Cognitive neuroscientist Dr. David Vago has been studying the effects of mindfulness for nearly two decades. He says we all fall into the trap of defining ourselves by the emotions that we feel.

If we’re continually feeling anger or depression or anxiety we may think of ourselves as an angry, depressed, anxious person…..That becomes who you are, it becomes your self identity.

But thoughts and feelings, he says, don’t compose who you really are.

Who you are is just cells and organic compounds and water. And that’s going to continually change as your body constantly regenerates cells.

He’s done the math and says there’s 63,113,904 moments in every year, and each one of those moments is an opportunity to change your behaviour.

Every moment is an opportunity for you to change your mind and your behaviour. Because what content you put into your mind really will determine the course of your future selves.

And how do we change our thoughts, mind and behaviour? Through simple mindfulness.

Listen here for Dr. David Vago’s strategies for everyday mindfulness.

About Our Guest:

Dr. David Vago is the Research Director of the Osher Center of Integrative Medicine at Vanderbilt University where he is an associate professor in the departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Psychiatry. He is an associate psychologist in the Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School. He has also worked as a Senior Research Coordinator for the Mind & Life Institute and is currently a Mind and Life Fellow.