The entire day, my daughter had her favorite song playing on repeat. Unfortunately, it happened to be a song I absolutely disliked. But I had no choice—I listened to it over and over again. Hours later, she asked, “Amma, you said you didn’t like this song, so why are you singing it?” Only then did I realize, I was humming it unconsciously. Have you ever had a similar experience?

This made me reflect on how our minds work. Even if we don’t intentionally focus on something, what we repeatedly see, hear, or experience quietly slips into our subconscious. It settles there, sometimes without our awareness, influencing us in ways we don’t even recognize.

For years, I’ve carried a deep fear, of the dark, of isolated places, of being alone at night. Not because of personal experience. Not because of stories from those close to me. But because of the horror movies I watched as a child. The fear was planted in me without my knowing, and it grew silently over the years.

I remember a friend once telling me that after watching a serial killer movie, she cried for an entire week. It shook her deeply. That’s the thing about movies—they give us powerful, lasting visuals that are hard to erase. We pay money and call it “entertainment,” but some stories take root and shape our thoughts, our moods, and even our fears. It’s not just movies. It’s what we watch, read, scroll through, and listen to, every piece of content feeds our mind. Some nourish us. Some quietly corrode us.

Stay away from what makes you feel upset, stressed, or low. Be mindful of what your children are exposed to. What seems harmless today may quietly take root and shape their inner world in ways we can’t yet see.

Now, I choose more consciously. I stay away from horror and crime thrillers. I read reviews before watching anything. I choose light, feel-good stories that lift me. I’ve started walking away from the things that make me anxious. What about you—tuning in to what lifts you up or what pulls you down?  Are you still humming a song you never liked?

Which kind of energy are you letting into your space—nourishing or draining?