I can’t believe how quickly time flies. This month is two years since I started to write my regular column for Sahir House. I enjoy writing, especially for my own community, so I hope you find my articles and tips useful.

This month I thought I’d tell you about how to go about turning negative thoughts into positive ones

Can you really think yourself better if you are struggling with your mental well-being? The short answer, in a lot of cases, is yes. If you can learn to change the way you think, you can play a major part in helping yourself to feel better.

Quite simply, what you tell yourself really matters to your state of mind.

If someone is suffering with low mood or has depression, they may well feel overwhelmed by things and unable to see much in the way of positivity when they look to the future. They may also have a very negative view of themselves, their lives and even the world in general.

All these thoughts and feelings are actually a product of someone’s imagination, they haven’t happened, we are imagining these things. They are, in effect, a negative forecast of the future. These repetitive, negative thinking cycles can become self-perpetuating, they become more and more ingrained into a person’s way of thinking. In effect we are using our imagination in a negative way, but that’s all it is, imagination.

So, it stands to sense that if our negative thoughts and predictions about the future are being created in our imagination and making us feel down; then, if we can create good thoughts instead, we can start to feel better about the future and view it more positively. I am of course simplifying things here in the space I have, but hopefully you get the idea of it. The only one in control of your thoughts is you. You can decide which thoughts you allow to live in your imagination.

So, here’s how you can start to make a change.

Set yourself some quiet time, on your own, maybe grab a cuppa! Get yourself comfortable, and try the following, simple technique.

Just imagine, for a moment how you would feel if the future looked a little better. If you remembered you had something to look forward to. If you were feeling just a little further up the happiness scale from where you are now. I’m not talking about a lottery win, I’m talking a sunny day or a visit to a good friend, something achievable. Think of something in the past that made you feel good, something you could do again. Just try to imagine, for a moment or two, and then take a few moments to ponder over each of the following 5 questions, and really think about each one.

• What could you be doing differently?
• How would it make you feel?
• If you were feeling a bit better, who in your life would be surprised to see this happening?
• How would it affect them?
• How would they react differently to you?

If you’ve given a few moments to each of the questions above, allowing yourself to really visualise these things, you will have already started to imagine yourself in a more positive future. When we ask ourselves this type of question, we immediately begin to think about how our future would be without the problem that is bothering us at the moment. We are using our imagination and our own resources to picture ourselves feeling differently in the future. This technique allows us to build a more positive mental image in our minds.

When we begin to create our own positive images of the future, we are utilising the ‘intellectual’ side of our brain. When we do this, we are, in effect, quietening down the negative fight/flight/depression side of our minds at the same time.

The important thing to do, is to make time for this type of personal self-care. It is all too easy, when we are stressed, to just get on with our day, not allowing our mind the time it needs, to have some space to think ahead in a positive way. When we are stressed, we tend to see thing in the worst-case scenario, we can start to play out these negative scenarios many times over. We can’t help it, it is a natural reaction to stress. If you make a conscious effort to use the techniques above, it can really make a difference, so why not give it a try?

My main aim in writing these newsletters, is to help stop the stigma when it comes to having conversations about our mental health and well-being. If there is a particular topic you’d like me to write about then please get in touch. Feel free to send me an email with SAHIR HOUSE in the subject line to solutions@martinfurber.com

If you would like to know more about the private treatments I offer then please check out my website  https://www.martinfurber.com

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