Your weekly dose of mental sunshine...

Happy Thursday!

I really enjoy sending out these emails each week and hope that you enjoy receiving them too.

This week’s email is about telling yourself a different story.

What does that mean?

Well, let’s say you’re walking around a busy shop, and you see someone you know. You smile and say "hello", but they all but blank you and rush past.

What thoughts immediately spring to mind?

Have you somehow offended them?

Do they suddenly dislike you for something you don’t even recall doing?

Or something equally negative?

Well try to put yourself in their shoes

Perhaps they are just in a hurry

Perhaps they are feeling stressed themselves and they've not even noticed you...

We can only guess what's going on in other peoples minds. And it's often not what you think...

Another example: you’ve been invited to a Christmas party and you’re not feeling in the mood to go because you don't think you'll enjoy it.

You give yourself excuses like you don't have anything nice to wear or you won't know anyone there.

Or perhaps you’re worried about drinking a little too much and making a fool of yourself?

How about flipping your thoughts and ask yourself "What's the best that can happen?"

What if you do go and have so much fun?

What if you turn up and know lots of people there. And meet new friends in the process?

What if it turns out to be the best party you've ever been to?

Instead of focusing on excuses and all the things that could go wrong, imagine the best possible outcome.

That blank look from an acquaintance can quickly become a conviction that they've gone off us.

Or if something goes wrong we look for other things to go wrong too and blame it on your own bad luck

Think differently about what you see, hear and say

The stories we tell ourselves are only in our heads though - so what’s to stop us from telling ourselves a new story?

A better story?

A story with a happy outcome?

Ones with a positive outlook?

Try it this week, and see how you get on.

Reframe your thinking to "What's the best that can happen"

I’d love to hear about your experiences of thinking differently

Catch up on previous weekly doses of mental sunshine here

And if you are new to my weekly doses of mental sunshine you may like to pop over and join our a photo a day for wellness group.

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