Bree Stedman Is positive thinking enough?

Is Positive Thinking Enough?

ARTICLE BREE STEDMAN

Read any book or attend any personal development course, and you’re likely to hear “Your thoughts create your reality”. And although this and other advice such as “Just think positively” and “Say your affirmations daily” is a necessary lesson in awareness, the PRACTICE of it actually feeds more detrimental emotions than it does boost one’s confidence.

This is not to say that Positive Thinking principles don’t have their place – they do, BUT only when there is ZERO negative head talk or charge accompanied by the practice.

What does that mean?

When a woman uses a ‘conscious positive thought’, let’s say “I AM GOOD ENOUGH”, unless she 100% without any doubt BELIEVES this conscious thought, she will have a knee-jerk unconscious reaction that reflects her TRUE BELIEF about herself.

And that knee-jerk belief is fuelled by all the emotions that cause her to feel negatively in the first place. • I am Successful = No I’m Not! I’m a Failure = Self-

Doubt, Rejection, Anger (at self), Disheartened • I Attract What I Desire = No I Don’t! Who am I to Want That? = Unseen, Undeserving, Not Good

Enough • I am Happy and Content = Na-ah! I’m Miserable,

Nothing Ever Changes! = Helpless, Worthless, Sad

You get the drift – the thoughts and emotions may not be exactly what YOU are saying and feeling, but if you stop and actually catch the truth of your knee-jerk reactions when you’re saying your affirmations or trying to think positively, it’s likely that your truth will resemble the above.

These deeper thoughts that are triggered through this ‘seemingly positive’ activity can be really detrimental for women because brain scans show we have MORE connections between our thoughts and emotions than men. Every time we have a thought we are connecting and strengthening the emotions TO that thought.

This is where the practice of positive thinking ‘should’ benefit us, but as in the above examples, if there is ANYTHING negative that comes up from the positive affirmation or mantra, we are actually strengthening the negative.

And there’s another element to positive thinking for women that rarely gets taken into consideration, and that is our hormone cycle.

Regardless of a present menstrual cycle (hysterectomy, birth control, age), we consistently have changing levels of female hormones such as oestrogen. This variation means, at it’s peak, oestrogen can momentarily improve the benefit of positive thinking, but at its lowest levels, positive thinking is made even harder as low oestrogen levels can lead to a negative and insecure attitude.

THIS is why Positive Thinking as an approach to ‘reprogram our brain’ is NOT easy or beneficial for women as a starting point.

It’s something we should consider utilising AFTER we’ve healed our negative emotions, fears and insecurities, because trying to do it while that negativity lives within is like trying to get a cup of mud to run clear by adding a single drop of fresh water. We’ve got to clear that up FIRST to really have the benefit of the fresh new thought.

Bree Stedman is a Spokesperson and Trainer for the Institute of Women International. www.instituteofwomen.com/before-afters

Victoria Cochrane (M ED. HONS) was named the TASMANIAN PSYCHIC EXPO’S 2019 TASMANIAN PSYCHIC OF THE YEAR

She is a certifi ed member of the International Psychics’ Directory and regular presenter of The Spiritual Wisdom Hour on Spiritual Events and Directory’s Facebook page.

A psychic channel, medium, energy reader, spiritual healer and tutor, Victoria is available by appointment in her room in Wynyard, Tas, once a month in Launceston or via video call. She is also available as an inspirational speaker and workshop presenter.