DAY 192 - USING A "PROTECTIVE SHIELD"

Day 192


Thoughts have an impact on emotions.  That’s why it’s essential to train your mind to have positive thoughts.  Worry and stress often begin with thoughts but end up in the gut!  What I have found helpful when getting stuck in a whirlwind of negative thoughts is to stop and view it all as what it is: a creation of my imagination.

I try to remember that I'm the only creator, author, writer of all the scenarios that enter my mind.  Apparently 47 % of worries stem from a pure invention of the imagination.  Imagine if we were able to use all that creativity to produce positive thoughts or even pieces of art! 

My children took ski lessons all winter.  Every time we went to their lessons, I would worry about them getting into an accident.  You might think I'm a little insane to register my kids to a sport that is stress inducing for me!  But at the same time, skiing is an important skill to acquire when you live in Canada.  

As a child, I never learned how to ski. At the age of 16 years old, I went skiing for the first time.  I was cool back then, so I wore ripped jeans and a not-so-warm jacket!  On that January day, the weather was very cold.   As I attempted my first descent, I fell many times and, by the end of my first run, my pants had turned into a block of ice.  That was my reward for being so cool!  I don't want my kids to ever have to experience that!

So, one day, as we brought the kids to their ski lessons, I was particularly concerned.  My friend Catherine, who had registered her son to the same ski school, told me: "Just mentally visualize yourself putting a protective shield on them".  So, I closed my eyes, and did what she said.  Miraculously, I stopped worrying.  I was suddenly at peace.  I was overcome by a warm feeling of calmness.

What I realized at that point is that I could also use my imagination to destroy negative thoughts by replacing them with different ones and, as a consequence, alter my emotional state.  And since there is no end to the imagination...

That technique could be used in other contexts.  For instance, when I feel aggressed by someone who is angry with me for whatever reason or, when I'm with someone who tends to take away my energy, I mentally put on a protective shield on myself...


All right so it's a little out there... maybe even esoteric in some way... but it really helps preserve my emotional state, so in the end, it can only have a positive effect on my life!!!   


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