Episode 7: Sit, Stay, Heal

Training the Mind Like a Puppy

Training your attention is like training a puppy: it wanders, you bring it back — again and again.

Dr. Gelbart explores how self-kindness and repetition can form new mental habits without self-criticism.

Tags: attention training, self-kindness, mindfulness, habit change, DBT

Hashtags: #TrainYourMind #MindfulRepetition

✨ Thanks for listening to The Potent Mind.

🎧 Subscribe for weekly insights on mindfulness, neuroplasticity, and conscious living.

🌐 Learn more and access free resources at www.thepotentmind.com

💬 Have a question or reflection? Reach out anytime at [e-mail]

How to train your brain.

[e-mail]

✨ Thanks for listening to The Potent Mind.


🎧 Subscribe for weekly insights on mindfulness, neuroplasticity, and conscious living.


🌐 Learn more and access free resources at www.thepotentmind.com


🧠 Created by Dr. Jerry Gelbart | © 2025 All rights reserved

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
If you think it's going to rain, it will.
Clint Eastwood Most of us don'trecognize the clutter in our
minds.
Most of what we think and ofwhat we feel is irrelevant.
The trick is focusing on theimportant stuff.
In the end, it's about what wedo.
If it is a value or priority toexercise three times per week,

(00:25):
does it matter whether we feellike it or want to?
Soon I'll be helping you toidentify and understand your
emotions and impulses moreclearly than you ever have
before.
Listening to our feelings, andwhenever possible being able to
act freely and spontaneously arecrucial factors in finding
health, happiness, passion, andfulfillment.
Yet we need to spend a fewminutes addressing when not to

(00:47):
listen to ourself.
There are lots of times thatwhat we feel is not important.
I feel bad.
I have a burp.
I pass gas.
we can get too distracted fromthings that are much more
valuable use of our attention.
I'm too tired may need to bebrushed aside if we have an
important deadline, if we haveto get up to feed a child, and

(01:09):
many other times to get what wewant in a larger sense.
There are also times when we mayfeel like doing something that
is contrary to our goals orvalues, such as buying or
eating.
Many of us feel like eating foremotional reasons, such as
loneliness or frustration.
Feeling like eating in thesesituations is not out of hunger,

(01:29):
which we should listen to, butinstead it's a conditioned
response we've learned to sootheour negative emotions.
As we go down our list ofemotions, you'll learn to
untwist your feelings and betterunderstand when and why you feel
like eating for emotionalreasons and what you can do
instead.
When we feel like doing thingsthat are contrary to our values
or long-term goals, we can learnto redirect.

(01:53):
In order for our spaceship toperform at peak levels, we must
be sure to get healthyquantities and quality of sleep
and of nutrition.
As you take better care of yourbody by exercising, reducing
stress and eating better, youwill sleep better and have more
energy for exercising and beingproductive in other ways.
Exercising regularly alsoinoculates you against the

(02:14):
physical and psychologicaleffects of stress.
If you want to do big thingswith your life, you'll have to
make the little ones routine,automatic.
whether you feel like it or not.
Examples would be going to bedand getting up at regular times,
hygiene, eating healthy,positive attitude, exercising

(02:37):
regularly.
Exercise is so important that Ihave to devote at least another
paragraph.
It's hard to imagine a brainbeing able to work anywhere near
its peak unless the body isbeing taken care of.
A regular exercise program,which includes accepting where
you are and challenging yourselfto be better, will improve your

(02:57):
mental effectiveness andpsychological wellness.
Strengthening the bodystrengthens the mind.
As I described, all the fourspheres interact.
So there are also ways you canuse your mind to strengthen your
body to get in the habit ofexercise.
Make exercising a priority atleast three times a week.
Schedule it.

(03:18):
Do it whether you feel like itor not.
Pay attention to what you say toyourself about exercising.
Build in rewards for going.
Build in consequences for notgoing.
Examples, no desserts, friendcomes over and breaks a CD, or
write out a check to your leastfavorite charity, for example,
the American Nazi Party, andgive it to a friend to mail if

(03:41):
your goal is not met.
Use music.
If you walk, run, Use atreadmill or a cross trainer.
Start with music you like at thepace you currently go.
Find music that is slightlyfaster and gradually increase
the tempo of the music in theexercise.
You need to focus your mindprimarily on the activity you're
doing.

(04:01):
Try to clear your mind ofeverything else.
Use exercise as a time to clearyour mind, perhaps getting into
a trance-like state.
Imagine how good you'll feelafter you're done.
When you do what you have to dobefore what you want to do, you
also experience a sense ofhaving earned what you want or
enjoy.
As long as these pleasurableactivities are within the

(04:22):
guidelines of your values, youget them guilt-free.
Another way to look at it isrewarding yourself for doing
what you'd rather not do.
I give myself jacuzzi and steamroom only after exercising.
Going out with friends incollege was a reward for getting
my work done.
You can't get to be a doctorunless you're willing to do a
lot of things you'd rather notdo along the way.

(04:45):
Conversely, if you're willing toput things you have to do before
the things you want to do, evenif you don't feel like doing
them, you can fulfill yourdreams.
All of this must be within theguidelines of your value system.
You can decide that this is howyou will lead your life.
Mind gem number seven.

(05:06):
Procrastination is doing what wefeel like doing before what we
need to do.