What Kind of World Do You Live In?
Recently a reader asked me this question:
How can I stop the world from feeling like such a hard, lonely and unforgiving place to be, which basically is what causes my low moods?
This is an excellent question and one many of us ask often. It’s hard to see the world as nurturing and supportive when our outer experience seems to deny that.
The truth is that the world is just the world. It is simply the environment we live in and is neutral. It’s our spin on it that makes it appear cruel and unforgiving or nurturing and supportive.
For instance, I’ve been in grocery lines where some people were griping and complaining about how slow it was going, how rude everyone was and basically what a terrible experience they were having. And in that same line was someone else smiling, talking with the people around them, reading magazines and having a grand time. I actually heard one woman comment that she hoped the line slowed down a bit so she could finish reading an article :)
What a great example of contrast! So if you are experiencing the world as cruel and forgiving, let me ask this:
What would you like instead of that?
If you want nurturing and supportive, make a decision to have that experience. Then start looking for evidence to support that. When something seems cruel and unforgiving, turn it over in your mind and see if from another point of view it actually could be nurturing and supportive.
You may make slow progress at first, especially if you’ve been living in a rotten world for a while, but it will be noticeable. And over time the world will change until everything is happy and sunny and you wonder why you ever thought it was such a terrible place to live!
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When I’m feeling stressed/depressed or fed up with another’s negativity (I have a glass-is-half-empty-and-has-a-hole-in-the-bottom-of-it parent living with me) I grab my journal to cope. I write down all the good I see–even if it’s just a bird singing in the tree outside, and of all the great things I’ve manifested lately. I also plan what I will manifest during the coming week. Then I take a walk with the dogs or spend time with the horses :) something that gets me outside and away for a bit.
I now CHOOSE the world I live in and refuse to live in Debbie Downer land :)
I hope the journaling excerise will help someone out–make sure it’s full of positivity only.
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