Following my post about tea and biscuits I started thinking - sometimes a cup of tea and a dark chocolate digestive is enough to knock frustration, anger, rumination and anxiety on the head for a moment. But often that sinking feeling overwhelms me as I rise from my seat to tackle the next task or even think the next thought.

That's when a change in how you think about something can really make a difference. Sometimes a physical manifestation of this helps put things into perspective.

I noticed my mind wandering into dangerous territory a couple of days ago. The rumination which so often blights my waking hours was there, grinding me down once more. It felt a bit worse that it has recently and the 'What if I'd done it like that..., I can't cope... why didn't I say..., phrases sprang forth from an over flowing drawer in my head that I just can't seem to keep shut.

But then I wondered, what if I thought about things in a different way? I stopped and looked hard at the biscuit I was eating. (you guessed it, a dark chocolate digestive!) What if I flipped it? What if I turned it over, changed the way it felt on my tongue; might I enjoy it a little bit more? Well, eating it the same way wasn't changing anything that day so I took the new approach.

Even something as simple as flipping my biscuit gave my mind a rest and gave me something else to focus on. It stopped the ruminating and frustration for a moment.

How often do we keep repeating actions over and over again expecting different outcomes? I think Einstein had something to say about that!

So today approach your challenges with a light heart if you can, and consider the possibility that just by looking at something in a different way or approaching it from a different perspective the outcome may be closer to what you hope for.

Eleanor

A Moodscope member.