Do you get overwhelmed by challenges? Do your limitations scare you?
You’re not alone. In fact, we both are sailing pretty much in the same boat. But we’re lucky to have our unique challenges, because if you don’t have anything to struggle against, you don’t have anything to struggle for.
And that’s the point. When you struggle, you crash and break in an emotional sense. Things don’t always work the way you expect and you run out of ideas and out of steam. When you work with a perceived limitation like a disability (as most physical environments often make us feel), you should be mentally prepared to take on the challenges pretty much every second.
There’s a way to put back all broken pieces, heal and move on. A kind of band aid for the broken self: that’s what I’m sharing here.
This’s not for clinically depressed or those who need counselling (consult a psychiatrist or trained counsellor in such cases). This’s more like a maintenance manual for positive attitude.
I’m sure you’ve heard of storytelling. That might remind you of your grandma’s bedtime stories.
But Storytelling is something more than that, it’s a narrative we construct around us through self-talk, what people call affirmations. Nuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) trainers call this visualization.
You need an idea (a positive one), a focus, a goal to visualize and use affirmations. Like building audio and video around a movie script. On a tough working day or emotionally painful moments, take a few minutes to get out of the situation, close your eyes, take ten or twenty deep breaths and think of a joke or a movie scene. Think of a time when you had your excellent exam results or when you cleared your job interview.
You’ll feel yourself calming down and relaxing. Those past moments (part of who you are as a person) also make you realise that you’ve actually had the best moments before and have no reasons to think such moments won’t come back. Repeat the statements – ‘I’m feeling good. I’m healthy. I’m strong.’ Keep repeating it, feel it’s meaning and the energy entering your blood stream.
Now, a part of your mind might be caught in disbelief. It keeps telling you this won’t work. But the affirmation, the self-talk you’re doing is real. If you don’t believe you’re strong, then who else will? After all, you’ve had good times before. Right? If you doubt yourself, you can’t get out of pain or distress. And, of course, mere worrying isn’t going to solve anything.
So, ignore the doubter. Get back to your exercise. As you keep telling you’re strong, feel the smile lighting up your face. Tell yourself ‘I’m wonderful. I love myself.’ You’re feeling much better at this stage. Take more deep breaths and open your eyes.
Now, your mind is calm enough to think of a solution to beat your challenge. You also realise that difficult situations are temporary. Also, it’s not the difficulty, but the way you respond to it that makes you successful. Right?
Also, don’t forget that positive thinking doesn’t happen in a lightning flash but through life long practice. Keeping your mind and emotions healthy is a daily exercise, like getting on a treadmill or practicing yoga, or cleaning your living space. When you have tough situations ahead of you, it’s hard to negotiate them without inner strength. Life, in fact, is all about staying strong.
Get up with positive thoughts and get back to bed with contentment.
Now, I’m not a self-help guru or a trainer. But I practice positive thinking and am only sharing what I do.
If you like this, you may want to read a self-talk manual I’ve created to transform your day. Again, this’s entirely out of something I’ve practiced for a long time. Download it here:
https://www.sendspace.com/file/4pef86
This link will be available for a limited time only. If you are unable to get the document and want it, leave a comment with your email and I shall send it to you.
And, there’s a lot more that I’d like to share on storytelling, its therapeutic value and how you can build a personal narrative to add personal value. Subscribe here to learn more: