Your mind means well
it just acts like an a**hole
Welcome back to making your mental health simpler — today we’re talking about the tiny troublemaker living in your head.
You know the one.
You decide to do something—something simple—and it immediately jumps in with:
Ah, but it’s so hard.
Ah, but I really don’t want to.
Ah, maybe later…
This happens with everything: brushing your teeth, going for a run, cooking something, having a difficult conversation, learning something new, preparing a workshop — you name it.
And sometimes it gets personal:
What if I can’t do it?
What if I fail?
What if this flops and people laugh?
Here’s the twist: your mind isn’t being rude. It’s acting like an overprotective security guard who thinks everything is a threat — from a jog around the block to a big career move.
To this guard, “safe” means:
avoiding physical discomfort
skipping difficult conversations
staying in bed instead of brushing your teeth
not putting yourself out there
It’s all “safer”…
and also a great way to accidentally stop living.
Because if you wanted to do something, it probably matters to you. And important things are often uncomfortable — so your inner guard gets louder, more dramatic, more insistent.
What do we usually do?
We either obey it (“Fine, I won’t go”) or fight it (“Why am I like this??”).
Neither feels great.
So here’s the ACT twist:
You don’t have to obey your mind.
You don’t have to fight it either.
You can just notice it.
Think of it like this: you hear the guard yelling advice from his little booth. You nod politely, and you walk past anyway.
A simple exercise?
When your mind whispers, “Ah, but what if you fail?”, quietly say:
“Thank you, mind.”
And then take the step you wanted to take.
Next time you try it, watch what happens.
I’m willing to bet — good things.