I’m going to be talking to you about a tool that I have used for a very long time for myself and that I use with my clients. That is Creative Visualization to help you to stop negative thinking. Now we all suffer sometimes from that big bad monster negative thought. We all know how it can stop us from taking action, from doing and having the things that we really want in our lives.
Creative visualization can be very useful for you if you suffer from a habit of negative thoughts. So first let’s just talk a little bit about the mind.
Now, the mind is a creator it’s creating all the time and basically it’ll create what every storyline that you give it. You can give your mind the worst case scenario, crime horror, tragedy, or you can give it a comedy, romantic, happy endings, hero solution, evolutionary ideas scenarios. Whatever, it is that you give your mind it will create for you. The only thing is that the mind doesn’t know that you would take it so seriously. The mind is playing around with thoughts and creating all different kinds of scenarios. You just need to make sure that you’re the director of the film in your mind and you are creating the kind of film that you want to experience.
Unlike the mind, the body is every much affected by our negative thoughts. Negative thoughts create stress, anxiety, and can make us highly reactive. These emotions that we feel in the body can affect how we make decisions and how we do things in our lives. That is why it’s important that you are the director of the film in your head.
Now, let me explain how this visualization tool works.
1st: You need to become aware of your negative thoughts.
Now, most people tell me “l know I have negative thoughts”, it’s deeper than that.
You have to ask yourself: Is how much space is this actually taking?
Most of my clients don’t realize how that monkey on their back is following them around all day long and basically ruining small opportunities all throughout the day. Getting control of that monkey is our goal.
So how do you get that monster of negative thinking under control?
By becoming aware of how much negative thinking is happening, how often and how much space does it take in your everyday life?
2nd Once you’ve become aware. You have to start practicing stopping yourself before you go off on a negative thinking binge. How can you do this? When you feel you have started your habit of negative thinking just think to yourself: What was the thought that started off this chain of negative thoughts?
There is always one thing that kicks you off to creating a chain of negative thoughts (that film in your head.) So, once you have identified that one thought that kicked it off, that’s the thought you really want to use inside of your creative visualization.
3rd. Visualize negative scenario with a happy ending.
Now, before you start visualizing let’s look at some best practices.
- What I recommend for people to do when you enter visualization is to start with three very deep breathes. This will help to ground you. You do not want to enter your visualization from a nervous or anxious position. So you want to take some deep breaths in through the nose filling the diaphragm, and then exhale out through the mouth, and you want to collapse the diaphragm. This will relax you, and it will center you. It’s surprising how those three little breaths will do that so quickly.
- When you are feeling grounded and feeling calm now you can enter into your visualization.
At the beginning of the visualization see the negative scenario you created in your mind. For example, lots of people are afraid of losing their jobs or that their business isn’t going to work. It’s a fear most people have. So what you can do is go into this scenario, in your visualization, and you see yourself, maybe losing your job. You come in and your boss says “I’m sorry, but we have to layoff some people due to downsizing, and we’re going to have to let you go. Feel that emotion. But what you’re going to do now is you’re going to put some light at the end of your tunnel. You’re going to write a new ending to this tragedy. You can imagine, as soon as you walk out the door, you bump into a friend and they’re like, “Oh, how are you? You don’t seem to good, what’s up?” You say something like “Oh, I just lost my job”. “Oh, what do you do?” “I was a manager in the HR department”. He’s like, “Oh, you know what my sister owns a recruiting agency she is always looking for people in HR, I am sure she can find you something. Let me give you her card. Go ahead and give her a call and let her know that I sent you.” You feel relieved, hope, and elated! Feel that emotion.
You can imagine anything that you want. You can create any solution or ending that you want.
Why is this important?
It stops that chain of negative thinking and stops you creating new bad imagery. We experience what we focus on. So focus on what you want, not what you don’t want! This way we can experience what want in our mind first, then create it in our lives. Also, this will help to create balance between your positive and negative thoughts. This helps to remind you there are actually always two options. The negative one is not the only option, positive things can also happen, and they normally happen when we think of what those things could be. It gives us a chance to find our own solutions, but in a very creative way. The reaction in the body will change. You feel differently once you’re able to let those negative thoughts go. Stopping them from having that grip and hold on you, that normally put you in inaction, feeling stuck frustrated, and disappointment for that matter.
I cannot tell you how useful this tool has been for me in so many different areas of my life and I hope it can help you too. Away with Negative thinking!
What’s your thought on negative thinking? I would love to hear your comments.
It was awesome!!!!
Thank you 🙏🏾