Dealing with cancerous thought processes – A mental surgery

Cancer, as most of us are aware, is one of the most infamous and deadly diseases that mankind has endured over the years. The scope of the disease is broad and the very lethal nature of it makes it one of the encounters that a person never hopes for, in their entire lifetime. However, unfortunately, if we do happen to meet this nemesis, we certainly hope to get the treatment as earlier as possible

But all this while we are only considering the cancers that are physically traceable. Could there be some other invisible cancer tumours? How about thought processes? Can they be carcinogenic? Can they damage you from within? Let’s find out cogently!

The most critical and tricky part of cancer is detecting it as earlier as possible. The once-good body cells turn carcinogenic, growing uncontrollably and then spreading to different parts of the body. The later this is detected, the bigger the tumour is formed and the slimmer become the chances of getting out of the mess. The same holds true for cancerous thought processes.

Unfortunately, we typically start looking for abnormalities and root causes for the pain only after enduring it gets really difficult. Very few develop the consciousness to foresee the consequences of our thought processes in the long run, within a few painstaking incidents. For most of us are more focused on fighting the issue at hand by either working harder or allocating more time and resources, with the hope that it will solve the problem.

But even the most conscious amongst us today, suffered some consequences (and had to trade them for their share of wisdom) as a result of their thoughts before. The little positive is that we can almost always trace back to the origins of the consequences.

To help you spot your cancerous thought pattern, here are some instances, which you’d have most likely experienced already.

The hapless career-success chaser:

You surely have encountered a person, who seems to try very hard to take their professional career to the next level but at the same time complains about ‘how ill-fated’ their fortunes are. They put in extra hours at doing what they already do, chase a degree hoping that it will earn them recognition and monetary satisfaction but can’t help asking and comparing their salary to that of their peers. And the most peculiar part comes at the end of it, they blame their fate.

Now, whether they should compare or not is a topic of discussion for another day. But let’s say they genuinely want to get to the same earning levels of that as their peers: Would they spare a thought to know what exactly their peers are working with? Would they be fine to let go of what they consider as their identity and start learning a completely new set of skills? Mostly not, and they don’t realize that either, which is THE problem.

The one with acres of broken relations:

You’ve met this Mr Burnt-Fingers, who was once an all-weather jolly guy or the joker of ‘the group’; now silent in some remote corner of the world, disappointed with the way the world treated him. His arguments are, “…but I went out of the way for them, put them first and when I wanted my share of reciprocation, I received none… ” or “…I was there every time they wanted me to be there but when I needed someone to hold my hand, why were they all busy suddenly?”

Do you see the underlying cancerous theme here? Mr Burnt-Fingers went out of the way, prioritising his friends and relationships over his own space and time, thinking that he’d be receiving the same when his time comes. Alas, became a doormat for his group of friends; used it when needed and kept it outside the door when they had the choice.

As unfortunate and undone as he might seem, if traced back, he was only a hundred per cent responsible for his fate. It was not his group of friends or relations that decided to use him as a doormat, he was the one who presented himself as one. When he made the sacrifices, which is a real sign of a relationship by the way, did he take a conscious look back at the people he was making them for? Did they really choose him because they wanted to, or simply because he was the easiest and closest option readily available?

If only had he taken a step back, realized his position and avoided eventual unbidden sacrifices, he would find himself in far-balanced relationships.

The purpose of these two examples was just to give you an idea of how you could trace back to your potentially cancerous thought processes. Can you spot yours? Do you find yourself stuck in some aspect of your life, that never seems possible for you? That is exactly where you can start your probe.

The other peculiar thing you’d notice is just like real cancer, the lump grows bigger as time passes, leading to far-lethal consequences. It is best to detect the lump as early as possible so that the radiation therapy or the chemotherapy required is minimal.

Once the cancerous thought patterns are detected, then comes the part where hard work and discipline are involved. Discipline to resist falling back into old habits and thought patterns. And typically, once started, a lot of chaff will burn away; the people, your actions and your identity itself that was associated with the old behaviour will break down.

But hey, just like the chemotherapy burns a lot of you away and the surgery puts your life at a risk; it certainly gives you hope and has the potential to give you a cancer-free life!

In the end, spotting and eliminating these thought patterns is a very hard pill to swallow. You are the cause of them, but you also possess the potion to cure them.

Your thoughts are your responsibility.