Manipulating Your Subconscious into Developing Good Habits

Many of the actions and decisions we make in life happen at a subconscious level. Our subconscious is the feeling, thinking part of us that drives our perceptions, and often our decision-making processes. Often thought of as “instinct” or “gut feeling” we often rely on our subconscious and when we are feeling positive and happy about our lives, we are usually confident we are making the right decisions. On other occasions, however, our perceptions can be clouded by stress and other such factors and dwelling on these things can lead to inappropriate reactions as we focus on the perceptions and not the facts of the situation.

Is it possible to train and manipulate your subconscious to develop good habits of focusing on the facts and not being influenced by perceptions and feelings. It is important to remember when facing negative self-talk that you may not be able to change the situation you are facing but you can change how you feel about it. The situation is not a choice, but the way you react and respond to the consequences of that situation is a choice. 

Experts tell us that 90% of the things we worry about will never happen to us. This 90% worry rate is usually created in our subconscious. To reduce the worry, we need to refocus our thinking from our perceptions about the causes of our worry and focus instead on the facts or the cause of the worry. 

Confronting the self-talk by asking yourself reality-based questions is essential to reversing the process of self-talk. It often helps if you can write down the answers to these questions.   

Firstly, ask yourself about the facts of the situation and as you write them down try not to reflect on any emotions, but only facts. 

 Secondly, ask yourself if there are alternative causes for a situation or event, rather than just the one your subconscious is suggesting. Challenge your perception with evidence from other sources that may prove your perception as incorrect. 

Put perspective back into the situation by reflecting on the facts and alternative causes.

Challenge the perception you have had and create an alternative perception.

As you learn to challenge the way your subconscious relates to situations, you can manipulate it to start thinking positively. The goal is to challenge your subconscious reasoning before it thinks and responds negatively to situations.