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How to See Things From a Positive New Perspective

By Operation Meditation

Has something happened in your life happened that keeps you down? Maybe someone has hurt you? Or, perhaps someone you love has let you down?

Every situation and event in our life holds meaning to us. We attach feelings, thoughts and beliefs to it and then label it either ‘good’ or ‘bad’. And, we each assign these labels differently based upon our past experiences and what we’ve learned in our life.

For example, if you’re given a promotion to a new position at work, one you had to take because your position was being eliminated, you may decide that it’s good because it means a pay raise and a higher title with more authority. Or, you may decide that it’s bad because it means longer hours at the office and fewer weekends off.

The good news is that you can change your perspective and start to get joy out of situations that would normally disturb or upset you. Here’s how:

Become inquisitive. When you attach a negative feeling to an event or person, ask yourself why. What draws you to that conclusion? Is it based on past experience or has someone you know and trust labeled it that way?

Once you know why, question the validity of your assumption. Does your belief hold merit? Is it true 100% of the time?

For instance, if it upsets you when your spouse doesn’t take out the garbage, ask yourself why. Is it because they said they would and now they’re not living up to their word? Maybe it’s that you feel responsible for all the other housework and feel they could do something to pitch in?

Once you’ve highlighted why you’re upset, you can question whether your belief or assumption is accurate. As in the previous example, if you question your spouse’s actions being the same as their words, do they normally do what they say? Is it possible that they just got busy and forgot?

Reframe. Maybe something negative has happened to you and there’s no other way to take it than to think, “This sucks.” Being diagnosed with a disease or being involved in a car accident are not positive events. No one wakes up in the morning desiring these to happen in their day. So, what happens if they do?

You can reframe, or change, them from a positive to a negative event. Sound impossible? It’s not if you know how.

Using the example of being involved in a car accident, if you choose to look at the negative aspects (the fact that your body is sore, your car now has to be fixed and you were late for work), you’re going to add more stress and frustration to an already unpleasant event. However, if you focus on the positive aspects (injuries were minor, you swerved at just the right time to avoid a head-on collision and you have a coworker that lives close enough to help get you to and from work while your car is being fixed), the whole situation becomes easier to digest.

Meditate. It’s hard to see things from a new perspective when you’re stressed out and anxious. Meditation helps relieve those negative feelings leaving you open to a new refreshing point of view. How?

It boosts chemicals in your brain and body that alleviate depression, stabilize mood and help you deal with pain. It also increases your melatonin which is a chemical that enhances your ability to get a restful night’s sleep. It also decreases your level of cortisol which is linked to elevated blood pressure, blood sugar imbalances, heart attacks and more.

One meditation exercise you can do right now is to sit quietly and focus on your breathing. Breathe in. Breathe out. When you feel your mind wander, bring it back to your breathing.

By questioning your thoughts, reframing your beliefs and meditating to help change your state of mind, you’ll transform your world from dark and dreary to colorful and full of passion! How great does that sound?

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