How many of us out there use certain phrases to explain a bad day? For example: “I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” “Somebody rubbed me the wrong way,” or, “Nothing ever goes right for me on a Monday.” Perhaps if we dig a little deeper there could be an explanation why things don’t always turn out the way we want them to. Can we control everything? Of course not, but maybe we can tilt the odds a little bit more in our favor.

Every day certain things happen to us that cause a reaction, or a trigger mechanism. The trigger is activated, and we in turn respond accordingly. For example: I could head into work around nine in the morning and be reminded that there was a report that I had to get done by eleven. As eleven drew closer, my hands could start to sweat, my blood pressure could rise, and before too long I could start getting flashbacks of other times that I was in stressful positions. After a while, if I didn’t step back and calm myself down, for sure my imagination would kick in and lo and behold, I may even believe that it was impossible for me to get the project done in time. The trigger of fear and insecurity could make me blow the whole thing out of proportion. Isn’t it strange how little tasks in life can easily be blown into a life and death feeling situation?

So how do we deal with these so-called triggers? Maybe by creating a few new ones. How about this…….in the morning we write down several phrases that we can look at during the course of the day that can evoke pleasant memories or feelings. A friend of mine recently mentioned to me how he keeps up good feelings in his life by focusing in on the release of his favorite CD’s. If Paul McCartney is planning to put out a new release in the summer, my friend accumulates various articles about the forthcoming album, and whenever he is having a bad day, he turns to those articles. Since he is a huge Beatle fan, a flood of wonderful memories fills his mind and he is instantaneously lifted up. I personally find browsing through artistic books, like one that I have on my coffeetable at the moment on artists’s homes in Ireland, inspiring. For me, it’s a great way to chase away the blues in a rainy moment. We can create triggers that can spring forth antidotes against negativity.

So why not give it a try…….think to yourself, what can be your personal positive mood enhancers for the day? I find for me it can make stressful situations easier to handle. Many days are based on perspective…..two people can look at the same event and come away with different viewpoints. Triggers may not overcome all our problems for the day, but they can tilt the ones on the fences in our favor.

Tilt the moment,

love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon