Letters to YOU: “How can I create positive feelings?”

Dear YOU ,

What is your emotional state at the moment? Are you sad, happy, excited, worried, upset or angry? The state you are in right now affects your behaviour, actions and the experiences you have as a result. You will experience the world differently according to the emotional state you are in. You have a control over how you feel and only you can change your emotional state you are in at all times. You emotional state is determined by the thoughts running in your mind. On average, five thousand thoughts run through our mind on a daily basis. Only a thousand of these thoughts is positive. No wonder why most people look sad and depressed. Learn to focus your attention on the positive thoughts with these tips and techniques.

- Become aware of your emotional states at all times. Start a diary to note down your emotional state on a daily basis. Surely, during the day you will experience a range of various emotions – write these down. You might also want to go an extra mile and think what or who caused this particular emotion. Your emotions will become indicators of your thoughts. Use your diary to search for the situations and people triggering your emotions. Once you know what causes you feel in a certain way, you can start thinking about the coping strategies. Expose yourself less to situations triggering negative emotions. The same is true for the situations triggering your positive emotions. Place yourself more in such situations.

- Your state of mind affects your physiology – the way you walk, sit and shift your body. You can immediately change your emotional state by adopting the right physiology. Here is what you can do:

Think of the state you want to be in at the moment (for example, you might want to feel motivated, excited or confident). Completely ignore the current emotional state you are right now. Focus your mind on how you want to feel.

Choose whether you want to sit, stand or move around. You have to straighten your spine, hold your head high and adjust your facial expressions. You can jump around with your hands in the air. Trick your body into thinking you are in a positive emotional state. You surely cannot feel sad jumping around with a wide smile on your face.

-Smile as soon as you wake up and say to yourself: “I will have a wonderful day today!” Say it as many times as necessary before you actually believe it and there is no other option. If you catch yourself thinking of something negative and destructive during the day, think of a few happy moments in your life and go back to that specific situation. See that specific event through your own eyes and focus on how you felt. Re-experience these positive emotions.

- Start being positive towards people you don’t like. You will definitely surprise them. You will observe their reaction and how their attitude changes. Keep away from negative people. Their state of mind will affect your own state of mind. It’s not what you are after. Surround yourself with happy and positive people.

- Practise affirmations daily, listen to the happy tunes, read positive and inspiring quotes, visualise your future in bright colours and enjoy!

Be healthy, happy and wealthy…. & Remember: “People are about as happy as they choose to be.”

Always by your side,

Tati Irodova

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