Refresh your outlook with these mindsets

It’s very easy to get stuck in outdated ways of thinking that no longer serve you. If this is the case don’t worry!  Embrace these five mindsets and start your mindset revamp right away. There is no better time for change than right now.

1. Put it down and let it go

So often, we hold onto things in our minds long after the event has passed. We can even carry other people’s worries and problems, including issues that have been unloaded or projected onto us, which don’t actually belong to us. Getting into the habit of checking in with your mind, paying attention to any repetitive thoughts that are occurring is super useful. Any change we want to make has to start with noticing that we are doing it! So what can you do if you realise your brain is on a loop? Try one of these:

• Use your breath. Inhale through your nose for a count of four, hold the breath for a count of four, exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of four, repeat for a few cycles. This is called Box Breathing!

• Six Senses Awareness. This practice involves focusing on your senses—what you can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste

• Practice mindfulness and divert your attention onto a task, being fully present in what you are doing

• Try a quick visualization where you imagine dumping your problems in a bin. Literally, bin it. As you put the lid back on the bin imagine golden light filling your mind and transmuting the contents of the bin

Dwelling on thoughts and looping them in your mind is simply a bad habit, and like any bad habit, it can be re-trained. With patience and repetition, using the ideas above, you can teach your brain new ways of working.

You might like to read a wonderful, short Zen story which is a terrific metaphor on carrying things way past the point that is needed. Often I remember this story and it’s all I need to put down what I am carrying!

2. Forgiveness

Whether it involves forgiving yourself or someone else, forgiveness is a powerful tool. Forgiveness is the intentional act of letting go and releasing negative emotions such as resentment, anger, or bitterness. It is a conscious decision that allows you to move forward free from the weight of the past. Forgiveness is not about the other party. It’s not about forgetting or condoning someone else’s behaviour or actions. It’s about freeing yourself. By practicing forgiveness, you set yourself free to heal, and grow. It enables you to find peace and enhance your overall well-being and relationships.

So how do you practice forgiveness? Here are some ideas:

• Firstly, consider the emotional and mental benefits of forgiveness

• Acknowledge your feelings, recognizing and validating your emotions

• Use a journal to write out and explore your observations, thoughts and feelings

• Write a letter to the person/people concerned expressing all your feelings. When you are done burn it and ask the universe to take the burden away

• Consider counselling or therapy for guidance and support in working through complex forgiveness issues

Sometimes all we need to do is to be open to exploring forgiveness for things to begin to shift and change for us. Never forget that negative emotions and challenging times are your greatest teachers.  If you start to consider that there are no failures and no errors; only the opportunity for self-discovery and learning, you can begin to flip your mindset.  

3. Abundance

Every book on abundance or the law of attraction will repeat the phrase, ‘where thought flows, energy goes.’ It is one of the laws of the universe.  Basically what you focus on (consciously or unconsciously) is what you move towards and what you will get more of.

So the important question then is what are you giving your conscious attention and energy to? Are you focused on abundance or scarcity? Ironically, we often spend more time thinking about what is wrong than what is right, on what we don’t have rather than what we do. Viewed through the lens of the law of attraction, this is going to perpetuate everything you don’t want!

Become an observer of your mind. Notice what you are thinking and recognise that your words and thoughts have creative power and are frequencies of energy that your body and the universe is listening and responding to.

Set your intention and energy on what you want, focus on the good stuff, on the positives. Create a vision board of the things you want to attract into your life. Listen to the teachings of Abraham from Esther and Jerry Hicks and get inspired.   

4. Happiness and contentment

Though framed slightly differently to modern perspectives, ancient spiritual texts from various traditions often emphasise the pursuit of happiness and contentment. But, the truth is many of us struggle to be happy. Many of us postpone happy. We put up with busy days and never ending to-do lists waiting for that next big happy moment to arrive.  If we are not careful we set happiness as a constant point on the horizon that we are always waiting for.  If you resonate with this then maybe it’s time you changed your relationship with happy?  Here’s some things to consider:

• What do you love to do and makes your soul sing?

• What makes life worth living?

• What are (or were) your passions, what hobbies do (or did) you love?

• What does a life of purpose and meaning look like?

• Whose company do you love? Are you seeing/speaking to them enough?

It doesn’t matter whether it is gardening, dancing, walking, singing, sketching, knitting, quiz nights, volunteering, or stretching out on your yoga mat the route to happiness can be found in doing what makes you smile and doing it regularly.  Take accountability for your happiness and start creating small moments every day that make you feel good. The key to happiness isn’t anyone’s responsibility but yours.  Is it time to get proactive and schedule happy time into your calendar!

5. Count your blessings

Much has been written about the benefits of practicing gratitude, and we can’t look at spiritual mindsets without covering this important topic. Research has shown that practicing gratitude can re-wire the neural pathways of the brain to actively seek out the good in any given situation.  Here are some ways you can foster feelings of gratitude:

• Keep a Gratitude Journal: Write down daily entries of things you’re grateful for, focusing on both big and small blessings

• Create a Gratitude Jar: Fill a jar with notes detailing things you appreciate or moments of joy, and review them periodically

• Set Aside Daily Reflection Time: Dedicate a few minutes each day to reflect on and mentally list what you’re thankful for

• Practice Gratitude Meditation: Incorporate gratitude into your meditation routine by focusing on things you’re grateful for

• Share Your Blessings: Express appreciation to others by sharing what you value about them or how they’ve positively impacted your life

• Start a Gratitude Challenge: Pick out 3 – 5 unique things every day you are grateful for each

• Appreciate the simple pleasures: From the food on your table, to the roof over your head to your bed, appreciate all that you have

Counting your blessings is a powerful way to feel more positive and enjoy life more. You can read more about other tools and techniques for boosting mental health including  practising gratitude 

And last, but not least…

Your experiences, beliefs and mindsets form the lens through which you perceive and interact with the world. Along the way it is easy to get stuck in mindsets that no longer serve you. From time to time it’s useful to pause and reflect on this. The five points here can help you embrace a more expansive and life affirming way.

What you have experienced and as a result the beliefs and mindsets you have adopted (cause and conditioning as a Buddhist would say) are the prisms through which you view and interact with the world.  It makes sense therefore to try to adopt and recondition mindsets that help you to see the world in a constructive, positive and even beautiful way.

Blessed Be

Lynette