A Change of Perspective

By Joan Courtney, C.Ht.

Unstuck Living

I’m playing with taking some pictures on my cell phone (and “playing” is the operative word). If I see something that strikes my interest, I take a shot. Or two. Okay, quite a few, for I have heard professional photographers take thousands of shots to find that perfect picture. 

The other day, I was at the local library and saw the roses in front of the building. Breathtaking. At first, I took a close-up shot. The yellow pistils were so clear, the petals so perfect. Then I wondered what would happen if I stepped back and took a different view. That shot showed more roses, but lost the intensity of the close-up perspective. When I stepped back even further, I had the view of the entire bed of roses: vibrant, alive, bursting with color. And a very different point of view.

I found this to be similar to how I live my life. If I get frustrated about something, I lose my perspective. I can only feel the intensity of my emotions. My negative thoughts persist and stop me cold. When this happens, my breathing gets shallow, my thought process shuts down, and I begin to ruminate about what’s happening.  Just as the close-up of the single rose, my feelings ramp up and get more and more intense. Perspective gone.

One remedy?  Take a walk. Some fresh air and a change of scenery change my perspective in a flash. So can a phone call to a friend or some snuggling with the Duff. As I come back, I have some distance from the situation. My emotions are calmer. Similar to taking that second shot of a few roses, other options begin to surface. I can sort them out and see what’s better for me.

If I need to distance myself even further, I turn the problem over to my subconscious mind as I drift off to sleep at night. That marvelous part of my mind sorts through strategies and other ways of doing, usually arriving at a solution by morning. Not taking this for granted, I thank that part of my awareness for solving what I thought to be a hopeless problem. (I found this part of me likes to be complimented.) A simple change of perspective can make a huge difference and save my energy for the more fun things in life.

On the go and need a quick reset?  Here’s what I do.  When an issue returns to my mind and I start on the hamster wheel of those “same old thoughts,” I picture myself sitting in a theater. The problem, with all its players, is on stage. I watch and listen, seeing what’s going on from a very different point of view. My emotions are not clouding what I see. Quite often, I realize it’s not all about me; that other people have their own issues playing a part in this drama. A change in perspective is then quick and easy. I have some distance and am able to clearly figure out what is going on.  I love the flexibility of each outlook! And you will too. Living unstuck.   

Having over 35 years of experience, Joan Courtney is a clinical hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner. Writing for publications on the Mountain, she also writes bi-weekly posts as MacDuff, the Canine Executive Officer of Unstuck Living.