Reframe It! - Maier Erica R.

Reframe It! Rethinking Your Reactions to Life's Annoyances is a full color, PICTURE BOOK FOR ADULTS designed to reduce your stress level TODAY.  But why a picture book? Because you're busy. She's busy. He's busy. We're all busy. Reframe It! is meant to be read nugget by nugget, in bite-sized pieces. The concepts are simple and relatable, and can be put to the test right away! Jump-start your journey to a happier, healthier life with Reframe It!

(An EXCERPT from Reframe It! Rethinking Your Reactions to Life’s Annoyances.)

INTRODUCTION

I’m going to give it to you straight. I'm no academic scholar on the subject of mindset. I am, instead, an attentive student of the matter, and a keen observer. And I have observed—as I’m certain you have, too—how quickly we become bent out of shape over situations that are completely out of our control—scenarios that I’ll call Life’s Annoyances.

Of course, when the experience is fresh, these annoyances may seem downright infuriating, overwhelming, unfair, or inexcusable. And perhaps on the surface they are. But at their core, they carry much less weight than we assign them. Time and again, we allow negative gut reactions to snowball into enormous loads we force ourselves to bear, often for much, much longer than is even remotely necessary (AKA dwelling, stewing, overthinking, or throwing fully-catered pity parties). However, if we choose, in the moment, to reframe our reactions in a positive way, we will not only lift the burden of unnecessary stress off our shoulders, we will also serendipitously invite peace into our lives. And who doesn’t want peace? Because, truth be told, our reactions affect us more than we think. We may be the most physically fit person in the room, but if our reactions consistently skew our attitudes toward the negative, this slant will eventually begin to affect our health.

So, my hope for this book is that it will help you begin to recognize your reactions to everyday annoyances. And, when these reactions occur, you will immediately think of a positive way to spin them. You can alternatively view this book as Positive Mindset 101 or Intro to Positive Thinking. The concepts and ideas are simple and can be applied straightaway.

And it’ll go like this: I will set up for you 25 common scenarios that provoke stress, frustration, anger, and annoyance, then offer two ways that each situation can be reframed. The first prompt that you’ll see for reframing is a Reframe Punch, a tough-love retort for those who might need a bit of a slap upside the head. For gentler encouragement, you’ll see a Reframe Nudge. I will also point out that all the scenarios and suggestions are moldable, customizable, and adjustable. You may not have endured the exact situations I describe, and you might not reframe these experiences in quite the ways I offer, but just remember—there are many, many, many ways to spin a situation toward the positive. Reframe It! simply gives you a jumping-off point.

Oh, and: fair warning: Reframing will take a lot of practice. And a lot of testing. And, believe me, if this is an endeavor upon which you choose to embark, you will be tested! Almost immediately. To the point that you’ll be tempted to rethink rethinking your reactions! But don’t give up! Because once you master your reactions, you will not only be happier and healthier in your everyday life, but you will also be better equipped to handle the real, even devastating, challenges that present themselves to all of us.