To Cultivate a Positive Outlook, You Might Have to Dive Into Your Subconscious Mind
Rev. Dr. Kitty Boitnott, NBCT, RScP
Heart-Centered Career Transition and Job Search Coach | Life Strategies & Stress Management Coaching
This series is on how to cultivate a positive outlook to create a happier life. To do that, however, you may find it necessary to dig under the surface of your thoughts and feelings. If you find it challenging to be happy most of the time, it may be because you are responding to negative thoughts and feelings that are buried in your subconscious mind.
Studies show that our minds are divided into "conscious" and "subconscious." The subconscious mind is where you store all the memories from your childhood. It is also where your reactions to traumatic events go to reside and sometimes to hide. If you were abused as a child or bullied as a middle schooler because you were "different," those experiences stay with you. But you may have managed to shove them into the back of your mind where you think they can't harm you anymore.
The trouble is that harmful events from your early life often take control of your subconscious mind. They haven't gone anywhere except perhaps into hiding. Maybe you have put the memories of those events away because they are simply too painful to think about. If that is the case, it may be difficult for you to cultivate a positive outlook on life even if you consciously want to.
Your subconscious may hinder your best efforts to be positive.
The good news is that you can go into your subconscious mind and actively change its negative patterns. This article will offer ways you can do that to help you work on cultivating that positive outlook that you want if you want to live a happier life.
In previous posts, I have offered ways you could rid yourself of negative thoughts. But those thoughts are part of your current consciousness. It is time now to dive into the subconscious mind.
The subconscious mind is the storehouse that holds all your memories. It hangs onto your past experiences but hides them away so they can't hurt you anymore. It harbors your deepest beliefs. It is the place where everything that has ever happened to you is stored. And it often drives the way you think about yourself, relationships, and life in general.
Your subconscious mind is also where automatic functions take place. Tasks like driving a car while carrying on a conversation at the same time might serve as examples. With years of practice, you instinctively know how to drive so you can focus on your conversation without fear of driving into a ditch.
Studies show that the subconscious mind is far more powerful than the conscious mind.
The subconscious mind makes everything you say and do a part of your self-image. That's why it's important what goes into it. To change your outlook, you have to go deeper than your conscious thoughts.
The good news is that the subconscious mind can learn new patterns through repetition.
There are several ways you can go deeper into your subconscious mind.
1) Repeat newly adopted beliefs or thoughts every day. Repeat words that inspire you. Select affirmative statements like, "I love and respect myself." or "I constantly attract good things into my life." Tell your subconscious mind new, powerful thoughts to change old patterns. It takes time, but the results will be worth it if you commit yourself to this new practice.
If you need help with affirmations, no one was ever better than Louise Hay at developing positive statements. You can find her affirmation cards at bookstores and online.
2) Create a meditation practice. Meditation allows you to go deeper into your consciousness. It slows the brain pattern down. Meditation provides a release of stress, anger, anxiety. It can even help you with focus and added alertness.
With practice, you can actually become an observer of your own thoughts. Allow your thoughts to flow. Don't react to them. Just be aware and observe them.
We are learning more every day about the many positive benefits of developing a daily meditation practice. Not only can you slow your thoughts but meditation can have positive effects on your physical health as well as your emotional and mental health.
3) Unleash your creativity. Take up any form of artistic expression. You might like painting or drawing. Maybe you would prefer sculpture or decorating. Others enjoy crafting or book scrapping. Perhaps you enjoy music and need to find time to learn a new instrument or listen to more music for enjoyment.
Nurture your creativity so that you can become more authentically YOU. Authenticity comes from being in tune with your subconscious self.
4) Learn to trust your instincts. Your intuition is your best connection to your subconscious mind. Pay attention to your gut feelings about people and situations. Tune in to your inner wisdom. Positive people have a strong sense of intuition, and they trust it. Indeed, if more of us heeded our intuition more often, we might stay out of a lot of harmful situations.
5) Use hypnosis to reprogram your subconscious. Hypnosis is the process of relaxing your brain waves. It causes you to be more open to suggestions or reprogramming messages. Hypnosis can help you release negative thoughts. These thoughts may have been instilled into your subconscious during your childhood. But they may be causing you pain now, and you want to let them go. Hypnosis can help with that.
There are also other ways to access your subconscious mind.
Cultivating a positive outlook on life may take a little extra effort. That is especially true if you are going through a rough time right now. And let's face it, many people are. Millions have lost jobs. Hundreds of thousands of people have gotten sick, and too many have died. And things don't look like they are going to improve anytime soon, unfortunately.
We are experiencing a lot of stress as a society right now. But hanging onto the fear and hurt or harboring resentment is no way to live.
Not if you want to live your best life.
Many of us are so busy seeking happiness that we forget to be happy in the "now." If you are reading this message right now, you can find something for which to be grateful. And remember, you can choose to be happy. Make it your choice even if you have to work at it a bit. It's well worth it. I promise.
Until next time.
P. S.
I am offering an encore presentation of the webinar workshop, "3 Secrets of EVERY Successful Job Search or Career Change."
If you are thinking it's time to start looking for a new job, you may want to attend. If you have a friend or family member who is looking, feel free to share the link.
I will be going live on Saturday, August 15, 2020, at 1:00 PM EST.
I hope you will join me.
| 
