Paths of Faith: Changing Negative Interpretation

How can we change our mood through thoughts?

A. Repeating a Positive Sentence – As we have expanded on the idea of repetition, repetition greatly influences the subconscious, which in turn has a significant influence on a person. Therefore, we should repeat uplifting sentences such as: "Life is good for me," "Thank you, Hashem, for all the goodness you give me," and other such sentences. Through the subconscious, this can help elevate the mood.

B. Changing Negative Interpretation to Positive – Every event is etched in our minds along with our interpretation, which determines if the event positively or negatively impacts our mood.

Our interpretation has a chain-like effect: one interprets the event and based on that feels emotions and physical reactions such as tremors, rapid heartbeats, etc. These reactions might lead someone to think they are having a heart attack, causing further frightened responses.

To change negative interpretation, we should reflect on the event that happened to us and seek out the joyous aspects and the positives within it. This will positively influence our mood.

Dr. Joseph Murphy writes in his book "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind": It's not what happens to you that makes you feel bad, but what you think happened. Changing your interpretation doesn't change the event, but it changes your feelings and perspective, subsequently altering your overall functioning.

Even those with a tendency to interpret things negatively can work on this and strive to do the will of Hashem, finding the good in things. This helps us get used to positive interpretations, influencing our mood and mental strength, and consequently our ability to cope with life's events.

It's important to be aware of our interpretations of events, analyze them, and train the brain to interpret things positively.

Writing can be a useful tool – when experiencing an event, write the automatic interpretation that comes to mind and then write a positive interpretation of the event, identifying what good might have come from it. Write a scenario of how everything looks and feels different when we think positively, focusing on what can be learned from what happened and how to improve what wasn't good. Look for solutions where possible changes can be made. This process builds and changes perceptions, as our interpretations of events are often based on the life perceptions we grew up with.

C. Interpreting what happened through a lens of faith: We can improve our interpretations by strengthening our faith. Thoughts like 'If this happened, it must be for the best,' 'No one can harm me,' 'If it happened, then it was Hashem's will for my good,' 'If I didn't achieve something, it wasn't meant for my good right now, and it will come at the right time. If not, then it is for my own good.' Seek what Hashem wants from you through each event. By changing our interpretations to positive ones, our mood will improve.

D. Seeking where improvements and corrections can be made: Instead of focusing on the negativity of a failure, focus on what can be improved, moving into an active mindset that elevates mood.

A person attempted to get a job but was rejected. Initially, he felt down but chose to focus on improvement. He contacted the interviewer, expressing a desire to know what he could improve to be accepted elsewhere. To his surprise, the interviewer hired him on the spot, seeing him as someone seeking to improve and become more efficient – the very kind of employee he wanted.

E. Actions that boost mood: Sometimes, we can lift our spirits from the outside by finding actions that elevate our mood, each according to their tendencies – it could be music, physical activity, art, painting, sewing, each according to their talents and personality. After the actions, the heart follows – leading us to a positive mood. As "Mesilat Yesharim" states in the section on Zeal, external movements influence the inner feeling like a fire igniting our emotions.

F. Display external joy to influence the inner self: Even if we are feeling down, we should try to act joyful, dance, sing, or imagine winning something joyful. Pretending as if something good happened tricks the subconscious, which doesn't distinguish between imagination and reality, into believing it really happened, changing our internal feeling.

Dancing externally often triggers internal joy. Often, we start dancing at a wedding just to make the bride happy and suddenly feel happier ourselves. As the "Nesivos Shalom" of blessed memory says: "If a voice stirs intention, how much more so do dance and music stir our inner emotion to awaken the sleeping and reach inner joy."

There are ways to acquire internal joy so that it becomes a genuine part of life, through internal strengthening such as not feeling entitled, self-awareness, giving, and so on, as we have expanded on the ways of dealing with joy (and more expansively in my book "The Paths of Peace" in the chapter on joy). Sometimes, we need to ignite external joy to awaken internal joy, continuing to work on internal joy to make it part of us.

To purchase the new book by Rabbanit Esther Toledano "Paths of Faith" on Hidabroot ShopsClick here