Recently, I wrote this post on my Owens and Associates Facebook page for my job…https://www.facebook.com/OwensAndAssociates?fref=ts. I thought it was very relevant to my blog, so I wanted to share it with you. I hope everyone is doing well and finding more room for God everyday…
If you want a quick and easy thinking technique that will change your life and make you feel better right now, then read on! I know it sounds too good to be true, but it isn’t. In Dialectical Behavioral Therapy there is a technique called IMPROVE the moment. IMPROVE is an acronym for many things you can do in this moment to experience more positive emotions.
Gloria Whelchel, MA, LPC has provided a wonderful IMPROVE the moment worksheet online. You can access it by clicking this link: http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/…/improve_the_moment_worksheet.h…. This worksheet is a wonderful tool but also can be a little overwhelming with all the good information it contains.
I want to make it simple today and focus on one particular tool that falls under the I in IMPROVE, IMAGERY. I want to tighten the focus even more on one particular kind of imagery; the positive “what if” game.
Now we all are very good at negative what ifs. It reminds me of a Shel Silverstein poem I read as a kid called Whatif:
“Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I’m dumb in school?
Whatif they’ve closed the swimming pool?
Whatif I get beat up?…”
You can find the entire poem here: http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/…/shel_silverste…/poems/14819.
The poem goes on and on…and on about all the negative whatif’s. My favorite is; “Whatif green hair grows on my chest?” I think that about explains it! It is so easy for our minds to go out of control with the negative what ifs. But what if we put a new spin on the what ifs? What if we made them positive?
What if I have a great day? What if my relationships improve? What if I something good comes out of this experience? What if God shows me a miracle?
When I play the positive “what if” game with my client’s, we almost always find the positive what ifs are way more likely to occur than the negative what ifs. You too can play the positive “what if” game with yourself. I do it all the time. It is truly life-changing if you are used to replaying negative what ifs over and over in your head.
Playing the positive “what if” game with yourself also accomplishes four very important goals: 1. Your emotions improve. Dwelling on the negative never helped anyone feel better. 2. You can think more clearly. When you feel more positive, you will be more calm, peaceful, and in the moment. 3. You can now accomplish the task at hand. When you are calm and thinking clearly, you are more productive. 4. You are more likely to make those positive things happen. When your emotions improve, you thinking clearly, and are accomplishing tasks at hand, it is more likely that you WILL have a good day. It is more likely that your relationships WILL improve. It is more likely that you will notice the miracles God shows you.
We are not ignoring the negatives by thinking about the positives. We actually are being more realistic. Catastraphizing is not realistic. It is a cognitive error. But is it realistic that you can make today a pretty good one? Is it realistic that you can improve your relationships? Is it realistic that you can learn something from even a negative experience. Yes, it is!
The metaphysical text A Course in Miracles says that hope is justified. Hope IS justified. Hope helps. Hope heals. Hope works. We always can choose hope. We have the power to put ourselves in heaven or hell this moment by what we think. So let’s escape hell and enter heaven in our minds by playing the positive “what if” game now!
Please feel free to comment below or send me an email at [email protected], to let me know how the positive “what if” game works for you!
Peace, Love, and Positive Whatifs,
For God Sighting reminders and Holistic Health tips directly in your inbox, please enter your email address on the left (or click on the menu at the top right if you are on your mobile device). You can also reach me by email me at [email protected] or find me on facebook https://www.facebook.com/elizabethcermakgodsightings. I wish you peace and love today.