Transcending Tamas

Transcending Tamas

February 2023

Navni Chawla examines the inertia of the mind to understand it better and also explores  various solutions and possibilities to counter it 

“So many fail because they don’t get started—they don’t go. They don’t overcome  

inertia. They don’t begin.” 

-W. Clement Stone 

Have you ever felt stuck in life? Where, despite  having a serious intent to do something, you  are unable to begin it? Have you experienced  a certain stagnancy, where you want to move  ahead but you fail each time? Have you felt that  though you start things with great enthusiasm,  you are unable to touch the finish line? Do you  introspect and wonder about what stops you  from taking action or, rather, who stops you in  life altogether? Well, if you have been in this  dormant situation of not knowing what afflicts  you, you can, in all probability, be suffering  from ‘inertia of the mind.’ 

What is ‘inertia of the mind’? 

‘Inertia of the mind’ means operating from a  state of mind that is inert, tamasik, dormant,  ignorant, and lazy. When we lead life from a  tamasik mindset, then our life gets enveloped in  darkness, or ignorance, and all our actions are  delayed. We all have been in a place where we  have so much to accomplish but we cannot get  out of our beds in the morning. Delayed action  and procrastination are the first symptoms of  mental inertia, or sloth. Due to this inertia, we  also suffer from an inability to make strong  decisions in life. Laziness not only manifests  in the body but also in the mind. Physical  laziness stops us from exercising, going for a  walk, or just moving. Mental laziness or inertia  keeps us stuck in the non-productive loops  where we want to do something but aren’t able  to take the right action to make it happen.  

Amar Bose, an entrepreneur and academician,  says that there is an enormous amount of inertia  that prevents people from changing. Unless we  consciously change the energy of our old habits  and vicious patterns, it is difficult to do things  differently. “We need to glaze our actions with  a sattvik quality and bring in new energy to  break free from old, stagnant cycles,” he says  

Dorothea Brande, an American author, says  that all that is needed to break the spell of  inertia and frustration is to act as if it is  impossible to fail. Essentially, what she means  is that we should have a bold and optimistic  attitude towards all challenges in life so that  we only expect a positive outcome out of  all that we intend to do. This confidence to  overcome blocks in life helps us break the  inertia stemming from fear and doubt and also  motivates us to take action towards our goals.  

But, is just taking action enough? No. An  action done with full attentiveness and love  bears more fruits than a dry action without  mindfulness and love.  

What else could keep us stuck in the inertia  of the mind?  

•  Wrong goals: Fitzhugh Dodson, an  American psychologist, says that some  people, while working towards their goals,  find themselves seized by inertia when it’s  time to act. Then, in a scenario like that,  we must re-examine and re-evaluate our  goals in life. If we feel that the goal we  set out to accomplish is not so important,  then we must replace it with a more  suitable goal and continue taking steps  with renewed vigour and conviction. The  ultimate solution to the inertia of the mind  is to take the first step; it may be difficult  and painful, but it eases our way forward.  It lays a strong foundation for taking the  next steps in the direction of our dreams. 

Priyanka Rajput always wanted to start her  YouTube channel but would get nervous at  the idea of going out of her comfort zone of  anonymously taking tuition classes for young  children. One day, she realised that she would  not be able to fulfil her dreams if she didn’t  

take the first step. She drummed up courage  and shot her first cooking video after several  trials and posted it on the internet. Though she  still has to become a sensation, she is happy  that she was able to break the barrier and has  come much closer to her dream. 

•  Wrong environment: Deepak Chopra, a  renowned physician and Indian-American  author, says, “The real key is to live in an  environment where the mind feels free  to choose the right thing instead of being  compelled by habit and inertia to choose  the wrong thing.” 

This means that if we feel trapped and inactive  in a particular setting or around some people,  then we must change that environment. For  example, my brother who is studying computer  science in college feels that a lot of furniture in  his room, somehow, blocks him from studying  better. He likes to have more space and room  to move and think more clearly. So, he insisted  that my parents remove some furniture from  his room. Making such changes sometimes  helps. Deepak Chopra also says that inertia is  depression’s best friend. And so, it is crucial  to push ourselves and open the door to a new  brain pattern. 

