The Power of Reframing

A powerful tool in shifting mindsets.

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We all have moments or times in our life when we feel down, overwhelmed, frustrated, angry, the list goes on. These "dark" moments have a way of outshining everything good and can make us spiral down into a negative hole that seems to have no way out. When you have tools that allow you to sit in the situation and reflect on it from a different point of view, we refer to that as reframing.

Reframing is a way of changing the way you look at a situation. To take a step back and try to find the positive.

Here are a few prompts that you can use as a guide when you're caught up in a negative headspace.

• Is it reality or self-created?

This is one of my favorites. You know when you have that friend you go to that can kind of check you? Reel you back in? This prompt acts as one of those friends for you. A reminder to step back and reflect on the situation. It's not uncommon that our minds can make us believe something to be true that isn't in reality. We often can be our own worst enemy and make situations a lot worse for ourselves than they need to be. When we can take a beat to sit in our feelings and break them down to what it actually is, we sometimes find that the pain or negativity is self-inflicted.

• Is this happening to me or for me?

It can be easy to view ourselves as a victim in scenarios that haven't gone our way. However, when we're in the victim mindset, it can make it hard to see the silver lining in it all.

Have you ever looked back at a situation in your life and thought "wow, I'm so glad that happened because if it didn't, this other thing would never have happened?" This prompt helps you get out of the present for a moment and look into the future. Is there something positive that could come from this? Often, it can be something we've been resisting.

• What is a positive that can be taken away from this?

Similar to the last prompt, this one helps shift the mindset to look for the positive in the situation or what positive outcome it can lead to in the future.

• Is there a learning to be uncovered?

The answer is almost always yes. What is something you can take from this situation and apply to future ones? This could be how you react, how you approach things, how you move forward, or something you can learn about yourself. Every obstacle is an opportunity to grow and evolve.

These are just a few prompts I like to use but there are plenty of others. Feel free to play around to see what you respond best to. They may differ between scenarios. The ultimate goal is to help us get out of the sulking and onto a happier life.