Very simply put the mind is much like a computer.

In many of my articles I refer to a model of thinking. This is just the way I organize my thinking about thinking.

I first read about the idea in Dr. Maxwell Maltz's book "Psycho-Cybernetics" and learned more about from reading NLP and Cognitive Therapies.

Why should we care?  We as humans forget that thinking and how we think was learned from our parents, teachers and other elders.

No one paid attention to teaching us how to think. They assumed that we would learn to think simply by living through joyful and painful experiences.

But it is our thinking, how we think about these experiences, that can make the difference between mental illness and mental health.

Computer Like Mind

A computer has inputs, like the mouse and keyboard, it has a processor where the information from the mouse or keyboard is processed and interpreted and finally it has output, like the display and printers.

The processing takes place in programs that are written in memory and run in the processor. Every time you touch a key a signal is sent to a program that recognizes the signal and translates it into the correct image of a letter.

A computer also has feedback. The user is part of that feedback. The feedback tells system wether it is doing what it is supposed to .

The user enters words on the keyboard and sees the result on the display which he determines is correct or not correct. If it is incorrect he uses backspace or delete to fix the incorrect entry.

A computer is also a typical system, with inputs, processing, outputs and feedback.  The computer is used as an example of a system that is similar to the operation of the mind. Almost everyone is familiar with the computer and that is why the example is so often chosen.

There are other systems that we use but are not aware of. One for example is the cruise control on your car and of course the guidance systems in rockets where the feedback makes small corrections to make sure the rocket gets to where you want it to go, like the moon.

Mind is Like Computer

The mind is not a computer! It is far more complex. It is all flesh and biochemistry most of which is not fully understood.

Our inputs are our 5 senses, sight, hearing, touching or feeling, tasting and smelling. Some call our sense of balance a sixth sense.

In our processor, the brain, we also have programs that interpret the signals received from our inputs, our senses. These are our beliefs, attitudes, habits and thoughts.  

Our outputs are our emotions, feelings and behavior.

Both our senses and our outputs provide feed back so that we can adjust our behaviors.

Our emotions and  feelings tell us whether we are on course. They tell us whether we are doing what we need to do to get what we want.  If we are feeling depressed or anxious then our emotions and feelings are telling us that something we are doing needs to change.

There are many new therapies today that use this model of the mind. It is a useful way of thinking about thinking. And, because of the popularity of computers, it is easily explained.

Mind and Happiness

If happiness and success are what we want but sadness and low self-value is what we are getting then we need to change where our minds are taking us. We need to examine our automatic programs, attitudes and beliefs as we face day-to-day experiences.

How to we find happiness? It is by appreciating every small detail of life. Love life is not an empty phrase. It is directed to attitude. Find something useful in every thing you do or experience. Experiencing experience, breathing, learning, curiosity about what will happen next, wonder at all the marvels of life, happy to exist to experience life. These all attitudes to life that make you happier.

Happiness is joy in the moment. Happiness is accumulating a history of joyful moments. Success is finding the key that turns your moments into happiness.

Beliefs and Prejudices

Beliefs are those basic things that you believe about yourself and the world.

If you believe that you can not trust anyone then that is exactly how you will judge everything that happens to you.

Even when someone you love and should trust says something to you, like 'I love you' you always have this little doubt.

Then when you do something, you will also doubt yourself.

But notice that you have turned it upside down. You are blaming the world for how you think.  Yet all your thinking takes place in the privacy of your mind.

"They can't be trusted in my experience."

Unless you have experience with everyone in the world how do you know that everyone can not be trusted?

Mindful Awareness

Make it a habit of wondering if what you are experiencing through your senses is being logically interpreted and not just influenced because of your mood, your beliefs, your thoughts or your feelings. 

Are your automatic responses all that you rely on to make sense of your experiences?

Think about your thinking for your mental health.