Learning that my emotions, feelings and behaviours are a result of my thoughts was life changing for me.
How do we apply positive thinking to the lock-down situation we are finding ourselves in, due to the Covid-19 pandemic?
You may well be very aware of your feelings---most likely feeling anxious, fearful for the future, for loved ones and so on.
Step 1 - is to acknowledge your feelings. What we resist will persist. What this means is that when we attempt to confront our feelings, which maybe quite distressing, one will often experience resistance and then simply throw in the towel, resulting in nothing changing. This is why it is paramount to pay attention to these feelings, breathe into the feelings and accept them as being okay in this present moment. You see; if you can locate where you are feeling this worry, anxiety, etc in you body, and breathe it will allow the mind and the body to relax.
Step 2 - is to realise what thoughts are going on in your mind. The thoughts may be, what if I get the virus? Who is going to take care of me? What if I lose my job? All these ‘what ifs’ are fear based and 95% of them are false expectations appearing real.
The way to realise and confront these thoughts, perceptions and fears in a proactive way is to get yourself what I like to call a ‘day journal’ and write down all the thoughts that are causing you distress. The thoughts, ideas and fears that you see on paper that have not yet happened are the False Expectations which need to be addressed. You need to physically cross out these false thoughts on the page. What this does is manifest the subconscious into the physical, deleting the negative through conscious action.
Step 3 - you need to replace the negative thoughts that you crossed out with positive thoughts instead. This is crucial as it acts as a light at the end of the tunnel, bridging the subconscious and the conscious and directing your way on a better path. So if your though is ‘What if I get the virus’? The new though could be I don’t have it now; I am taking all precautions, and am keeping my immunity strong, the less I worry the better my immunity.
These thoughts will change how you feel, which will impact on how you behave and thus ultimately change the dynamics of your life for the better. Remember that the change does not happen over night, You will need to come back to the positive thoughts every time you become aware of the negative thoughts and feelings and gradually you will start to feel less anxious, and be better equipped to cope if something unforeseen happens.
Keep safe, and keep positive!
Azmina