Okay, here is a tool that you hear about a lot these days. While I have felt it’s effects in my life, I still struggle sometimes with this one. Sometimes, I struggle with skepticism, and even when I do believe in it, I sometimes struggle with the practice of it.
I had a nice chat yesterday with my friend Megan about this. She tries really hard to think and talk positively, and I admire her for that. I asked her how I could get better at this, especially in situations that seemed actually quite negative. How can I be optimistic about things when they are seeming not good? Put another way, how can I use my words to create positive manifestation (and good mental health) in my life without “stuffing” my negative feelings or ignoring the less than positive details?
She had a great idea… put a middle step in between the all-out-negative thought and the all-out positive thought. So, example: I was talking about how I need to find myself a good doctor so that I can refill a prescription in a couple weeks. I was saying that I didn’t think I’d be able to find a good one, because I have had a lot of bad experiences with doctors who are kind of bullies and I didn’t want my new doctor changing my prescription, because I think it’s about right. However, because I don’t have health insurance, I felt like I didn’t have any good options for places to look. She pointed out that instead of jumping from “I’m not going to find any good doctors,” to “I will find a good doctor,” I could start by stating my negative feeling “I’m scared I won’t find any good doctors.” By doing this, the leap to positive thinking would be a little bit easier because I would have first removed my feeling from my prediction of the outcome. I have my emotions, and I can acknowledge them without thinking they are the truth about the world.
It’s interesting that sometimes I am good at doing this. I moved to Chicago when I was very pregnant, and I went to more than one health care provider before I found one I liked. Even though I didn’t feel like I had a lot of options back then, either, I felt like I would somehow find something that was perfect for me. I did, too! I just kept on thinking positive thoughts about it, and I kept on searching.
Another example of positive thinking: months and months ago, my van got a flat tire in the garage. The tire that was flat had not been the tire in the worst shape previously, so I decided it would be unsafe to drive even with one new tire, because they were all ready to blow. I was being realistic, because soon thereafter another one went flat. But, instead of getting all glum about it, I decided to try to make it into a big adventure. The day of the first flat, I took the bus to a friends house and had a very lovely afternoon and evening. After that, I learned and became comfortable with the public transportation system in Chicago (which is lovely), and my life got a whole lot easier. My positive thinking didn’t change the fact my tires were flat, but it did keep me enjoying the freedom of life.
I’m going to do this (although I feel it may take some practice). I’m going to work on consistently speaking in the positive. Even when things are messy, I’ll try to make the best out of it, while still being as realistic as I can. I do think that it’s possible to manifest good things in life when you are positive (by calling forth synchronicity), and I also think it’s just a good move mental-health wise. So, I’m gonna do it! : )