Attitude Adjustments 1.1: Feeling Good… for No Good Reason
OK people, besides this being a catchy headline, it’s about a way of life…living it anyway. I’ve no idea who to credit for purporting this concept in the very first place and the collective consciousness is kind and will reward such genius!!
Consider how much negativity is out there. Have you considered the pervasiveness of Murphy’s Law in our day-to-day dealings with the world in general? Does it make sense that everything that can go wrong, will? I enjoy lots of Murphy’s Laws and the tongue-in-cheek nature of them all. However, most them are just too fatalistic to my liking.
How often do we count our blessings?
How is it not possible that we should be acting upon what we deserve?
When was the last time you find yourself feeling bad for no good reason?
Well, my friends, if it’s possible for you to feel bad for no good reason…. it is also very possible for you to CHOOSE to Feel Good for No Good Reason.
Whenever I present this idea, most people get an ‘aha!!’ and ‘ding!!’ something connects and I often find them suppressing a grin and an occasional giggle!! Even those who seems perplexed at the onset shows subtle physiological shifts towards relaxation where tension leaves the neck and shoulder straight away. No bull!!
Test it out.
Just welcoming this as a possibility will go a long way to helping you make the adjustment. It’s all in the mind. Just like you don’t ask yourself: ‘How bad?’ or ‘Why bad?’ when you feel bad for no Good Reason; you don’t even need to ask yourself ‘How good?’ or ‘Why good?’ when you feel GOOD for no Good Reason!!
During personal coaching, I often start off a session by getting my friend-for-the-hour (and especially if it’s a group coaching session) to ‘Clear Space’. It’s a simple technique to equalize and level participants of any given activity:
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“Today, ________________(state the most significant negative emotion due to something experienced that day). I choose to throw it out and feel good for no good reason!”
This is like telling people that they can leave their troubles at a designated corner outside the door and I always assure them that they won’t be able to find those on their way out coz I will arrange for their baggage to be stolen! (Humour and provocation is essential tools for me especially in the case of life coaching)
Cool? Take this to be the Ultimate Sequitur of sort. Consider Pete’s Mantra #1 and fortify it:
“You don’t have the PERMISSION to make me CHOOSE to feel bad. I feel GOOD for no Good Reason.”
For the NLP Practitioners out there, you may catch the drift of ‘treating nonsense with nonsense’ frame. In using mantras and metaphorical reference, we engage the mind consciously and unconsciously with a positive frame whatever the situation.
The good news is that with repetition and association, it is possible to condition ourselves. Many practitioners will think in terms of performing an ‘intervention’ to adjust belief, install capability and correct behavior. I’m an advocate of insulating the human potential from intervening elements like negative self-talk and procrastination.
The better news is that useful mantras are all over the place, you can see some of them on my last post. I urge all of you to email pete@lifecoachesblog.com your mantras that have worked for you… those that you say to yourself, at work, with family or friends.
Watch out for Attitude Adjustment 1.2: Making others feel good for no Good Reason
Attitude Adjustment 2: Prognosticating Procrastination.
I really enjoyed this post. It’s easy to forget how powerful our physical reactions are! I like your approach here. Especially reminding the reader that we are not always ready for change — though we think we are! I agree that the real failure is letting fear stop us. Thanks for posting this!
Hi Julie,
Thank you for your kind words. I am glad it was helpful! “Coping with Stress” is a part of a series of articles on Stress that I have written, hopefully Life Coaches Blog will be posting the rest. So keep in touch!
Kindest regards,
Karen
This is a great article. I especially like the list of symptoms… some of which a lot of people may not recognize as a sign of stress.
It’s also important to continue with your stress managment activities even when there are no signs or symptoms of stress. Doing this will help you become stressed less often and ward off stress before it even begins.
Hi Jill,
Absolutely, it should be a way of life! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Kindest regards,
Karen
Hi,
Great site!!!!! Good health is very important with the high cost of medical coverage. We need to have a healther lifestyle by taking care of our health eating and exercising. I am a cancer survivor and I know. Our health is our greatest asset. Keep up the Good Work!!!!!
The physical body does not differentiate between happy stress and overwhelm. Stress is stress. We need to develop coping mechanisms in our daily life to avoid the harmful, physiological effects of stress.