3/15/20

Easing into positive thinking

Yesterday during my thirty-minute morning swim the sun came bursting through the window and completely illuminated the whole pool. It was as if the sunlight was entering my pores from the outside in and washing away winter’s darkness.  I visualized that the rays of sun were sizzling, and spurring every cell in my body from stagnation into radical aliveness.  This visualization happened so fast.  It came so naturally with a simple ray of sun.  It also reminded me again about the power of positive thinking and the power of visualization.

I think there is something to be said for self-affirmations, visualizations and positive self-talk. When I was in high school, I went through a phase of reading self-help and New Age books.  I found them helpful at that time as I was able to shift some of my negative thinking patterns.  I had learned how to be a catastrophic thinker at a young age.  The tools in this genre of books helped me tremendously.

However, this is not to say that our goal should be to become a Pollyanna.  It is important to be authentic.  If we are having a bad day, it can be helpful to share our vulnerabilities and humanness with a friend.  It can also be helpful to let ourselves have a bad day—knowing that not all days have been bad or will be bad.  Self-talk at this time can look something like, “I am having a bad day.  However, all last week was a good week.  I will go easy on myself today knowing that this is not a permanent state.” 

Furthermore, it is important to maintain that balance between being authentic and kind to ourselves when things are not going well, and taking action to practice positive thinking and not over indulge in negative thought.  We have a responsibility to ourselves and our friends to look for and share our joys, gratitude and not just the challenges. 

Web MD recommends trying out some of these things to cultivate more positive thinking:

Keeping a gratitude journal

Smiling more (even fake smiles help as they will begin to feel more natural eventually)

Picturing your best possible future

Focusing on your strengths

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/positive-thinking-overview#2

Ask yourselves today:

Am I kind to myself and do I give myself permission to have a bad day?

What things do I do on a daily basis to cultivate positive thinking?

If I am more pessimistic by nature, do I think of optimism as skill I can learn instead of pessimism as a personality trait that dooms me?

Do I give myself a time and space to address my sadness, anger, grief, and more “negative” thoughts?

Do I consciously notice and give as much attention as possible to my joys, gratitude, excitement and more “positive” thoughts?