7 Psychological Mind Games To Play That Will Completely Change Your Outlook On Life & Love
Trade your limiting beliefs for success and happiness.
Andrii Nekrasov / Shutterstock What if life was supposed to be fun? What if we are all taking things much too seriously? Life really is supposed to be fun. Of course, there are situations that arise that challenge us. That's life, too.
By exercising certain techniques, change doesn't have to be daunting or hard. You can make it gentle and fun and change your limiting beliefs by making mind exercises a game of positivity.
Here are 7 psychological mind games that will change your outlook on life and love, and put your limiting beliefs to rest.
1. Use a 'magic mirror.'
Every time you catch your reflection, say something nice to yourself, like, "My eyes are looking bright today," "Great choice of outfit," or "Blue looks good on me." You can do this first thing in the morning, every single day.
Too often, you look in the mirror and immediately pick yourself apart. It's time to stop doing that. Every time you see your reflection, find one little thing you like about what you see. Fill yourself up with love.
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It may seem unnatural to you at first, but the more you do it, the easier it will get. Not only that, but the more you love yourself, the easier it is to see the good in others. This automatically makes life more fun.
2. Flip the negative self-talk.
There are times that you catch yourself in a negative spiral. Perhaps something went wrong and next thing you know, you are telling yourself, "I’m not smart enough. I can’t handle this. Why would anyone listen to me? I don’t deserve to have nice things."
And on and on it goes, unless you pump the brakes. Remember, you’re driving the bus and you do not have to go down this road!
Next time you catch yourself in a negative self-talk rant, flip it. First, catch yourself. Next, for each negative thing you say to yourself, say three positive things about yourself. It adds even more power if you write them down in a journal or on a notepad on your phone.
The key here is not to beat yourself up, but to build yourself up. Outweigh that negativity with even more positivity.
3. Beam yourself (and others) with love.
You spend a lot of time out in the world. Next time you are out in a public place, notice all the folks around you. Then, take a moment to fill yourself with love and gratitude, and then imagine a ball of pink and gold light building in your heart center.
Let this ball grow and expand, and then imagine beaming this loving, healing light to all those around you. Everyone you encounter gets a nice dose of love. There’s no need to say anything at all. Just smile to yourself and beam that love.
We are all energy and people will feel that energy. You will make someone’s day and they will probably never know why.
4. Stop complaining.
You can always find things in life to complain about, even if things are doing right for you. But the more you complain, the more life seems to give you to complain about. You get what you focus on, so awareness of your focus is key.
When you catch yourself in a cycle of complaints, play a little game with yourself. Start with a notebook. Each time you catch yourself complaining, make a note of it. Then, try to think about what you could change about the situation. Is it something you can control or is it something you just need to accept and move on?
At the end of the day, take a look at your notebook. Look for any patterns you see. Applaud yourself for being willing to look deeper at your own thought patterns. Challenge yourself to complain just a little less tomorrow.
Awareness of our thought patterns is one of the first steps towards making positive changes. As you become more aware of your thoughts and learn to nip the complaining ones in the bud, you will see your life improve.
5. Look at the two ends of the stick.
Each subject in life is like a stick. Imagine for a moment that you have to pick up the stick to play the game of life.
Now, you can reach for the prickly and painful end of the stick and keep carrying it that way until your hands are cut and bleeding. Many people play the game of life that way. Or, your other option is to reach for the smoother, padded end of the stick and carry it that way through life.
Either way, you have to carry the stick, but which end do you pick?
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With the power of your thoughts and where you choose to place your attention, you can make your life easier. You can walk through every situation you face, armed with the knowledge that you get to control your own perspective and that new perspective will color your world.
It takes practice to look at life this way, especially if you’ve developed other habits. But it is so worth it. Decide to be happy and then make the commitment to change your habits. As you go through your day, ask yourself periodically, "Which end of the stick am I holding?"
6. Don't compare yourself to others.
You are a unique creation. You have amazing gifts and are here to find those gifts, build on them, let them grow, and to share them with the world.
What happens if you spend your time comparing yourself to other people, and measuring your successes and failures based on someone else? You lose sight of your uniqueness. You become a poor copy of that which you are comparing yourself to.
Today, become more aware of your thoughts about yourself in relation to others. Catch yourself when you start to compare. Bring your attention back to you. You are the only you here on this planet. Be you.
If you decide you want to be better at something, work hard at it and then compete only with yourself. Set small goals and milestones and aim to achieve them — not because someone else is doing it, but because you want to do it for you.
7. Say, 'Thank you.'
Finally, make a game of gratitude.
On day one, write down three unique things that happened today for which you are thankful. On day two, challenge yourself to write four unique things for which you are thankful. And so on. See how far you can go building on all the new, unique blessings in your day.
Once you've learned how to practice mindfulness, life can be a joy. Get in the driver’s seat of that bus and choose the roads you wish to travel, enjoying the journey!
We need to remember that our life is our own unique creation.
We are the ones driving our bus. We can make those challenges giant mountains or we can make them small speed bumps, but it’s all up to us. If you remind yourself that life is always going to have ups and downs, then you are on the right path.
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It is important to remember that it is through the trials of life that we grow. It is when push comes to shove that we move out of our comfort zones, spread our wings and fly. We can make our journey a little easier if we make our steps along the way a little more fun.
Mindfulness and being aware of what's going on in your mind is the first step in changing your outlook on life. Notice your limiting beliefs and then choose, in your present moment, whether those thoughts serve you and give you the power to change.
Genie Lee Perron is an ICF certified life coach, health and wellness coach, and published author who has coached people worldwide. She shares her knowledge to empower others to change their life by changing their perspective.