I will begin by asking, what internal radio station are you listening to right now? Is it the All Anxious Messaging All The Time Station (W-O-R-Y – where the worry never stops)? The Greatest Hits of All Times from the Bullies and Self-Critics? Or maybe it’s Endless To Do Lists FM, or, potentially, Mentorship at its Finest?

You will have your own particular radio stations and perhaps your own particular names for them. Whatever they are and whatever the particulars, the radio station that you are listening to matters.

In any given moment, you can ask yourself, “What internal radio station am I listening to right now?”

You can be curious, “How is the station I am listening to right now influencing the thoughts I am having, the things I am doing (or not doing), the ways I am feeling, the way I am approaching myself, a challenge, a task, a situation, a day?”

You can be curious, “Is listening to this particular station helpful? (In what ways is it helpful? In what ways is it not helpful?) Might a different station be more helpful?” (Maybe yes, maybe no.)

You can also be curious, “If I was tuned into the Wise Mind Station or the Mentorship At Its Finest Station or the All (Self-) Compassion All The Time Station, what might I be thinking? What might I be doing? What might I be imagining? How might I approach myself in this moment, the challenge(s) I am facing, the creativity, the emotion? How might I be breathing? How might I be moving?”

If you find that the station you are listening to is not helpful, you can notice the station, notice it is unhelpful, and then, intentionally turn the dial.

If the reception for the new, helpful station is a bit fuzzy, take heart. With intention, the right tools, and practice, the sound quality can greatly improve. Eventually, it may be that you reach a point where it feels as if you have always lived close to that radio tower, always had that highly effective, high quality, wise tuner.