I Think, Therefore I Feel Better

preoccupied with papers on his desk, or perhaps he didn't say very much. But you also know from past experience, that your boss is a man of few words. You know from working with him for the past twelve years, that he usually takes time to mull over a new idea before responding to it. You also happen to know (now that you are forcing yourself to think about the facts rather than just your perception of the facts), that your boss does value your input. You know this because many of the changes that have happened in your department in the last five years have been because of the ideas you have presented to him.

Now how are you feeling? Better right? Exactly! You don't need to reach for the phone and dial up the headhunter. You don't need to be in a bad mood for the rest of the day. And you certainly don't need to snap at your staff. What you've just done is change your negative thinking by tracking your thoughts....and remembering the truth of what really is as opposed to your negative perceptions of it.

The greatest part about knowing that your thoughts create your feelings and your feelings create your behaviors is that you don't have to try and think positively in order to feel better. Forcing ourselves to try and think positive when we are feeling upset, angry, or sad can (as I'm sure you know), be quite difficult.

With this strategy, you challenge your thinking in order to change it - and by doing so, you diminish the intensity of your negative emotions - or eliminate them altogether. This means that you ultimately feel better. Your behavior is more positive and you remain in control of yourself!

Having a tool for creating a more positive outcome means that we can live happier lives. We are no longer controlled by our emotions, and we can choose to change our knee-jerk reactions. We are free to be in control of our thoughts because we choose to see things as how they really are as opposed to how we think they are.