•  Weak flesh: Another way to look at the  inertia of the mind is to relate it to the  inertia of the body. The body and mind  are always connected; they work as one  unified system. So, a lot of times when we  feel mentally stuck in habits and patterns  that do not serve us well, we should move  our bodies. When we become physically  active or exercise, ideas begin to flow. We  also feel more enthusiastic to take action. 

A friend of mine says that whenever she urges  herself to go out for a walk, she is flooded with  

ideas on different ways to carry out a particular  task. She feels as if a dormant innovator inside  her is unleashed as soon as her body moves.  Another friend of mine confirms this by telling  me about how after half an hour of a dancing  session, she is inspired to finish all her pending  work. Not only does finishing her work give  her immense satisfaction later, but it also lifts  a huge nagging burden from her head, leaving  her a lot lighter than before. Napoleon Hill,  a self-help American author, says, “Create a  definite plan for carrying out your desire and  begin at once, whether you are ready or not,  to put this plan into action.” And that is quite  agreeable. Sometimes, we need to be forceful  or strict and hard on ourselves to move beyond  our mental inertia.  

•  Waiting for an external push: Another  reason why we slip into inertia and get  stuck there is because we live in a perpetual  waiting mode as if something from outside  will come and save us. We keep waiting for  a nudge from outside to change ourselves.  Rohit Rastogi, a biologist by profession,  suffers from severe obesity. But instead of  determining to do something to shed the  extra weight, he keeps telling his friends,  “The day I decide to lose it, nothing will  be able to stop me.” However, days have  passed into months and months into years,  but he still has not been able to kick-start  his weight-loss journey. He is still waiting  for something big to trigger him to lose  weight. 

But sadly, this never happens. As the famous  saying goes, “God helps those who help  themselves.” We need to come out of la-la land  and face the truth that no one is going to come  to save us or live our life for us. Also, some  people are great at imagining things, making 

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giant plans, and thinking of great ideas but all  in vain as none of them are executed or put  into action. Nothing comes out of such futile  wishful thinking. Grace comes to those who  have exhausted themselves doing their best to  achieve their goals. 

How to overcome the inertia of the mind? Dr Bijal Maroo, a homeopathic consultant,  counselling and health psychologist, art-based  therapy practitioner, and an enthusiastic  writer and poet, gave me a very interesting  perspective on the inertia of the mind and how  to deal with it from her own life experience. 

Dr Maroo shares, “During the pandemic, I got  the rare opportunity to reflect on the direction  my life was taking. On introspection, I came  up with a long list of changes that I could make  in my life and my temperament. However, the  first two years were a struggle to effect these  changes. I often noticed myself slipping into  my old ways, a victim of the ‘inertia of my  mind.’ ‘Inertia,’ in physics, is defined as the  property of matter to continue in its existing  state of rest or uniform motion, along a straight  line, unless that state is changed by an external  force. It was frustrating on some days, and I  grew impatient with myself. On other days, I  felt more benevolent and gave myself a little  more rope. I reasoned it might take a little  more time as I wanted to change my DNA,  which was many years old. Later, it dawned  on me that it’s not the time factor that really  counts. Rather, it is the ‘external force’ [refer  to the definition] with which we make changes  that determines our success. Here, ‘force’ need  not be interpreted as willpower. We all know  that we cannot last very long by sheer use of  brute willpower. However, by ‘force’ I mean all  aids and allies that one can find and press into  use. I am sharing here a few things that worked  in my favour: 

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•  Bite off only as much as you can chew As often happens with new year resolutions,  we start with cartloads of enthusiasm.  One month into the new year, and all the  enthusiasm wanes; we slip into our old ways.  We fail because we target voluminous changes.  As an example, we want to lose all the excess  weight of 20–25 kilos, accumulated over half a  century, in merely one month. This is not just  an unrealistic goal but a sure shot recipe for  disaster. James Clear states in his book Atomic  Habits that if you make a one per cent change  daily, you will be 37.78 per cent better by the  end of 365 days.  

