Last year the family went on our yearly trip to Hawaii and I learned a major lesson on shifting my mindset.
We arrived on the island and I instantly started not feeling well. My head was throbbing, my throat swelled up and was soar, and my body felt tired and achy. When my fever spiked I knew I was getting sick. UGH! Why does this happen when you finally slow down?
I kept pushing through my cold, because I didn’t want to miss out on any of the activities we had planned. But I hit a day where I had to just stop.
I parked myself in bed, pulled the black curtains shut, and crawled under the covers. As I played in bed, I felt mad, sad, angry, and to be honest…. a little sorry for myself.
Why now! Of all times for me to be sick… why now!? I want to be spending time with my friends and family. But instead I’m laying in bed, feeling awful.
A few hours later I woke up… got out of bed… opened the curtains… and I was instantly reminded that I needed to be grateful. What a blessing this life is. Yes I’m sick at an inopportune time, but I am also incredibly lucky to be in this magnificently beautiful place with the people I love.
It’s His plan, not mine. When things don’t go our way, we tend to force taking back control. We lose trust in the journey. Our faith is effected and we get even more irritated with the situation… instead of just taking a step back, taking a deep breathe in, and trusting in Him or the Universe.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.”
Here are some tips on shifting your mindset:
- Focus on your breath – If you notice your ramping up your own irritation in a situation, take a few minutes to yourself and focus on your breath. Find a quiet place away from others, and take deep breaths in the nose and out the mouth. On your inhale count to at least 5, and do the same for your exhale. This will help to calm your body and mind, which will help to reset your mindset.
- Reality check yourself – when you start to get discouraged and notice the negative talk is creeping up on you, react and respond to the negative thoughts with something positive! Even if it doesn’t feel natural and feels somewhat forced. Do it! For every negative thought, there is an equal and even more powerful positive thought!
- Trust the process – whatever it is you’re going through, remind yourself to trust the process. We all go through difficult seasons, which is why it is so important to just trust in your higher power.
- Surround yourself with positivity – Put people in your life that build you up, support you, and who will be honest with you in any situation. They have your back and they know exactly what to say to snap you out of a funk. If that person isn’t standing next to you, then give them a call!
What are some of the ways you’ve learned to shift your mindset? Share below! What has helped you, might be the key to helping someone else!
Law of Attraction has helped me tremendously. Now that I am feeling good a lot of the time, the other times I know change my thoughts to change my mind. I am blessed but have always copped to being a “spontaneous ” person & watching you Challenge has made me realize how important goals are.
When I was younger I use to write down the negative feelings that I felt on a piece of paper, once it was all written down I would rip it up and throw it away. It seems silly, but it actually worked for me. The writing part already started the process of calming me down and when I was done destroying it and throwing it away it made me feel refreshed like I wasn’t carrying it around with me anymore.
I LOVETHIS Jennifer!!! What a great idea!
OMG I am totally using this. I think that it would really help me. Thank you for sharing.
Hello Chalene, first excuse my bad frenglish 😉
What I do when I have negative thoughts (and unfortunately life gives me reasons to have some), I think of all the good things I ‘m fortunate to have, simple things, but not everybody has this chance. So yes, I don’t have all that Ilike, but I love all what I have!
I spend time meditating on Scripture everyday. It takes my eyes off my selfish agenda and keeps my priorities right. I’m so grateful for the way the Lord’s word changes my heart.
that’s awesome Jennifer!
A few years back (and occasionally these days) I struggled with automatic negative response. If someone did something or said something directly or indirectly to me, more times than not, I had an automatic negative reaction. It had gotten out of control by the time I identified it. My method of retraining my brain was simple but took practice, a lot of effort and accountability. I researched inspirational quotes, scripture, positive affirmations and sayings that touched me. I created sticky notes, thought bubbles if you will, and hung them all over; my office, on my bathroom mirror, near light switches, on the wall at the kitchen sink, the dashboard of my car. Those quotes eventually became my “go to” automatic responses when I felt the negativity creeping in.
Chenoa this is a such a great comment! I’ve got to give you MAJOR props for recognizing this as an area you wanted and needed to fix! That is SO AMAZING! Not many people actually do what’s necessary to change their thought patterns. We are all continual works in progress and as long as we are doing our best every day to be better, happier, more positive humans, then what more can you ask for 🙂