A feather on your path - Create positive triggers



The Power of Positive Triggers: Unlocking the potential of your imagination

The what - 

We're used to hearing the term "triggering" in relation to negative experiences. But have you ever considered engaging your mind to create positive triggers? Imagine creating a mental filing cabinet filled with memories and moments that bring you joy and inspiration, readily available whenever you need a positivity boost.

By tapping into the incredible potential of your imagination, you can create a whole host of positive triggers to pull out of your filing cabinet whenever you need them.

So find some time to sit and think about anything and everything that triggers a positive emotional response in you. Maybe it's the memory of a fantastic holiday or a cherished childhood toy that fills your heart with warmth. It doesn't have to be quite so deep and get you all misty-eyed though. It could just be that doughnut place that does the extra large option with all the sprinkles.

Mmmmmm sprinkles.

Now imagine that filing cabinet in your mind. Open the cabinet and visualise placing each of these wonderful moments inside. By gathering your greatest memories, you can visualize them as a collection, neatly stored in your mind's filing cabinet, waiting to be accessed whenever you need to trigger some positivity.

You can also put these things together physically in some way, maybe a list to keep in your pocket or pictures on your phone. Keep these with you and on the tough days, you can use them to trigger your mind to shift to a more positive place.

The why - 

Our imagination is incredible but sometimes we forget to use it! It can impact our feelings massively and even change the whole landscape of our day. I’m sure you r noticed, it’s especially powerful when we are imagining what might happen. And not necessarily in a good way! Queue feelings of panic and anxiety….

Because the thing is, your mind loves to use your imagination. As kids, we were great at imaginative play and letting our minds just wander freely. We were also encouraged to because it’s so important in how we learn and grow. 

"Please pass the sugar bowl, Teddy."

Unfortunately, once we become adults, we don't tend to use our imagination quite as much. We leave our imaginations behind because we have all that grown-uppy boring shiz to do. Yet, our imagination holds immense potential to shape our emotions and even the course of our lives.

I mean seriously, I would jump at the chance to spend the day creating magical realms of possibility with nothing but a Pritt stick, card and glitter pens. Man, I loved those glitter pens.

And don't even get me started on how much I miss having tea parties with my teddy bears. But alas, I have to go to work instead and spend my day actioning some entirely unimaginative and mostly pointless emails.

Our brains are jam packed with great memories of the glitter pen days. But they tend to get lost in all the other annoying, pointless and just plain yappy sounding stuff that's whizzing round our minds. One yappy thought triggers another yappy thought and before we know it, our minds are acting like totally triggered, busy fools distracted by all sorts.

Don't get triggered babe, seriously.

You know that irritation you feel, when you're stuck in a meeting you just don't have the time for? And it just bugs you so much that it triggers a whole string of yappy thoughts? First it's a little annoyance, but then it's everything else.

Result - you've gained nothing useful from that meeting you spent a whole hour in, because you got triggered so your brain spent the entire time yapping random thoughts at you like this;

"Why are we even having this meeting, when we all have so much work to do?"

"Oh god it's death by Powerpoint and Bill talks so slowly. "

"I wonder why his wife doesn't tell him his nose hair needs trimming?"

"It's like a hairy spider crawling out of his nostrils. I bet she hates that.

"Oh jeez there's another 14 slides. "

"If I ever have kids, i'm for sure going to tell them to do something fun and creative with their life, so they don't end up in meetings like this."

"I really don't want any kids though. Oh shitake mushrooms, did I take my pill this morning?! Yeah I did. Wait, did I? Yeah I definitely took it with my coffee. I think..."

"God, I'm hungry. How much longer is he going to talk for? I'm starving here!"

"I might get the no duck-duck wrap from Tesco for lunch. I wonder how they make the fake meat taste so ducky?"

"How is Bill still only on slide 4?! "

"This meeting defo could have just been an email."

"Why is my toe itchy? Is that a bug bite? I hope it's not a bug bite, that's going to annoy me all day now, and I can't even take my shoe off to itch it cos i'm stuck in this stupid meeting."

"I hate bugs and I hate Bill right now, stupid spidery nose Bill."

Cut into the yapping

So this is where it helps heaps to have some positive triggers stored up in advance. I'm not saying it's easy to switch gears when you're really peeved but it can be done with practice.

Try cutting into the yapping in your mind with a positive trigger from your mind's filing cabinet, like this;

"Why are we even having this meeting, when we all have so much work to do?"

"Oh god it's death by Powerpoint and Bill talks so slowly."

"I'm in such a mood, I need a positive trigger."

Flicking through files from my mind’s filing cabinet...

"Hmm, let's see, sunbathing in Lanzarote, that great weekend in London, cute puppies…"

"Oooo a memory of Bellini's! I love that restaurant and their amazing pizza!"

"Actually, Bill kind of reminds me of that waiter that works at Bellini's. He has the same floppy hair style and he's always friendly and smiling like Bill is."

"That time we went to Bellini's for my birthday was just the best. I'm so lucky for those memories and kind people in my life."

"I should really be more kind about Bill."

"Ah screw it, I will get that work done later, one way or another. For now I will just chill and listen to Bill. Okay, he talks slow but he's a good guy and he knows his stuff. I should really pay attention."

Annndddd we are back in our happy place and paying attention to Bill's presentation. Which just so happens to have some pretty useful information in it!

Embrace Your Inner Tantrumy Tot

So if we have this amazing imagination but use it less in our adult lives than we did as children, then I have a theory -

What if our wonderful but restless minds are craving the stimulation of using our imagination more? What if when we don't let our mind have a little fun, it starts a tantrum in the form of imagining the worst to get our attention?

This little theory of mine is based on personal experience of my imagination running pretty wild with anxiety when it doesn’t have fun stuff to think about. But I recon neglecting this essential aspect of our being probably isn't helping us all that much in a world full of reasons to be anxious. On the flip side - when we tap into our imagination for positive thinking and fun, the impact can be transformative.

When you think about how a simple daydream can transport you to a different world, altering your mood and mindset. It’s really quite powerful, isn’t it?

So by actively tapping into these triggers, we can infuse our daily lives with joy, inspiration, and a fresh perspective. So take a moment to reflect on your positive triggers. Let your imagination soar, and discover the incredible transformation that awaits as you unlock the power of your mind.

Basically, when your mind is bored and goes into tantrumy tot mode, give it a sprinkled covered biscuit to suck on.

The Who - So many wonderful people in my life have inspired this post, through the cherished memories they have given me. Many of them have their very own files in my mind's filing cabinet.

There’s also tons of research backing the positive power of using our imaginations to produce more of that warming, cuddly goodness in our minds. There are so many quotes out there from inspiring beings who fully back this power of our imagination. Here are just a few of my favourites:

This world is but a canvas to our imagination. - Henry David Thoreau

Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age and dreams are forever. - Walt Disney

The man who has no imagination has no wings. - Muhammad Ali

Lou @ Feathered Paths Xx