Do you want to be able to quickly change your state of mind so you can easily tackle obstacles and master your emotions? If so, I’ve got a few strategies for you that you can start using today.
I was sitting in the park with a client talking about a project when all of a sudden we got distracted by loud noises. As we looked up we saw 2 little kids probably less than the age of 5. One older brother and one younger brother.
The older brother was running towards the park pigeons and screaming “aaaaaaaaah”. A second later the littler brother (3-4 years in age) started to copy him. He runs after the pigeons screaming “aaaaaaaaah”.
It was the cutest thing. But that is not what moved us. We sat and watched the behaviour of this child and how he went from one state to another in a flash of a second. I.e running around screaming “aaaaaaaah”, to general observation mode, to curiosity, excitement and wonder. It was amazing he was changing state from second to second.
It was amazing to see how this young child was going through a learning experience all from copying his brother. In NLP this is known as “Modeling” which is the process of adopting the behaviours, language, strategies and beliefs of another in order to ‘build a model of what they do.
A young child is in the perfect optimal state for learning new things because it has no pre-conditioning. A child will try anything. and on many occasions will succeed and keep trying.
But we as “Adults” try and then give up to easily. If you watch a child when it is young it is inspired by adults to walk as s/he sees adults walking all the time. The child will get up, fall down, get up, fall down numerous times in order to copy us to walk. And when it takes its first steps, no one can take away the joy and happiness that it feels.
My self and my client started speaking about how we adults get conditioned and choose not to change state when we get ourselves in one. It’s sad but then again many people do not realise that they have the ability to change state, but choose not to due to so-called behaviour of “adults” and how “adults should behave”.. If you are upset, why choose to remain upset? If you are depressed why choose to remain depressed? If you feel happy why not choose to stay happy for no dam reason at all. Now that does not mean go out with a big smile on your face so that everyone thinks you are mad (then again there’s nothing wrong with that). It just means that we have the ability and the resources to be however we choose to be.
It’s easy to feel negative about your prospects, especially if you’re facing a challenge. But if you want to find a solution and get back on track, or stay on track in the first place, you need to master your emotions and adapt to a more positive outlook on obstacles.
Try these 16 surefire ways to change your state of mind and become more positive:
Contents
- 1 – Get out of your head and into your body.
- 2 – Ask yourself questions (and answer them).
- 3 – Smile
- 4 – Relax
- 5 – Call up an old friend
- 6 – Go for a walk
- 7 – Stop overthinking
- 8 – Be present
- 9 – Take a break
- 10 – Practice gratitude
- 11 – Meditate or do yoga
- 12 – Say it a new way
- 13 – Don’t get caught up in the story
- 14 – Change your posture
- 15 – Visualize
- 16 – Affirmations
1 – Get out of your head and into your body.
Don’t look at things in the abstract—get real, right away. For instance, if you’re worried about money, don’t just think about it in the abstract; sit down with paper and pencil and figure out what needs to be done; write it down; make a plan; decide who you need to talk to; set up a meeting. Being specific takes you out of your head and into the real world where there are concrete solutions that can be implemented. Learn how to manage your emotions and be present.
2 – Ask yourself questions (and answer them).
If you feel like nothing is working out, ask yourself why? If you feel like things are impossible, ask yourself how? If you feel like something is too big for you, ask yourself what small steps can I take today? And then do them! Asking yourself questions forces your brain to
3 – Smile
When you smile, you automatically make yourself feel happier. You also make others around you feel happier as well!
Think about something that makes you happy
Thinking about things that make you happy will make you feel happy. It’s as simple as that!
4 – Relax
Relaxing is a great way to help release stress and negative feelings from your body and mind. Try doing some deep breathing exercises or taking a bath in a warm tub full of bubbles!
5 – Call up an old friend
Talking with someone who makes you smile and laugh is always a sure-fire way to change your state of mind into one of happiness and positivity!
6 – Go for a walk
Walking outside in nature has many benefits including reducing stress levels by 40%! So get those shoes on and go for a hike
7 – Stop overthinking
We all know this is easier said than done, but at the end of the day, we have the power to control our thoughts and what we tell ourselves.
The more you think about something, the more it will continue to bother you.
8 – Be present
A lot of us live in the past or in the future. Don’t be stuck on what happened in the past, or how things are going to play out in the future.
Take each day as it comes and focus on being productive for that day.
9 – Take a break
If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, take a break and go for a walk, read a book or talk to a friend. Do whatever it takes to get your mind off of things. Even if it’s just 10 minutes, that can really help you refocus and come back stronger.
10 – Practice gratitude
It’s important to appreciate what we have and find joy in small things throughout our day. There are always things to be grateful for, even when you’re having a bad day!
11 – Meditate or do yoga
Meditation and yoga are great ways to clear your mind and focus on your breathing and body movements. This can help reduce stress and anxiety
12 – Say it a new way
When you can’t change the situation or people around you, you can change how you view the problem. The next time you find yourself complaining, stop and say it a new way.
13 – Don’t get caught up in the story
If you want to be happy, don’t get caught up in the story of your life. We all have a story of who we are and what we’ve gone through in life. It’s our job to update this story as we grow and learn. Constantly replaying our stories never serves us well. If your story is making you unhappy, update it!
14 – Change your posture
Your posture affects your mood more than you think! When we feel down, our bodies tend to slouch forward, which can lead to feelings of sadness and low confidence. Practicing good posture with shoulders back, chest out and open will make you look strong and confident and make you feel that way too. It’s impossible to frown when your face is open like this! Try it now – smile! Feel better?
15 – Visualize
The power of visualization is a topic that I have touched on before in my article on the science of visualization. So if you haven’t heard about the power of visualization yet, I suggest you start there first.
Visualization is basically creating a mental image of what you want to happen, how you want things to be, or how you want to feel. You create this image in your mind by effectively tricking yourself into believing that it has come true, which in turn will influence your behaviour and habits as well as your attitude and beliefs.
But why does it work? Because our brains cannot distinguish between what is real and what is not real when we create an image in our mind. This is because we use the same parts of our brain for both, which means that if we are able to visualize something vividly enough – then it will be almost as if it has already happened in our minds.
16 – Affirmations
Affirmations are basically positive statements that aim to challenge negative thoughts and replace them with more positive ones. They are similar to visualizations but instead of using images they rely on rewording negative thoughts into more positive ones.
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