Rewiring for joy
Have you ever experienced a situation where somebody is talking about something and you suddenly feel like an emotional resistance? What about in a conversation where somebody becomes suddenly defensive, withdrawn or curiously engaged? This can simply due to a condition or a word or phrase that served as a trigger. Triggers can be uplifting or limiting, and they have a huge impact on how we react to things in our lives, and how we internalize those things. Conditioning is a response that our minds have been conformed to and the responses are normally displayed in our body language, motions to certain actions, and emotions. Patterns and conditioning could be learned, cultivated, or experienced either consciously or unconsciously, and they can be negative or positive for our happiness.
Conditioning or rewiring ourselves for happiness
Recondition your mind from negative triggers to happy thoughts: Take the time to swing into that hedonistic form of happiness. Think of a time when you were really happy, and identify those things that you love and might bring you back into the moment of joy when you experience negative triggers. It’s about bringing negative conditioning to a different pattern of positive conditioning by quickly thinking of that happy place, favorite person, or things to do.
Reexamine your view of situations: It’s has a lot to do with your mindset. How do you perceive a situation? Looking at a situation from a different perspective can help bring a different meaning to it. The way you perceive a situation or experience determines how you interpret it. For example, two people on a walk on a path through the woods could have a different interpretation of their experiences based on their mindsets. One person might say, “Oh wow! Look at that beautiful bird on that branch. Wow! Look at that small stream flowing through the woods.” The other person would say, “Hmm! Look at these potholes on the path. Look at that trash somebody dropped there.” Whatever you focus on is what you see, and your brain will be eventually conditioned.
Replace limiting expressions with uplifting conditioning responses:
Limiting “BUT” with uplifting “AND” – Limiting conditioning: John your report is fine but, there are too many errors in the opening paragraph. “We had a fun time tonight, but it was too short. Uplifting “AND” conditioning: “John, this is a good report, “and” it can become even excellent when you revise the introductory paragraph.” We had a fun time tonight, “and” we can definitely stay longer next time.”
Limiting “Have to” with uplifting “Get to.”– Limiting: “I have to go to work, I have to take care of this baby, I have to cook again.” This might show that you are kind of forced to do these things, and you might look at it as negative. Uplifting conditioning: “I get to go to work, I get to take care of my baby, I get to cook tonight.” This shows that you are blessed to have these things and are able to do them, and you can find joy in them.
Limiting “How and why?” questions with uplifting “wow, and interesting” expressions: When you tell an idea to somebody and without even thinking about it and they go into rapid “how and why” phase – “How are you doing that? How is this happening? How is that? why so? Why me? Why that? How is that possible? This can suck out the creative juices in someone, and drain their joy from that moment. Replace how? with wow! Too much of how can limit ideas and shut down a person’s joy. So, wow those ideas and joy to life and don’t kill them with how. For example, “You are going to come out of this huge debt, John.” Limiting: “How is that? Why do you say that? How can that be?” Uplifting: “Wow! Interesting idea! Let me hear more about your plan to go about this.”