I can only see what I allow myself to see.
All day, I’m inundated with stimuli — sensory, emotional, and cognitive. If I tried to take it all in, my brain would short circuit.
Fortunately, my brain has a biological filter, deciding what gets through based on what I’ve determined matters most. This filtering helps me stay focused.
At night, for example, I can ignore the sound of plumbing. I’ve even trained myself to block out the heavy-duty construction machinery that starts next door at 6:30 AM — before I want to wake up. My brain blocks out the noise.
While I can filter out physical noise, it’s much harder to block the emotional noise from constant media bombardment. News of wildfires, humanitarian crises, and political corruption floods the airwaves, leaving me feeling overwhelmed.
Headlines and sound bites, repeated ad nauseam, are meticulously crafted to capture my attention. But they rarely explain the complex history behind today’s calamities—whether it’s an unprovoked attack, a dam bursting, or riots. And then there’s the surreal spectacle of the US general election.
At first, I feel empathy for those suffering. But as the stories pile up, my brain protects me from the emotional strain, dulling my sensitivity. Eventually, I feel ashamed for becoming numb. Too often, I accept the “story” presented without questioning its assumptions — assumptions shaped by biases and oversimplifications.
Despite this numbness, these snippets of news still trigger my survival instincts. My mind reduces everything to a simple question: Is this safe or not?
When I’m emotionally triggered, my ability to think clearly diminishes. My critical thinking shuts down, and I search for quick answers, even though the issues are complex.
In these moments, my perception becomes clouded, but I’ve learned there is a way to clear it.
This clouded perception shapes my reality. It influences what I believe is true and what choices I think I have.
Like a car’s windscreen splattered with moths, my view of the world becomes obstructed by distractions, emotional reactions, and biases.
The only way I’ve found to clear my perception is through regular mental cleansing. I use mindfulness and meditation to reset and clear away the mental clutter.
Each morning, I set aside time to meditate. Throughout the day, I take short, 5-minute mindfulness breaks, focusing on my breath and letting the day’s noise fade away. This practice allows me to reset and approach challenges with renewed clarity.
By regularly cleaning my mental lens, I’m better equipped to understand the problems I face, recognize my options, and make thoughtful decisions.
The only way I’ve found to clear my perception is to routinely clean it, many times a day.