The Power of Thought…To Improve Your Day
by Karen Hand, BCH, CI
Did you know that a simple thought can create powerful positive brain chemicals that affect the way you feel?
Take a moment to think about how you’re feeling right now.
It’s important to note because your physiology is your psychology and vice versa. If you want to change the way you feel…….change the way you’re thinking…..and if you want to change the way you’re thinking…. try simply changing the way you’re sitting or standing.
We use visual cues to communicate all the time. As we see someone walking toward us, we can usually tell their state of mind before a word is even spoken. We can usually tell just by looking at our spouse or children or friends whether they’ve had a good or bad day and they can tell the same about us too. That old saying “It’s written all over your face” is true! So we communicate with body language: both what we give off and what we receive.
And we do that with our own inner dialogue as well when we communicate between mind and body.
Think about the last time you had a late night and when the alarm went off the next morning your first thought was about how tired you felt. Did you drag your body to the coffee maker and then to the shower and then when you looked at yourself in the mirror, did you say “I’m exhausted! I’ll never make it through this day!”?
What would happen if you looked yourself in the mirror and instead said “I’m exhausted, but isn’t it great that I’m healthy and strong enough to make it through the day!”? And what would happen if you flashed yourself a big smile in that same mirror and said “I’ll be back home in no time and tonight, I’ll treat myself to an early bedtime!” Just changing the dialogue changes the thought and the way you present yourself.
Now, once again, notice the way you’re feeling and notice your posture. If you want to immediately improve your mood and the way you’re feeling, pull your shoulders back and pick your chin up. Now, put a smile on your face. Take in a deep breath and notice how hard it is to feel lousy when you’re sitting up straight or standing tall. It’s hard to have a bad day when you smile at yourself in the mirror. It’s hard to slump in the chair when you’re thinking positive thoughts about yourself.
Which of these statements makes you feel better:
“I’ve got a long eight hour day ahead”
Or
“In just 8 hours I’ll be back home relaxing.”
Both say the exact same thing, but changing the presentation changes the feel.
Next time you find yourself dragging through the day, try taking in a deep breath, pulling your shoulders back and thinking about the positive spin on your situation. One simple shift in your thought can change your entire reality and improve your day.
