What To Do When Positive Thinking Is Not Enough

What To Do When Positive Thinking Is Not Enough

In the era of affirmations, The Law Of Attraction and positive thinking, it is easy to fall into thinking that we have to be doing something wrong if things are not going our way or when we meet an undesirable circumstance. Let’s be real and honest! Affirmations and positive thinking can help, but sometimes, they are not enough and we need to confront the tough stuff! And when those times come, the culture of positive thinking makes it even harder, for it is easy to feel that we are the ones to blame for the situation.

There needs to be a balance between being responsible for our own actions and carrying the weight of the world over our shoulders. So here are a couple of things that you can do to help you navigate those times when positive thinking is not enough.

Show Yourself Some Compassion

There is a misconception that compassion looks a lot like a pity-party and nothing furthest from the truth! Being compassionate is about acknowledging our own situation and accepting that these are the current circumstance, as well as respecting our emotional state and respecting that we may not be prepared to act in consequence.

A few days ago I had a wonderful coaching session where I heard some very wise words that I would like to share with you. When you feel overwhelmed, show yourself some compassion and repeat this. “This is where I am right now, and I am taking steps to change it.”

This simple act of acknowledgement creates a shift for you and makes it easier to respect our current state of mind.

Think About The Last Time You Were In A Difficult Situation

This one may sound counter intuitive, but it is not! Whenever you are feeling a difficult emotion, be it fear, anger, heartbreak, or you are going through a complicated life situation, think of the last time you felt that emotions or you had similar circumstances. When you identify this situation, you need to shift your awareness to when it was resolved, to the moment after. Sometimes we are just not conscious about the fact that so far, we have survived everything that has been thrown at us! So the next time you are feeling devastated by a heartbreak, think about those times your heart was broken before and you thought you would never love again, yet you did! Or when you were so concerned about your finances and you were through some serious difficulties but things finally worked out.

Becoming more aware of our ability to change circumstances, adapt and move past situations that are not the easiest to navigate will results in an increase in your confidence and self-concept.