How to Shift Perspective – 5 Simple Ways

Learning how to shift your perspective, your view of the situation, how you see your life, your challenges, and your options is a choice.

When you choose to shift how you see things you open yourself up to endless opportunities to find joy, happiness and to take positive actions.

“If you change your perspective, you change everything!” – Rachel Hollis

Your perspective can lead you to negativity and hopelessness or it can lead you to purpose, healing, gratitude and peace.

When you choose to shift your perspective, you open yourself up to the flow of positive energy and a stream of infinite possibilities.

Sounds dreamy, right? But how can we help that perspective shift happen?

Here are five simple ways – questions really – to ask yourself that can help you open up and choose another perspective, shift the way you’re thinking, and invite in a healthier, more positive energetic flow. 

1. What is true?

Stop thinking about what should be and consider what is true. Can you widen your lens on the situation and on how you feel?

Are you looking at the entirety of how you’re seeing a situation? Encourage yourself to mentally take a few steps up the “hill” to look down with a wider, more comprehensive view. Examine if you might be lacing what’s happening with unhealed emotions from past trauma, disappointments, or unmet expectations.

Consider if you are being honest with yourself about the situation or if you are choosing to dwell on the most negative interpretation of events and deciding it to be the truth.

2. What is my fear?

Fear is usually at the root of all paralyzing, negative and depressing emotions.

Fear is a natural response and we’ll never totally get rid of it. But asking yourself what you’re truly afraid of, underneath all the surface commentary helps you face what your truest fears are, and that exercise alone is a perspective shifter. You may realize your deeper fears are unfounded at this moment and keeping you blocked from moving forward.

When you admit to yourself where your past may be coming in and darkly coloring your present it can help you clarify and shift your mindset.

3. Can I comfort myself?

If you were to speak to a child who felt the way you do, what would you say? Seems silly, but it can help reframe your perspective.

You wouldn’t say to a child you suck, you’re a loser, there’s no hope, this is never going to get better.

Of course not! You’d say something reassuring and positive like I know this is hard and it’s ok to feel sad, but I promise things are going to get better, be gentle with yourself, and you can do anything you set your heart to do.

4. What are my blessings?

Gratitude plays a huge role in shifting perspective. It doesn’t mean you need to gloss over your pain, grief, anxieties or worries – but forcing yourself to find blessings in the moment brings your mind back to love.

No matter what is happening, you have something to count as a blessing. Even just your breath. You may not feel blessed all the time, but you are.

Write down three things you are grateful for this very minute. You could probably list one hundred. Remember that happiness and joy don’t come from having “stuff” and they certainly don’t come from dwelling on not having “stuff”.

Positive energy and optimism can come from noticing and appreciating the simple (free) gifts you have right now in your life.

“When you are experiencing positive emotions like joy, contentment, and love, you will see more possibilities in your life. Positive emotions broaden your sense of possibility and open your mind up to more options.” – James Clear

Your senses, one special friend, your eyesight, the birds, the sky. Counting blessings doesn’t take away the reality of suffering, but it helps you snap out of getting stuck and sucked deeper into the whirlpool of negativity.

5. What lifts me up?

Figure out who, what, where, how you find even the tiniest glimmers of hope and positivity and intentionally dig into that.

Is it when you listen to music, when you sing, when you dance, when you read inspiring books, listen to uplifting podcasts, when you pray, when you exercise?

Is your social media following feeding you joy and inspiration to fill your mind with encouragement, a sense of supportive community, and with others who have the mindset you’d like to have?

Nourishing yourself with hopeful, positive, uplifting activities and messages is a perspective game-changer (and also a part of healthy self-care).

“You have the capability to change your life all with a simple shift in perspective.” – Demi Lovato

See this moment differently.

Shifting your perspective doesn’t mean you instantly need to believe in unicorns and fairies or that you’re just fooling yourself into believing what you don’t quite feel to be true (yet).

It means choosing to be open-minded.

You’re choosing to see things differently. To open up to the possibilities of a variety of vantage points. To see the good in the bad; the opportunities in the challenges; the beauty in the hard; the lessons in the pain.

Choose to shift perspective and you will find more joy. – Marlene

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Looking to dig deeper into how to use journaling to reduce anxiety and feel better? Check out Journal to Joy, my self-paced online course designed to show you exactly how to journal for the greatest positive emotional transformation (in just 10-minutes a day!)  Details here.