MIND OVER WHAT’S THE MATTER –
Dec. 2, 2023 – The impressive findings from this innovative study have real practical value in anyone’s life, even if you do not have diagnosed depression. If all it takes is 10 minutes of daydreaming about something good that’s happened to you to induce brighter thoughts about yourself and the future, why not give it a try?
The next time you find your thoughts looming toward life’s less cheerful side, stop in your tracks. Take a breather and let your mind wander toward the times when things went well. They don’t have to have been ideal, because this creates only more negativity. In the intervention used in the U. Groningen study, participants chose realistic versions of their “life rule,” adding to this, thoughts of practical ways they could get to that point.
Thus, looking at the idea that people think less of you when you make mistakes, flip this around to the positive life rule that people will accept you along with your flaws. If you’re not sure how to make yourself believe this, give yourself an exercise in which you imagine making a mistake and visualizing that someone else doesn’t mind, or doesn’t even notice.
To sum up, a bad mood can be hard to shake off, especially if it tends to hang around with you longer than you would like. By imagining better times, along with ways to bring them about in reality, you’ll not only snap that bad mood but turn it into greater self-acceptance and happiness.
