How to support your mental health based on your ajna center definition

Why your mind likes to take the wheel, how to stop this from happening, and some words of wisdom for each ajna gate

When I shared April’s topic (well-being by design) on my social channels, I received a message from a community member asking if I was planning to cover mental health. It was on the list, to be sure, but it was somewhere near the bottom if I’m being honest. Mostly because there is so much to cover under the “well-being” umbrella and people typically tend to be more curious about things like diet, exercise, and stress.

But I couldn’t stop thinking about the request. And as an emotional authority, this often means there’s something there worth exploring.

Over the past few months, I’ve observed a lot of folks openly referencing a decline in their mental health — whether it’s seasonal or inspired by recent global events (and players). I’m almost ashamed to admit that I’ve become someone “numb” to all the political and financial market news. I have (somewhat successfully) avoided mainstream media for several years now in an effort to protect my undefined spleen, and while I’m generally much happier in my self-blown bubble, even I can’t escape the heaviness of this moment.

So, I’ve decided to share some best practices for how to support your inner mental landscape based on your human design — specifically, your ajna definition.

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Before we dive in, I want to make it very clear that I am NOT a medical professional. Everything I share in this article is based on my own personal observations, curiosities, and experiments. If you have a serious mental health condition, I highly recommend complementing the practices described here with professional support from a doctor or licensed therapist.

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Photo by Lynn Kintziger on Unsplash

The mind speaks in stories, not truths

It’s shocking to me how taboo mental health still is. Most Americans reading this may disagree — there have been an increasing number of influential celebrities and athletes who have spoken up about the importance of this topic over the past few years — but in the rest of the world, it’s not taken nearly as seriously as it should be.

Because the repercussions of poor mental health are not isolated to the mind. The well-documented mind-body connection demonstrates the reciprocity between our thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and fears…and our physical well-being. (This is also what I’ve been exploring in this month’s masterclasses!) I firmly believe, for example, that unaddressed anxiety can manifest as an autoimmune disease, just like suppressed emotions can lead to chronic UTI’s.

The tricky part is that many of us truly believe we are our thoughts. We identify with our perceived version of reality — and our mind is very good at convincing us that this version of reality is real: “I’m a bad mom”, “I don’t have what it takes”, “everyone is laughing at me”, “I’m going to feel like this forever”.

But these are thoughts…not truths.

Our attachment to the mind is unsurprising in a world that places rational thought on a pedestal. From a young age, we’re conditioned to believe that the only “good” decisions are decisions you can validate with a logical explanation. And the “smartest” kids in the class are destined to be the most successful.

But society fails to acknowledge how dangerous the mind can be — and how much power it has over us. (Probably because the people in power depend on their ability to manipulate our minds.)

Fortunately, many spiritual leaders and traditions — including people like Eckhart Tolle, Ram Dass, Michael Singer, and Rumi — have brought attention to the fact that the mind is not the end-all-be-all. In fact, it’s the least trustworthy part of us. Tolle even declares that all human suffering is the result of over-identifying with the mind (which he also refers to as the ego).

What these authors are trying to convey to us is that we are so much more than our thoughts. We have access to a greater consciousness — a higher self, an intuitive knowing — that is capable of observing the thoughts without becoming attached to them. And if you can tap into this state of consciousness and witness yourself thinking the thought — “I’m a bad mom” — while simultaneously acknowledging that this is not an inarguable truth, you will experience a type of freedom and peace you didn’t know existed.

According to these spiritual teachers, the key to eliminating the chokehold our mind has on us — and improving your mental health — is awareness. If we can bring awareness to our thoughts and view them as separate from ourselves, we can quiet the mental chatter long enough to tap into that wiser, all-knowing part of us. Some refer to this part of ourselves as the soul, but in human design, we refer to is as the body.

Passenger consciousness

In human design, no one — not even “mental projectors” — are designed to make decisions exclusively from the mind.

The mind is meant to be the passenger on this wild ride of life — and the body is meant to be in the driver seat. In other words, the way to make aligned decisions — and pursue aligned opportunities — is trusting that your body knows the way. That it will be attracted to the people, opportunities, and spaces that are meant for you, so you can allow your mind to sit back and observe the rollercoaster ride…with as little interfering and back-seat driving as possible. In human design, we refer to this as “passenger consciousness.”

So, the best thing you can do for your overall health and well-being, is remind your mind that it’s not in charge. Because if your mind continues to buy into the conditioned narrative that it’s here to operate your vehicle, it will make your life much harder and far less enjoyable. Plus, you will never end up living out your purpose and experiencing the overwhelming peace that comes with it.

So, where do we start?

When it comes to mental health, there are several energy centers to consider including the spleen, the solar plexus, the ajna, and the crown. However, for the purposes of this post, I want to focus on the ajna: the energy center that represents the cognitive brain. This is the part of us that gathers data points, analyzes them, and draws (logical) conclusions.

However, keep in mind that your mental health will also be heavily influenced by your emotions, anxieties, and insecurities, so it’s still important to explore these other areas of your chart as well. For a more complete picture, I recommend checking out my personalized Well by Design report, which has a section dedicated to your mental and emotional well-being.

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In case you’re new(er) to human design..

You can look up your chart HERE. The ajna center is the second shape from the top that looks like an upside down triangle. If this shape is colored in your chart, your ajna is defined; if it’s white, your ajna is undefined.

If your ajna is defined…

If your ajna center is defined, your brilliant, busy mind will play an important part in how you interact with and make sense of the world.