I read somewhere, look at your troubles through a telescope, not a microscope. This made a lot of sense to me. I find that many of the problems in our lives tend to be a matter of perspective. They manifest when we look at our lives too closely. In reality, there is so much to be grateful for in our lives – if only we would shift our perspective. This is something of an Aha moment for some of my yoga therapy clients, when in the course of our sessions we manage to achieve this change in perspective.
We all have problems
The processes that we follow during yoga therapy sessions examine physical health as well as emotional and mental wellbeing. There could be stresses at work, financial hassles, relationship issues, etc. However, we often find that these problems appear larger and more intractable than they may actually be. When we let ourselves become preoccupied by the little, ultimately inconsequential aspects of life, we let them hold a disproportionate amount of power over us. These then start to impact our personal lives, professional lives, energy levels, relationships and more. During therapy, when we peel away the layers to get to the core issue, the problems do not seem as big and difficult to resolve!
Why do our problems seem so big to us?
There is something in psychology called the Negative Bias – psychologists find that our brains are wired in a way that they respond more to negative news. Consider, for instance, how bad news, scandals and shocking stories get so much more air time and reportage than happy or positive news. Similarly, we tend to pay more attention to the bad things that happen to us.
We tend not to pay as much attention to the positivity that surrounds us. We react more and for longer to negative stimuli. For example, the boss said something rude or critical and that upsets a man so much that he pays no attention to the loving hug he gets from his daughter when he gets home. And a mother is so unhappy with her son getting average marks that she forgets to appreciate what a well-adjusted, happy and helpful person he is.
Why gratitude is so important
So how do we overcome this natural tendency to pay attention to and become preoccupied with negativity rather than positivity? Like I said, we change our perspective. Of course this is not easy. In therapy, we work through a lot of negativity to get to the positive aspects of life. We find coping mechanisms to deal with the circumstances and people that act as triggers.
One of the things that help is maintaining a gratitude log or journal. Find time near the end of the day to make a list of things that made you feel good during the day. It could be anything: a great song on the radio, a satisfying meal, a loving note left by a special someone, a compliment from a colleague, a job well done… list out every small and big thing. Not only does this help creating a gradual shift in perspective, it helps one go to bed in a calmer, more positive frame of mind. Remember to give gratitude – it will remind you that things aren’t as bad as they seem!