The Power of Reframing
Discover the secret technique that can shift your perspective and transform your life. I'll give you three exercises to do along the way.
Hi everyone!
Do you sometimes feel unnecessarily upset about things? Does it feel like you're stuck somehow?
If that's the case, you're not alone. Many of us feel that way, and I was at that point once, too.
A change of perspective can do you a lot of good. Today I would like to take you away from your everyday life.
I will show you how "reframing" works and which exercises can help you now.
Let’s dive in👇
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🔄 Meaning of "Reframing”
📖 Definition
💪 Three reframing exercises
🚀 Tip for getting started
🎯 Conclusion
🔄 Meaning of "Reframing”
First, I'd like to give you an example:
I went on a skiing vacation with my father. Due to the high snowfall, we got into a traffic jam.
We stood utterly still for almost two hours until the trucks finally started driving again.
Instead of getting upset about the eternally long traffic jam and the supposedly lost time, I was happy to talk with my father about various topics for a very long time.
I exchanged the emotions of anger and annoyance and changed my perspective. I changed my focus.
So reframing is about changing your perception and perspective and questioning things.
Instead of getting unnecessarily upset and creating negative feelings about the slow driver in front of you, you should thank him for reminding you not to drive chaotically and especially not to get upset in traffic.
📖 Definition
"Reframing" comes from "frame" and means something like "reinterpretation." You give something a new frame.
Like a picture frame, a thing gets a whole new meaning and, at the same time, a different effect.
It is a conscious decision to perceive something differently than you did before.
The method of reframing is also used in "Systematic Therapy." The goal is to train the ability to perceive situations and circumstances flexibly and without prejudice.
Sometimes reframing is criticized as repression. However, the two mechanisms are different because the situation remains the same.
You don't reframe the situation, but you can react differently than usual.
Jokes are also a special kind of reframing. A situation is put into a different context. For example, when mistakes are made with humor.
💪Three reframing exercises for your change of perspective
An essential aspect of reframing is to break out of your thinking patterns. Unfortunately, this is not easy since many thinking and behavior patterns were already acquired in childhood.
It is also essential to know that it does not work from one day to the next.
Take it one step at a time. It is not easy, so don't force anything and give yourself the time you need.
But some methods can help you; I'll give you three examples:
1. Reinterpretation: Replacing terminology
Here we look at the terms you use for difficult situations.
Language has tremendous power over our thinking and feeling. Fear can turn into positive excitement and stress into determination.
When we retitle a situation, we are not automatically in a defensive posture and do not tend to repress emotions.
With positive wording, we decide to give the feelings their space.
So when you find yourself in a negative situation, ask yourself how you might reframe that situation. Shift your frame and let the situation evolve in a new way.
2. Adopt an inner attitude
When fearful thoughts influence our lives, and we find it challenging to bear some situations, reframing can help us perceive what is happening differently. For this, we need our values.
When we have defined these for ourselves, we can look at the situation as it corresponds to our values. This way, you adopt a different inner attitude.
So ask yourself the following questions:
What kind of person do you want to be in this situation?
What do I want to stand for, and what is important to me?
How can I reinterpret the situation if I orient myself to my values?
So if you are afraid of a conversation, for example, and would rather avoid it, you can ask yourself how you would feel if you avoided it.
Would I then be the person I want to be?
Would it not be by me and my values if I had the conversation?
New possibilities and perspectives may arise for me and the other person.
3. Change of situation and perspective
It can also be constructive to recall an experienced situation and look at it again. So you can fall back on refraining in new cases. This can be done mentally or in writing, like journaling.
What exactly happened?
What happened in the run-up to this situation?
What was your attention focused on?
What feeling did the situation trigger in you?
How did you think about the feeling in the body?
Where did you feel the feeling in the body?
Did the feeling trigger your action?
What else did you notice?
After looking at the situation, consider how you might reevaluate it with reframing:
How did your subjective perception affect you?
Under what circumstances might your reaction have been different?
Can you look at the situation from your current point of view with different eyes?
Also, think about what the situation was good for. What did you take away from it?
What can you learn from it and apply it to similar future situations?
🚀A new perspective on unloved characteristics
If you want to practice reframing, it can be a great help to look at the qualities you don't like about yourself.
How can you reframe these traits so you no longer see them as unfavorable?
Here are a few examples:
I am selfish - I care about myself and know what I want.
I am not smart enough - I have the demand on myself to collect even more knowledge.
I can't do this - So far, I have yet to succeed; I need a new strategy.
I am inflexible - I have a clear idea to which I want to stick.
If you find this difficult, try to look at yourself through the eyes of a good friend.
🎯Conclusion
Train your perception.
Whether you want to motivate yourself in sports or work on your fears, reframing helps you in everyday life and with big topics that occupy you.
You learn to react more calmly and flexibly to events. You free yourself from patterns that may have been constricting you for a long time.
It is important not to suppress your feelings but to give them space and transform them.
Change your inner attitude and watch how your previous reality, perception, and environment change.
Give your life a new framework and change perspectives.
I know this is a lot of information. Pick a few and start. For example, you can practice this great in such situations as explained above in the car.
Ever flipped a bad situation on its head using reframing?
I'd love to hear your story. Drop a DM on Twitter or in the comments - let's learn from each other and get better together."
Thanks for reading.
And hey, don't forget to enjoy the ride.
We're all in this crazy journey of life together, so let's remember to have a laugh along the way.
I wish you a successful week.
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Dear Cryptohanno,
I have already followed your journey since the beginning and I must say that I am a big fan of your work! This weeks topic really spoke out to me as I am a person that easily gets caught into negative thinking.. I enjoyed your approach to the topic and I am looking forward to your next articles!!