Choice is a powerful tool when it comes to stress perception. What we give attention to grows.
Which is why we must make the conscious decision to talk about our blessings more than our challenges. Our strengths more than our stressors. Our excitement more than our fears. Our possibilities more than our problems.
Every day is a new day filled with abundant opportunities.
But we have to see them to know them.
Choice is yours.
Related Post: Set a time limit on negativity.
Thriving Under Pressure 
Yes! Besides the likelihood that what we focus on gets bigger, focusing on positive possibilities feels better and moves us in the direction of our hopes and dreams.
Well said Joanna!
Focus is as much about movement towards our dreams as it is about perception. Movement on the outside – and on the inside.
Fearful thoughts / focus (eg. I will get fired if I miss today’s meeting) take us down to the basement of our brains.
– Otherwise known as the limbic system & amydala. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
While encouraging thoughts / focus (eg. I am safe at work. I am needed. I am valued for my creativity) lift us up to the penthouse of our brains / higher state of consciousness. A place where people flourish. A place where hopes & dreams come true.
– Otherwise known as the higher brain / cerebrum/ cerebral cortex. http://www.brainfacts.org/brain-basics/neuroanatomy/articles/2012/mapping-the-brain/
– Other circles refer to this state of higher consciousness as the vortex (Ester Hicks) and flow (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/200026151_Finding_Flow_The_Psychology_of_Engagement_With_Everyday_Life
Hope this added information is helpful Joanna.💫
Thank you for the examples and the links!
Thanks so much – a great reminder post for a Monday morning!
Thanks for the feedback Lesley! ☀️💫
May today’s positivity reminder be helpful all week long!
Hello Andrea. Great post and great reminder for us all, and it is so true. What we focus on expands. Because of this, whether we realize it or not, in a way, we are creating our own worlds all the time. Peace and Blessings
“Whether we realize it or not, in a way, we are creating our own worlds all the time.”
Well said Craig!
And together we must remind people of the genius inventor that lives within us all. As we are both the canvas & the paint brush. And if the entire world EMBRACED their CREATivity – my o’ my what a colourful life this could be. 🎨 💃
Wonderful post and reminder to focus on what is important
Thanks Bernadette! 😊
Hope you have an uplifting start to the week!
I agree Andrea. I’ve written about choice many times in my blog. It’s a powerful tool.
Kindred spirits!🌼
Wonderful 🙂
Choice, wonderful choice! Like Brad notes it is a powerful tool in our tool box.
The three of us think alike! 😊
The key is to remember we have a “choice tool”.
Especially since it takes zero energy to think a negative thought during disappointments & struggles (big or small). This is because our brains are biologically “primed” for defense / attack aka “Fight or Flight.” No matter how mundane or innocuous “the predator.” The amygdala is a one switch brain mechanism. No gradients.
– Eg. The expensive coffee I just bought tastes ice cold.
– Ugh! The week is already taking a downturn..
– Time to quit the day & go back to bed.
While a positive thought takes 10x the conscious effort / energy. This is because we have to override our brain’s inborn, instinctive negativity bias.
That said: It is possible (as you know & live) to overturn negativity, it just takes conscious, deliberate self-talk. A remembering of all the “choice tools” in our toolbox.
– Eg., Breathe. It’s ok. It’s just a moment in time.
– Life ain’t so bad.
– Cold coffee has just as much caffeine as hot coffee.
– And besides….. I’m alive!
Speaking of focus & choice -> this $&!% cold coffee I’m drinking right now tastes pretty darn fine, After all… ☕️ lol
This is interesting how our brain is biologically primed for defense and positive thought takes 10 times the conscious effort. We believe it is all about deliberate positive self talk although there are times when we cop out to the negative. We are a work in process, lol. Thank you for making time to share this with us so we continue growing!!!!!
Negativity is so tempting! I partake myself. So tasty in the moment. Not so much over time. But that’s what makes life so interesting. The contrast. The choice. The challenge. The change. Grateful for it all. Some days more than others… 😎
Sometimes it grabs us before we know it and then we nip in the bud so as not to get bogged down. So true about it being a challenge at times. That’s why its so great to surround oneself with positive like your post.
😊😊😊
Reblogged this on Putting Mindfulness Into Practice and commented:
I am trying to be mindful -every day- and focus on my possibilities. Everybody could do the same! I encourage you to read the following article:
Thank you for sharing with your readers!
Just needs patience and practice …
So true. For all of us. But sooooo worth it.🌷
Absolutely ! I will never give up practicing. 🙂
So very true Andrea, how often we get sidetracked and pulled into a negative frame of mind. It’s so important to keep shifting our focus back to the positive. Thanks for another reminder of what’s important.
This is such a lovely reminder. Bless you. ☺
💖💖💖
So, so true. I used to always focus on the negative things, until they grew into uncontrollable monsters. It has taken a lot of mind training, persistence and frustration with myself to change this around. But it can be done, and it has changed my life for the better 🙂
How wonderful! We are all prone to negativity and are equally capable of rising above. Thank you for sharing your personal story. It gives us all hope. 🌺🍃
This is so key to stress and thought management. It helps us to stay focused and block out distractions that try to create chaos. We must intentionally focus on positive things!
I like how you wrote “thought management” as it helps detach from the emotions so common with stress & instead focus on the precursor to stress – our thoughts.