Day 3 “The Power of Your State of Mind”

I don’t know about you, but for me this is a very interesting journey.


I spent sometime over the Holiday weekend going over the first two lessons and thinking about the exercises we were asked to complete. One thing that just kept jumping out at me and one that my clients often ask me about is; “that annoying little voice inside your head”. I know that sounds funny however I also know most of you if not all, know exactly what I’m talking about. Sometimes referred to as “the annoying little voice inside your head” and sometimes referred to as negative self-talk. I don’t think it matters what name you use, only that you have a way of quieting or changing it from negative to positive.

We all have moments when the road we’re on gets a little rocky and it’s a good idea to have a plan in place for how to quiet the voice or change the negative self-talk. This subject weighed on me until I decided that it was important enough to address it before we moved on to the next lesson. So I pulled together a list of things that I use to shift my negative thoughts and or moments to positive ones, I call them my “Lifetude Helpers”;

 Test my negative self talk

Ask questions such as

Am I 100% sure that it’s true (or going to turn out that way)?

What evidence do I have to disprove it (look for positive things to dispel the negative)?

If a friend came to me saying these things about themselves, what advice would I give to them?

What is the best thing that could happen, why not focus on that?

Is thinking this way helping achieve my goals or stopping me?

There are so many different questions you can ask yourself. Write a few of the things you normally say to yourself when the negative self-talk starts creeping in and see what questions you can come up with to turn the negative statements into a positive ones. Once you have changed the negative statements to positive ones write them on index cards and put them some place they will be readily available.

 Sing a song (this is one of my favorites)

Sing a silly funny or up-beat song, one that makes you feel good

Have you ever tried this? Well it’s very difficult to stay in a bad mood or have negative thoughts while singing a silly song. It might seem a little strange at first but it works for me and I have a few clients who use this method as well.

 Gratitude Stone

I have some wonderful river rocks that I have associated the things I am grateful for with. I carry one or two in my pocket, keep another in my car and one at my office. All I have to do is see it or touch it and I see the smiling faces of my daughters, family, and friends. I only need to look at them to recall who’s waiting at home for me, and all the great times we have had together. I have so much in my life that I am truly grateful for and the Gratitude stones are a subtle reminder.
 Meditate

On your own or guided can be very calming as well as have other positive effects on you and your body.

 Affirmations

I believe that positive affirmations on a regular basis can help you change negative self-talk into positive self talk.

 Take a step back and see the situation from the outside.

What can be changed? What can you do differently? How would you help someone in the same situation?

 Hypnosis

 Call a friend or someone that is a positive inffluence in your life.


The above is a small list of ways to shift negative energy to positive. You can use one, all, any combination, none, or if none of these work for you are welcome to email me at Barbara@lifetude.com and I would be happy to help you discover some other options.

That brings us to our next Life Lesson, #3 “Releasing the How, So the Dream Can Unfold”, which we will cover in tomorrow’s entry.

Until then, smile often you never know whose day you'll brighten.

Barbara
http://www.lifetude.com/