this article; happy, bold, and calm.
What does your subconscious mind do?
- Stores memories and experiences: The subconscious mind acts like a vast library, holding onto everything you’ve ever encountered, even things you don’t consciously remember.
- Influences thoughts and behaviors: Our subconscious beliefs, habits, and emotional responses are shaped by our past experiences and stored in the subconscious. These can influence our decisions and actions without us even realizing it.
- Controls automatic processes: The subconscious mind takes care of all the vital bodily functions we don’t have to think about, like breathing, digestion, and regulating our heart rate.
What does your conscious mind do?
The conscious mind is often described as the “spotlight” of your awareness. It’s responsible for a variety of important functions:
- Information Processing: It gathers information from your senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell) and interprets it.
- Focused Attention: You can direct your conscious mind to focus on specific aspects of your environment, like a conversation or a task at hand.
- Decision Making: Based on information processing and weighing options, the conscious mind allows you to make choices and judgments.
- Problem Solving: You consciously analyze problems, brainstorm solutions, and choose the best course of action.
- Self-awareness: The conscious mind allows you to be aware of yourself, your thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
- Working Memory: It holds a limited amount of information at a time, allowing you to juggle tasks and keep track of things in the short term.
Here’s an analogy: Imagine your mind as a giant iceberg. The conscious mind is the tip of the iceberg, the small visible part. The larger portion below the surface represents the subconscious mind, which processes information and influences behavior in ways we’re not always aware of.
Why does all this matter? Because we are not working with our subconscious often to figure things out and that is a problem.
Here are a few things you can do to connect more with your subconscious mind
1. Mediation – free your mind of conscious thinking and allow the subconscious to share a thought or two.
2. Visualization – Imagine yourself achieving your goals in vivid detail. Engage all your senses in the visualization to make it feel real. This helps create new neural pathways in the brain that support your desired outcome.
3. I Am statements – Creating and writing out “I am” statements about your future, what you are building, your dreams, and your focus.