Are You Using Wise Mind?

Hello! Do you ever feel like your emotions are taking over? Like you have a hard time making decisions rationally? One form of therapy that helps with this is called Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and I especially like DBT's theory of "Wise Mind". 

Wise Mind is the idea that we have two sections of the brain that help with decision making. One is the reasonable/rational mind (prefrontal cortex) and the other is the emotional mind (limbic system). 

Rational/reasonable mind is all about facts and analyzes situations without thinking about how something feels. This part of the brain is all about the logical aspects to a situation. An example of this is taking a new job purely because you would make more money, even if it doesn't feel like the job would be a good fit for you.  

Emotional mind is taking into account all the ways we feel about a situation. It can often lead to impulsive decisions. An example of this would be taking a new job purely because you felt like the team was welcoming, even if you would make less money which would cause a strain on your budget.

I think of these two parts of the brain as a see-saw: when one is highly activated, the other is more shut down. But if we are making decisions with only our rational/reasonable mind, that might not be helpful; and vice versa, if we are making decisions with only our emotional mind, that also isn't helpful. Wise Mind helps each of these parts stay online together.

Wise Mind is when we are using our reasonable/rational mind and emotional mind together at the same time. Wise Mind is a mindful state of thinking that incorporates both logic and feelings. Wise Mind also uses intuition to understand the facts of what is happening and how we feel about it simultaneously.

I was in a situation recently that depicts each of these states perfectly. I was feeling kind of down and sad and I knew (rational/reasonable mind) that getting out into nature would be helpful for me so I told myself I would go kayaking. But I didn't have the energy to exert to go kayaking and felt like I would end up feeling more burnt out if I did that (emotional mind). So instead, I met in the middle (Wise Mind) and decided I would go to a lake and sit outside- I would still get to enjoy nature, but wouldn't have to expend more energy than I felt like I had to give. 

One of the best ways I help my brain get into Wise Mind is to do deep breathing. Let my body relax and take away "should" statements. Allow myself to make a choice that makes the most sense, but also feels right.

Here is a great video to help explain more about Wise Mind!

Thanks for reading and being in connection with me,

Steph