As a way of making sense of the many interesting events occurring in my life lately, I realized I was tapping into my wisdom perspective. I do this regularly for myself, teach it to my clients and I realized it might be useful for you too. So, what is your wisdom perspective?
It’s the view that provides a balanced, neutral, higher-order perspective of a situation, devoid of personal bias and sentiment. I also call it your Soul’s Perspective and your Wise Mind. It is essentially your truth and wisdom.
I consider it an essential tool when you’re in difficult situations that are conflictual, stressful and getting no-where or ones that seem surreal and hard to understand. It’s what you can do when you need a new way to look at things to understand it at a deeper level and make lasting change.
See if these techniques help you find your wisdom, higher order perspective.
NOTICE YOUR TYPICAL THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS
Take a situation that you are currently spending a lot of time mulling over. Drill into it, noticing the pattern of thoughts you have. Notice if they take a well-rehearsed path that you’ve been on many times. Most of us have at least one – I call it a Luge path, like the winter sport, because once you’re on it, it’s a slippery slope that quickly leads you down. Mine has to do with a difficult family member I’ve been dealing with a lot.
Now notice the feelings that accompany the thoughts. Are they ones you want? No, mine aren’t, I get angry every time. Yours may make you fearful, anxious, depressed, or discouraged. Notice how the more you dwell on the thoughts, the more the feelings escalate.
NOTICE THE INTERACTION BETWEEN YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS
There is a well-documented and researched connection between your mind and body. When your thoughts are negative, your body reacts to the stress of the feelings and develops symptoms or behavior, anything from stomach upset, chest tightening, headaches, back pain to lashing out and substance abuse. Over time it can lead to heart, stomach, digestive and immune disorder diseases, even rage and addiction.
The more you deny the source of the distress, the more you will be symptomatic. Modern medicine treats the symptoms, and while just now acknowledging this relationship, offers very little help. It’s time you recognize your own pattern and start putting the puzzle pieces together for yourself. Here how.
RISE ABOVE AND LOOK AT THEM
If you imagine rising above your thoughts and feelings, looking down on them as if they are on either end of an interconnected line, you are at the apex of a triangle. You have moved into your wisdom perspective. You are in your soul position looking at your mind and body on a line below.
Now, observe the pattern of thought and feelings you noticed before. Ask yourself the tough questions from your soul’s perspective. Why is this pattern here – what is it really about, how long has it been there, how has it kept me stuck, what purpose has it served, am I ready to do something about it? Notice what comes to mind. In my situation, I realized I must act quickly to help our family make the long-needed changes that have kept us stuck.
CULTIVATE YOUR WISDOM AND MAKE CHANGES
By automatically taking yourself to your wisdom perspective you will begin to notice some significant changes. This perspective will prompt you to be calmer, wiser and more proactive in representing your best interests. It takes you out of the drama and roller coaster that your mind/body dyad has created. It shows you what is important.
From this place of wisdom, you now have a new perspective that can help you reeducate your mind and hence influence your feelings and body reactions. Start with something simple and notice how the new thoughts can produce a totally different set of feelings and hence different behavior. With my new wisdom, I’m able to take the action I’ve wanted for years, but without the anger, frustration, and drama. Results are actually happening. It’s almost miraculous.
Accessing your wisdom perspective is an easy and immediate way to bring lasting change to how you understand and respond to things in your life. It helps you recognize dysfunctional thoughts and feelings and how they create an unholy alliance that is continually reinforcing. By rising above and noticing the pattern from your wisdom perspective you can develop insight to change your thoughts and feelings and ultimately change your behavior. Your wise mind in now in charge!
I love the Wisdom Perspective and its many variations. If you’d like help to resolve issues that have not responded to traditional cognitive behavioral problem-solving techniques, reach out. I’d love to show you how it works. Go to my website www.spectrumtransformation.com and use my Free Consultation button to reach me. I’d love to help you!
