showing peace

credit: Pixar animations

doing peace

the theme today is inner peace

Sometimes we can find ourselves listening to a voice in our heads telling us a particular story. It can be positive or negative. At every moment we are responding consciously or unconsciously to internal thoughts and feelings. When we face particular challenges it is very easy for a negative voice or feeling to overwhelm us and we act in a way that can be upsetting and hurtful to ourselves and others.

Developing techniques to manage or mind (and not let our mind manage us) is a skill that will serve us throughout our lives.

Today's exercise is a simple but powerful mind trick to give us greater control of how we feel, what we say and what we do.

• think of a message that your negative voice is saying that maybe limiting you. For example (this is one of mine): 'you are not clever or knowledgable enough to be included in serious conversations.'

• write down what the opposite might be. For example: 'you are clever and included in serious conversations'

• on a piece of card write a question that assumes this opposite of your negative thought or feeling. For example: 'why do find it so easy to engage confidently with other people to discuss serious or challenging problems?'

• read this out aloud a few times.

• notice how speaking this aloud makes you feel. What answers come to mind? For example, one of the answers that came to me was: 'I'm curious to know the ideas of others, and I notice they value my contribution too. This makes me feel confident'

The brain is a problem solving machine and responds well to questions. If we can shape the question from the point of view of success and positivity it naturally works in a problem solving direction.

Also, the reason for writing it down on a card is that holding the card means you can stimulate you mind using your sense of touch as well as sight and sound.

Keep this note to hand and every day for a week (or longer) read aloud at least a couple of times a day what you've written down. If you are feeling a little overwhelmed just touching the card can activate a more positive state of mind. You could use your phone instead of a card if this works better for you.

If this works for you then you may want to make several question cards over the coming weeks. Keep them in a safe place so that you can come back to them to assist you in creating a more powerful state of mind.