A few weeks ago, I was walking at dusk into the retreat courtyard and saw from a distance what I thought was my daughter’s carelessly discarded school sweater on the floor of our porch. This sight stirred annoyance within me, triggering a flurry of negative thoughts. From frustration about her lack of responsibility for her school uniform (which is forever getting lost!) to being too old to not pick up after herself to contemplating stricter measures, my mind spiralled into a negative abyss. This seemingly minor incident was magnified into a major issue in my mind. However, on closer inspection, I realised it wasn’t a jumper but simply our retreat cat, Fluffy, comfortably sprawled on the entrance floor – an unusual spot for her. I felt a bit silly having caused myself unwarranted grief due to lack of clarity and assumptions.
Fast forward last week, I woke up early to lead a yoga session. With some time to spare, I enjoyed a tranquil morning in the courtyard with a cup of tea sitting outside enjoying the dim light of the morning dawn. I noticed Fluffy languishing on the garden table which reminded me of my childhood cat, Rusty, who regularly used to jump onto our kitchen table mid-family dinner and proceed to fall asleep. This brought back fond memories and a surge of positive feelings such as gratitude, happiness, and nostalgia for my childhood. As I got up to leave for the yoga studio and give the cat a quick cuddle along the way, I was surprised to discover that the figure I thought the whole time to be Fluffy was actually my daughter’s discarded school jumper! Ironic given the mix-up of the previous week.
Research suggests that we are the architects of 91% of our own emotional turmoil. Meaning, a large majority of emotional responses, such as frustration, worry, irritation, or anger, are often more a result of our personal interpretations rather than external circumstances or actual events. The lens through which we view the world can sometimes distort reality, leading us to unnecessary distress, much like the mistaken identity of my cat for a school jumper. Yet, our minds hold the remarkable ability to shift perspectives. We possess the power to alter our perception at any given moment, choosing to seek out the silver lining even in the most clouded situations. The mere thought of Fluffy sprawled out on a table filled me with a sense of gratitude and joy, even when the catalyst for this positivity was not actually my cat but a misidentified muddy sweater. We have more control over our minds than we realise. The ability to ‘flip the script’ so to speak is always available to us should we learn how to train the mind to embrace a wider perspective at any given moment.
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