Mindset

“The mind has a powerful way of attracting things that are in harmony with it, good and bad.” 

Idowu Koyenikan

This week, we are looking at the power of the mind and how our mindset can either work with us or against us.

We can hold either a fixed or growth mindset and whilst humans are generally wired to the negative, we can change this to a more positive and growth set.

If we look at young children, they often attempt many tasks without the knowledge (or care) that they may not be able to complete.  It is often as we grow older, that the negative voice that we all have inside, gets louder and stops us from both enjoying life, starting new tasks or exploring alternative views. 

Even with a positive mindset, when things go south in our lives – we all tend to automatically go to the old negative mindset, where we are hopeless and helpless and ALWAYS do things wrong.  Our negative voice really ramps up with; catastrophising with the worst possible scenario, black and white thinking – everything is either good or bad, nothing in between or you and others should and must do things.  Personalising, where everything is your fault – regardless of whether you were involved.  There are many more examples and they are definitely not helpful.  Learning how to quieten your negative thoughts is possible – the first step is noticing when you start.  Having the more positive mindset means that you can bounce back from adversity a little quicker.  I have seen this with both my clients and in my own life.

A Psychiatrist once asked my client to start a gratitude journal, naming three things daily that they were grateful for.  At first, this was difficult – but over time, they managed to turn their thoughts around. 

There are many books on positive psychology which are very easy to read, or if you need any assistance – reach out to a mental health professional.  We would be very pleased to assist.

Take care