The Window of Tolerance

Being psychologically well does not mean being super excited, happy or exuberant at all times.

We are seldom aware of the stability of our ‘pendulum’ of thoughts and feelings, and the steadiness of our state of mind. We let our thought stream cross all boundaries, unable to realize that the outside circumstances, people and events have gained power over them and pushed our mind to the extreme.

In psychological terms, our minds have a certain bandwidth within which we can tolerate discomfort, a certain speed range in which we can drive with ease, taking care of the challenges and problems. This is known as the window of tolerance.

If we cross the upward barrier in this speed range, we feel terrified, guilty or shameful. If we are below the bottom threshold of this window, we feel lonely, bored, alienated and numb. Remaining within the Window Of Tolerance is our daily challenge as we zig-zag between various emotions and try to keep ourselves sane by self-regulating the mind to remain in the ‘harmonious’ window, while not being stagnant.