Your brain is a radio
A practical model for navigating a noisy mind
Each of us has our very own radio embedded in our head — it’s our brain.
Our brain’s broadcast is what we perceive as our mind. We have many different minds — each occupying its own radio station. There’s the 106.1 Ambition breakfast show; the late-night programming on 99.5 Regrets FM; the ratings bonanza 102.3 Self-Doubt AM; and multitudes more.
Our radio channels constantly slide back and forth throughout our waking hours — the noise can be exhausting.
Luckily, if we get to know our radio a little better and apply some practical frameworks, we can learn to surf our radio waves effortlessly.
Different minds, different channels
Talk-back
Our brain usually defaults to talk-back radio. You know the show — the presenter voices their opinions and the callers argue back. Sometimes it’s a constructive debate — other times you’re astounded by the biased diatribe the producers put to air!
Commercials
We also contend with a ceaseless onslaught of advertisements — reminders that the way we are now is never quite enough. These messages are so seamlessly integrated with our brain’s regular programming that we hardly register their influence on our behaviours.
Ad-free music
Then there are those wonderful moments where we find ourself in a flow state — the chatter subsides and we’re graced with an ad-free hour of non-stop music. Enjoy it.
Student radio
At times we can feel entirely ill-equipped for life, as if we’re a fumbling imposter who doesn’t know what the hell we’re doing or how we even got here. That’s the student radio station — give the kid a break.
The graveyard shift
Even when the waking mind powers down each day and we surrender to dreamland, our brain airs the graveyard shift — shit can get pretty weird in those overnight hours.
The ratings battle
We’re not always clearly tuned into one station at one time. Often, the dial sticks halfway between channels, and we’re forced to listen to the intermingling sounds of two competing breakfast radio shows battling it out for ratings — all on a bed of radio static.
And so we tend to numb out with our favourite distractions, in futile attempts to tune out from the radio noise. The problem is, our radio doesn’t have an off switch. So whilst we might dull the frequencies for a short time, those pesky radio waves inevitably flood back at full volume, as if they’re broadcasting with a vengeance.
There’s a better way to get comfortable with your radio.
Surfing the radio waves
1. Understand the programming
We tend to make the mistake of buying in to every last word uttered on the air — as if these fleeting opinions are our very identity. Really, it’s all just noise.
Start listening to your radio’s programming more carefully — do this as an audience member, setting aside the compulsion to embody every voice you hear on the air. You’ll start to see the patterns emerge. You’ll become familiar with the regular segments.
You’ll come to realise that most of the time, the brain is prattling on because that’s just what the brain does. It can’t help it — the brain secretes thoughts, just as the salivary glands secrete saliva (to borrow the words of Jack Kornfield).
2. Set your presets
Surf effortlessly between your optimal radio stations by creating presets. You can set up a framework that reduces radio static and promotes the conditions for ad-free music.
Recognise your triggers
First, get to know what fast-tracks you to negative thought patterns. When we’re not aware of our own triggers, we suddenly find ourselves spiralling — which can sound a bit like stumbling across Death Metal Hour on your brain’s local community radio station.
If we know our triggers, we can anticipate the broadcast and not get entirely swept up in the mayhem.
Create new habits
Your habits do most of the program scheduling for your radio. So, to get a say in what goes to air, the most effective strategy is to change your habits.
Identify the activities that serve you — creative outlets; exercise; helping others; working towards a goal. Activities like these come with their own backing track — set them as presets. Your habits will tune the radio for you.
You can experiment with habit stacking — leveraging your existing habits to create new habits.
For example:
“After my morning alarm goes off, I will read a page of my book.”
“After breakfast, I will sit down and write for 10 minutes.”
“After I get home from work, I will take the dog for a walk.”
All you need to do is set your intention, begin the experiment, and allow yourself to get it wrong. Over time the habits will stick, and you’ll switch effortlessly between your presets.
3. Adjust the dial
With some practice, we begin to notice when our radio is going haywire, or replaying a segment that doesn’t serve us. In these moments, we can consciously adjust our radio dial — ever so gently — to a different channel.
Try simply observing the broadcast — notice if it’s serving you, and ask yourself if a different station might be airing a more constructive segment. To help with this, we can practice cognitive reframing techniques, such as Socratic Questioning.
We won’t necessarily be able to fine-tune our radio — or completely block out an undesirable frequency. Sometimes we’ll try to turn the dial, or jump to a preset station, and find the knob fixed stubbornly in place.
That’s okay — don’t force your radio. It’s better to let the show play out than to buck against it — resistance only creates tension. The presenter’s shift will be over soon enough, so we can just ride it out.
Living with your radio
Seeing the brain as a radio helps us understand that the brain has a mind of its own. We are not our thoughts — if anything, we are the witness to them. We are the audience.
Our radio waves are always broadcasting — they don’t stop, they just are. And that’s okay — it’s what a radio does, and it’s what the human brain does.
We can learn to let the waves flow through us. When we find that state of presence, we can enjoy the show when our favourite song request makes it to air — and be equally accepting when the shock jock host is blurting out derisive comments, and we’re reaching for the dump button.
