Having an open mind refers to being receptive to new and different ideas and information without judgment. Research studies in the developmental psychology and positive psychology fields have found significant correlations between open-mindedness and greater well-being. There are many reasons for this connection. First, an open mind welcomes diverse sources of knowledge and is willing to apply different problem-solving approaches and coping strategies to life’s challenges. Secondly, by taking in different types of information, an open mind has many options for revising current mental schemas and creating new ones. Third, open-minded individuals tend to move forward with lower levels of anxiety than those who fear going out of their comfort zone. A final point is that open-minded individuals tend to do better in therapy, because they are willing to accept their negative emotions, to acknowledge their dysfunctional behaviors, and to “try out” new narratives, such as implementing boundaries in toxic relationships, changing career paths, or just looking at the “big picture” of one’s life beyond past or current turmoil.
An open mind can also be viewed from a neuroscience perspective, such as neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt to challenges by forming new neuronal networks. For instance, your brain’s neuronal communication processes in the prefrontal cortex (where the majority of your decision-making occurs) and the amygdala (which regulates your fear and anger reactions) are constantly responding to external stimuli. In fact, each life experience is recorded by your brain and creates a change in your brain, ranging from what you choose to eat for dinner to how you choose to cope with a painful break-up, a death, or another significant loss. The good news is that your brain can also respond to your own conscious self-statements and to new, healthier behaviors. Just as you can become stuck in unhealthy thought, behavioral, and emotional patterns, you can become unstuck through consciously sending new messages to your brain.
An open mind is a key component in the neuroplasticity process. The idea that your brain can constantly change its structure and function through mental experiences is providing much hope and research-based evidence about humans’ abilities to overcome trauma, depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. Neuroplasticity can work against you when your brain forms new networks which result from trauma and when your brain has developed many repetitive anxiety-provoking or depressive scripts. However, neuroplasticity can work for you when you actively choose to practice repetition of new scripts about your life experiences, past and present, and can rewire your brain’s emotional and executive functioning pathways to be more resilient for the remainder of your life. You can start slowly with your brain’s plasticity process by doing easy challenges, such as trying out new communication techniques, which push you outside of your programmed fears and insecurities. Remember that leaning into your discomfort WILL gradually build your confidence and resiliency in all life situations.
HOW DO YOU LIVE WITH AN OPEN MIND?
There are some simple ways to live with an open mind. You can be open to confronting your inner critic. You can be open to self-care through creating a structured sleep and nutrition plan. You can learn to decrease your negative self-talk. You can learn to increase your stress tolerance behaviors. You can learn to develop and to use a daily self-care and physical exercise plan, because both of these skills play a huge role in your brain’s plasticity process. You can be open to “trying” new time management strategies, such as making a list of specific, prioritized daily tasks on a calendar. You can be open to creating and enforcing boundaries toward toxic people, such as co-workers and even loved ones. You can be open to shifting your attention, as often as needed throughout the day, to what you are feeling, thinking, saying, and doing. This can be challenging with all of life’s distractions, such as emails, traffic, and unexpected or unwanted interactions. With an open mind, you will be continually absorbing new information to connect with what you already know and to make productive changes. You can practice self-compassion by telling yourself, “I need time to process this,” so that you can evaluate various actions to take. Furthermore, living with an open mind is the foundation for engaging authentically in cognitive behavioral techniques focused on revising self-defeating thoughts and creating and following a structured and proactive behavioral plan. This approach also teaches thought-replacement strategies for managing anxiety and encourages the use of a daily journal as a tool for ongoing self-knowledge.
You are the main character in your book’s plot sequences, and you may encounter random turning points or may create “surprise” storyline twists. Chronically unhappy people will give you every excuse as to why certain storylines just won’t work for them or won’t help them. “Nothing can help,” according to their victimized plot sequence. Unhappy people spend much time comparing themselves to others and too little time working on themselves. When you live with an open mind, you can visualize your best self as taking control of stressors or painful memories and using them as valuable opportunities for being the strongest warrior, the hero, of your own story. In sum, living with an open mind allows movement toward more accurate, balanced perceptions toward any stressful external events.
