Negative to Positive
Dark and light, hard and soft, negative and positive; everything has an opposite in the world and your mind and body. We must realize that negative thought patterns are just that, NEGATIVE. It is a lie we tell ourselves. The lie is what puts us in an anxious or depressed state. Once we learn how to flip the negative into the positive, our dark will become light.
When you notice that your feelings are escalating into anxiousness, complete a self-check, followed by saying STOP. Imagine a stop sign in front of your face if needed. Then say to yourself, I am starting to feel anxious. What is bothering me? What am I holding in that is making me feel this way? If you figured out what is making you anxious, flip the dark into light using positive self-talk. For example, if your boss made a comment that made me feel uneasy, you can say that maybe he was stressed by his boss and needed to vent. Continue saying to yourself; it is okay because I know my boss values my work, and I forgive him. Do you see how you can change a negative into a positive? Learning how to forgive and let go of negative experiences releases you from carrying the burdens that cause tension in your body and stress in your mind. By forgiving and letting go, the negative experiences no longer linger in your thoughts and mind.
What if you cannot figure out what is bothering you? That is okay! Say to yourself it is just a feeling or a thought, and I would not let a negative feeling or thought stir up a panic attack. Say I permit myself to feel negative feelings and thoughts. The brain interprets your permission as it's okay to have negative feelings and thoughts. Your protective mechanism would not need to sound off the alarms in your body. If you accept negative feelings and sensations, the brain sees that you accept that your boss made a comment that made you feel uneasy and that you are not resisting, and just like that, you turned off your fight or flight response. The brain interprets that you are not afraid of your thoughts. When the brain sees that you are not scared, it will not trigger chemicals such as cortisol or adrenaline that make you anxious and panic. Can you see how you can flip the light on when your brain is consumed with darkness?