There is great power in reframing things. We can even feel great about feeling bad. Here’s a quick story to illustrate this.
For years – okay, decades – I was a coffee drinker. And not just any ole drip coffee. No siree. Espresso and lattes only.
I picked up this habit in college when living in Spain. There was nothing quite like a good café con leche.
Years later, when I was fully down the rabbit hole of my personal detox journey, I started eliminating everything that might negatively impact my health, which included dairy and coffee. I felt great.
Eventually, though, the coffee wormed its way back into my life, made all the easier with fancy home espresso machines and the appearance of almond, coconut, and oat milk everywhere. The lattes were back.
But here’s the thing. I wasn’t in it for the caffeine. Caffeine didn’t really affect me one way or the other. Instead, I had unknowingly associated the warm creamy beverage with a feeling of comfort.
Then that feeling of comfort faded, yet I hadn’t noticed it. I was still downing a morning shot of espresso out of habit.
It wasn’t until I was rereading my own book about unplugging your robot (ah, the irony!) that it dawned on me that I didn’t enjoy it anymore. So, out it went, just like that.
Why am I sharing this strange story?
Well, six months later, I was visiting an old stomping ground and picked up a latte (so yes, I still occasionally drink one, and yes, now it’s decaf only).
Only this latte, I discovered about an hour later, was not decaf. Not even a little bit. I was soon overcome with an A.D.D-like, jittery, altogether unpleasant feeling that lasted a solid six hours.
Whereas I once thought caffeine didn’t affect me, my (much cleaner now) body could no longer tolerate it. I weirdly felt crappy and great at the same time.
Great, because I was getting confirmation that the things I had been doing these past months to upgrade my body and energy field were working. I was happy to feel bad.
There is great power in reframing things. That doesn’t mean ignore every unpleasant situation, stifle our feelings, and pretend to be a Pollyanna. But there’s a difference between having a victim-based default mode and having one that comes from a centered place of empowerment.
When you pause, step back, and ponder the situation from a wider angle, you become open to receiving new insights and awareness.
Want to upgrade your health and happiness? You can reduce your physical, mental and emotional toxins with my book Lighten Your Load. See also my blog post, “My Favorite Tools for a Healthy Mind and Body.”
