I recently attended a conference featuring Dr. Caroline Leaf, Rusty Labuschagne, and Yolande Korkie, focused on the theme of renewing your mind daily. Dr. Caroline Leaf, renowned for her work on the mind-body connection and psycho-neurobiology, discussed how toxic thoughts and habits affect the brain. Rusty shared his story of being wrongfully imprisoned for ten years in Zimbabwe after defending his safari business from poachers. Yolande recounted her family's ordeal of being kidnapped by Al-Qaeda in Yemen, which resulted in her husband's tragic death.

Dr. Leaf explained that suppressed emotions, when not dealt with healthily, are like a volcano ready to erupt, leading to mental turmoil and compromised health. True change, she emphasised, comes from rewiring the brain by navigating the emotional highs and lows and learning to re-conceptualise one's perspective.

Despite their harrowing experiences, these individuals shared a common trait: they did not let their thoughts control their behaviour. They understood that while they couldn't change their past, they could transform their brokenness into betterment by reprogramming their thinking.

Rusty Labuschagne, through his website (www.beatingchains.com) and his book of the same title, shares life lessons learned from his ordeal in Zimbabwe:

 
·         Prioritize your health (mental and physical), as it underpins everything else.
·         Value your friends.
·         Be humble and grateful for even the small things.
·         Do more of what is good for you.
·         Make time for your family and uphold family values and traditions.
·         Recognize that the past exists only in your mind and only if you allow it.
·         Live in the moment and practice mindfulness.
·         True forgiveness frees you from past resentments and bondage.
·         Focus on what you have, not on what you lack.

Yolande's book, "558 Days: A True Story," details the couple's kidnapping, their separation from their children, and Pierre's death during a rescue attempt. At the conference, Yolande emphasised that their survival and mercy received were due to divine intervention and their strong faith, which gave them a sense of control. This mindset, she stressed, is intentional and not automatic.

Everyone experiences negative emotions at some point in their lives, and this is normal.  It is only when emotions such as grief, loss, depression or anxiety takes over your thinking and becomes the lens through which you view the world, that reaching out for help becomes crucial.