Samuel Acosta's Key Ideas from Mindsight
by Daniel J. Siegel

Mindsight is a set of psychological steps we can take to comprehend and mold our inner selves, the way it would be best for our wellbeing.  

Meditation is an example of practicing mindsight since it makes us aware of our thoughts and breathing.

However, mindsight is much more than just a meditation you can do when you have the time to be alone and reflect. Instead, it is a tool that will help you deal with things when they get overwhelming.

Mindsight is based on three pillars:

• Observation is learning to become aware the moment when unwanted thoughts distract your focus.
• Objectivity is an observation of your thoughts and feelings without any judgment.
• Openness is acceptance of your thoughts and emotions as part of your being and not allowing them to stress you out.

Extremes are never good. Do not follow anyone’s plan to reach a goal or shape your inner being. Instead, focus on finding your own inner balance.

Start by accepting all of your emotions, thoughts, and actions as part of your being.

Think of yourself as a gently flowing river. You won’t clash with the people in your life and your environment, but just embrace them, make room for them, flow around them and continue on your original course.

This means accepting that it’s normal for your actions, emotions and thoughts to fall into different places on a big spectrum and trying to balance emotional and rational thinking, so that neither completely takes over.

If you’re reactive, every complaint your partner makes feels like a threat. You instantly go into freeze-fight-or-flight mode, trying to pretend nothing happened and ignore the problem, run away or attack your better half – none of which are good responses and ultimately lead to a big communication problem.

But if you manage to stay receptive to your partner’s feelings, you’ll always find a way to talk things through.