•  System reboot 

Doing one thing slightly different every day is  what most artists do to harness their creative  streak. It can be something as small as choosing  a different route for your daily commute. Try  a new beverage like coffee or turmeric latte  instead of your daily cuppa. Begin your day  with a new exercise regimen instead of your  usual walk or gym session. Pick up a book  instead of reading the news headlines. This  opens your mind to new possibilities and  makes it malleable enough to change age-old  habits and lifestyles. 

•  Accountability partner 

When we speak our intentions and our game  plan out loud, we are held responsible and  have to deliver on our goals. When we promise  only ourselves in the privacy of our mind, we  often manage to pull the wool over our eyes.  We don’t even get started on the change 

making journey. We find a million excuses  as to why the plan can’t be followed through.  An accountability partner helps to call our  bluff. I enlisted my sister’s help to step into  the role of my accountability partner, and she  plays it with gusto. On a jocular note, maybe  

she relishes getting even with her sibling, but  it has helped me stay on track with my goals. 

•  Seinfeld Strategy 

Jerry Seinfeld, the famous stand-up comedian,  had a huge wall calendar with the entire year  showing on one page. Each day, when he wrote  a new joke, he marked a large ‘X’ in red on his  calendar. His only deal was not to break the  chain. As he said, “After a point, you love seeing  the continuous red crosses on your calendar  and thus stay on course.” With consistency and  discipline, he soon had a very large repertoire  of jokes in his unique style. The freshness that  this one habit brought to his acts, translated  into a cool 286 million dollars in just one year  and a continuing 85 million dollars every year  thereafter. 

A habit-tracking app called Habitty is helping  me stick with my desired behaviour.  

•  Temptation Bundling 

James Clear of Atomic Habits fame urges us to  combine a habit we love with a habit we dislike  but need to inculcate. I hated exercising, so I  used this hack to encourage me to get my daily  exercise. I tied it up with listening to music or  audiobooks, as I love both music and reading  new books. My exercise session no longer  seems like drudgery. 

In conclusion, don’t let the inertia of the mind  bog you down. Remember, ‘Rome was not built  in a day.’ ”  

Yes, transforming one’s tamasik, dark, inert  energy into pure, majestic, sattvik energy can  take time and effort, but it is not impossible.  Praying to gods and angels to support you  in your inner transformation can help you  majorly because, when you genuinely wish to  change and ask them to intervene, they send  help. 

Mr Jaspal Soni, the president of the Chananda  Cultural Society, New Delhi, shared some  illuminating thoughts on this topic. He says,  “There are two compartments in our mind: (1)  the upper compartment which contains our  higher mind; and (2) the lower compartment  which contains our inert mind. The higher  mind is also called the positive or absolute  mind and contains divine virtues. The inert  mind is also called the negative or relative  mind and is filled with the vanities of worldly  wisdom. In that state, it is no longer resilient  and responsive to the delicate chords of the  higher mind located above. The following  affirmation repeated several times a day can  help us get rid of the negative energies from  the lower mind and fill it with the positive  qualities: ‘I am getting rid of the mental inertia  in my lower mind and filling it with the divine  qualities of my higher mind. So, help me, God!’ 

By self-monitoring and keeping a journal, a  slow and steady change can be observed within  the aspirant by themself and by others 

Dear readers, you are not alone in this. You  may be suffering from the inertia of the mind,  but your willpower can dispel that ignorance,  or darkness, in an instant. All you need to do is  show up for yourself and choose the right thing  as you will then taste the bliss and sweet nectar  of the results of your right actions (karma). You  may start small, one step at a time. But start!  When we make the right choices for ourselves,  our soul (atman) thanks us and expands. Use  your love; you have immense love in your  heart. When you use that love to do anything,  that action is purified. Out of that love also  flows great inspiration to bring our desires to  fruition by taking the necessary action.