In this post, we’ll explore all you need to know about the Conscious Mind and Subconscious Mind, defining exactly what they are, the differences between them, how to leverage them and more.
What Is The Conscious Mind?
The Conscious Mind (CM) is the part of the mind that manages thoughts, decisions and awareness of the present moment.
What Is The Subconscious Mind?
The Subconscious Mind (SM) is the part of the mind that manages memories, habits and automatic responses.
The Differences Between The Conscious Mind & Subconscious Mind
The Conscious Mind is the seat of your thoughts and free will. The Subconscious Mind is the seat of your feelings and habits.
The Conscious Mind controls short-term memory, intentional behaviours and intellectual processes. The Subconscious Mind controls long-term memory, instinctual behaviours and physical processes.
The Conscious Mind is active, logical and deliberate. The Subconscious Mind is passive, intuitive and automatic.
Conscious Mind Versus Subconscious Mind Table Summary
Below is a table summarising the differences between the Conscious Mind and Subconscious Mind.
| Conscious Mind | Subconscious Mind |
|---|---|
| Thoughts | Feelings |
| Free Will | Habits |
| Short-Term Memory | Long-Term Memory |
| Intentional Behaviours | Instinctual Behaviours |
| Intellectual Processes | Physical Processes |
| Active | Passive |
| Logical | Intuitive |
| Deliberate | Automatic |
How To Leverage Them
While the Conscious Mind and Subconscious Mind are perceived as two separate functions, they operate at their best when used in combination.
The Subconscious Mind operates like a program that is generated from all of your habitual behavioural patterns (thoughts, feelings and actions). This program acts like software that dictates almost all of your behaviour. In other words, you behave in alignment with the information stored in our subconscious mind.
Therefore, the key to leveraging both the CM and the SM is to use your CM to determine what behaviours are necessary to achieve your goals and the life you desire and then to integrate those behaviours into the SM so that they become automatic.
In doing so, you become the Master of your Destiny instead of a Slave to your Fate.
Summary (TL;DR)
The Conscious Mind is the part of the mind that handles active thoughts, decisions and awareness of the present moment. The Subconscious Mind is the part of the mind that handles memories, habits and automatic responses.
The Conscious Mind controls short-term memory, intentional behaviours intellectual processes. The Subconscious Mind controls long-term memory, instinctual behaviours and physical processes.
The key to leveraging both the CM and the SM is to use your Conscious Mind to determine what behaviours are necessary to achieve your goals and the life you desire and then to integrate those behaviours into the Subconscious Mind so that they become automatic.
