Main Menu

Your best ways to positivity "trick yourself"?

Started by Apestrife, 07 July, 2019, 03:16:03 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Apestrife

I don't know if I'm alone in thinking this, but sometimes I have to "trick myself" a little in order to get a bit of positivity.

For example, when my grandfather takes a walk through a forest which now has a highway close to it, with lots of cars hissing by, he likes to think it's the sound of a nearby creek where water is flowing. Instead of getting annoyed over the fact that he's listening to a bunch of cars.

As for myself my most used "trick" recently has been telling myself "He/she/they won." when I see something online which annoys me. For example when I see someone on twitter who is very wrong. Then I tell myself "This person won." and doing that I don't get angry one bit any longer. Essentially " winning nothing", since I'm not even bothered by what probably is the deed of some attention seeker.

How about you? Any tricks?

Mattofthespurs

This has the ability to be an outstanding thread.

And it has given me some food for thought. Have I got any 'tricks'? Probably but it's difficult to convey them into words at this moment so I'm hoping that this thread will blossom and help me illuminate my own a bit further than just thoughts deep in my sub conscious.

I do sometimes think of what my goal is and whether my actions or words are progression towards that goal.

Derren Brown, in his books, has spoken quite considerably in this regard.

Looking forward to other people's input.

Good start Apestrife.

TordelBack

#2
I find it completely impossible to trick myself into positivity - every attempt leads me into a spiral of 'be realistic' that only ends in self-condemnation. It's been a huge stumbling block to my efforts to sort out my head over the years. Every call for encouraging self-talk or positive visualisation ended with me feeling like a dishonest schmuck.  And still does.

My CBT-inspired workaround, currently working most of the time, has been to instead take the negativity and put it behind me, leaving the ground in front of me clear and hopeful. It's not a trick, it's an acceptance of shit and an acknowledgement that what's done is done, and what matters now is what I do now and next.  Most significantly this seems to cut through the shame-spiral that is what most frequently fucks me up. For someone who likes to dwell incessantly on past and present failures, and their likely direst consequences, this simple thing is a lot of constant and unending work - but worth it when it happens. 

It's pretty appalling to think that it has taken me nearly 50 years to get even this far.  But hey, that was then.

Rackle

It's a really small thing but it helps me not get grumpy. If there's some reason I have to go and run an errand or walk further than I'd intended to, or even if I forgot something from upstairs and need to go and fetch it I can tell myself "at least it increases my step count for today", and I'm being that tiny little bit healthier even if its by accident.

Hawkmumbler

I really need to find a way to 'trick' myself into sticking to my study plan. I've only 3 months left and two assignments and it's not been going as well as I would have liked this year, working full time, trying to maintain a social life and trying not to plummet into a depressive void will do that.

zombemybabynow

If ever I have to say in a hotel where there's a function on etc & therefore a lot of noise - I pretend I'm in a spaceship like red dwarf and the noise is the engineers doing maintenance
Good manners & bad breath get you nowhere

JayzusB.Christ

For me, living on my own in a small boat, I sometimes imagine that I've just left the WW1 trenches and stumbled across a place to sleep where I'm not knee-deep in mud and rats.  Suddenly I realise that I live in the lap of luxury.

(Another one, courtesy of Paul McKenna, is to remember you ate one of the richest people who ever lived.  That's not even a lie.)
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

I, Cosh

Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 07 July, 2019, 09:56:04 PM
(Another one, courtesy of Paul McKenna, is to remember you ate one of the richest people who ever lived.  That's not even a lie.)
I also try to trick myself into thinking I'm Lemmy sometimes!
We never really die.

Rackle

Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 07 July, 2019, 09:56:04 PM
Another one, courtesy of Paul McKenna, is to remember you ate one of the richest people who ever lived.  That's not even a lie.
https://youtu.be/d4O1A-mmBWw

And now I have I Eat Cannibals playing in my head, so of course I have to share the earworm.  Enjoy

von Boom

I'm not sure if I'm tricking myself, but whenever I have to plaster a smile on for my managers or particularly daft clients I just try thinking about some funny bit of film or telly. Then I reward myself that day with a chippy. It's a wonder I'm not sporting a belly-wheel.

JayzusB.Christ

Quote from: I, Cosh on 07 July, 2019, 10:18:11 PM
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 07 July, 2019, 09:56:04 PM
(Another one, courtesy of Paul McKenna, is to remember you ate one of the richest people who ever lived.  That's not even a lie.)
I also try to trick myself into thinking I'm Lemmy sometimes!

Oops!
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

Dark Jimbo

Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 08 July, 2019, 04:09:32 AM
Quote from: I, Cosh on 07 July, 2019, 10:18:11 PM
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 07 July, 2019, 09:56:04 PM
(Another one, courtesy of Paul McKenna, is to remember you ate one of the richest people who ever lived.  That's not even a lie.)
I also try to trick myself into thinking I'm Lemmy sometimes!

Oops!

I spent ages googling that, trying to work out what you were on about!  :lol:
@jamesfeistdraws

Buttonman

Interesting topic - I'm sure we all have metal shot cuts or escapes that we go to - consciously or subconsciously.

As some of you know I've had heart issues and I'm sure a lot of it can be controlled mentally. Whether it's an anxiety thing I don't know but I've had palpitations that have gone away by me actively not focusing on them. I've mentioned this to my cardiologist who looked at me like I was mental. He clearly thinks it's all physiological but there is definitely a mental aspect. I'm not saying I have the Medusa Touch but I'm sure I could engineer a heart episode by thinking about it and similarly can turn one off by taking my mind to other places. Weird!

von Boom

It's long been known that yogis and the like can control their heart rate/pressure and such by thinking about it. Quacks just don't like anyone muscling in on their turf.

Fungus

It did sound like job security anxiety...
Get him to think away those too  :)