Shifting Perspective as a Wellness Strategy
The warm days have arrived in the Northern Hemisphere bringing a sense of joy. Simple pleasures abound, like spending time with family and friends and enjoying the outdoors. The mood feels uplifting and quite a contrast to what we experienced last summer. The shift in perspective is palpable.
But we don’t need to wait until the conditions are perfect to experience contentment. In fact, the natural world provides limitless opportunities to shift perspective whenever we’re feeling stuck, anxious or unsure.
For example, take a look at your current surroundings – your everyday life.
Now zoom all the way out. Imagine looking at an endless sky. Consider this... The Sun is one of 100 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way is one of several hundred billion galaxies in the Universe. The Universe is 13 billion years old, ever expanding since the big bang, and made of matter and energy. But only 5% of the Universe is made of atoms (meaning stars and galaxies). The rest is dark matter and dark energy. It’s a mystery.
Now zoom all the way in. Imagine you’re on an endless beach. Consider this... Everything is made of tiny atoms. One grain of sand contains one million trillion atoms. Atoms are made of subatomic particles – tiny bits of energy that behave unpredictably. There here, then they’re not. This is the realm of quantum physics – that tells us what appears to be solid, is not. It’s a mystery.
From the Milky Way to a grain of sand – there’s so much awe, so much we don’t know. Yet we tend to forget this – and its impact – as we live our day to day lives in between this wonder.
But you can learn to tap into this place of awe and curiosity whenever you’d like if you’re open to it – and it can change your whole perspective, so much so that this practice can become a useful wellness strategy.
Exploring the concept of zooming out and zooming in can be a powerful way to reframe. In photography, when we zoom out, we make our subject smaller or farther away and when we zoom in, we make it larger or closer without moving ourselves. We do this optically by moving the barrel of the lens, which manipulates the light coming into the camera, which shifts the perspective of the composition and the viewer.
Here’s how you can utilize zooming in and out to reframe your life experiences:
Zooming out is a great technique when you’re mired in the details of your daily routine. It’s about broadening your focus to include life outside of your current field of view, like a wide-angle lens. It helps you open your awareness to possibility and invites innovation. It gives you permission to be in open mental space, to relax in the abstract, metaphorical and unknown. It invites the gift of unstructured time to do nothing, even for brief periods of time to reflect on the journey so far.
Zooming in is a great technique when you feel scattered or paralyzed by choice. It’s about narrowing your focus to include everything that comprises the present moment, including the inspiration you get from ‘big mind’ moments, like connecting with nature. It puts your current state of life in perspective by seeing your daily routine as the result of life decisions you’ve made to this point. Zooming in gives you more clarity on a practical next step.
Here are some ideas on how you can shift perspective using these techniques:
Zooming out (for a broader life view)
Connect with universal forces through the power of the elements, like the night sky or the ocean.
See your situation from a zoomed-out vantage point: Will it matter in 10 or 20 years? What have you learned? What can you celebrate?
Make time for mental breaks – walks, cloud watching, gardening, napping, driving – let your right brain roam.
Look for when you feel most at ease – that’s a good sign that you’re in alignment with what matters most to you.
Seek out new experiences and possibilities.
Zooming in (for life clarity)
Create space. Clear out the old (stuff) or get it off your chest (emotional).
Review where you’re spending your most valuable resources – your time and energy – and determine if it aligns with your values and desires. Adjust as needed.
Work with your learning edge, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone just a bit.
Write about a prior situation that felt insurmountable. How did you resolve it? How did that experience add to the strength and outlook you have today?
Lift your spirit with music, exercise, laughter or human connection. Celebrate and give yourself credit for a job well done so far.
Since everything is connected and in relationship, you may find that the infinite vastness of the sky and the nanoscopic world of the matter and energy can help you adjust your current worldview. This will give you options when you find yourself vulnerable to the unpredictable and relentless waves of life. As a result, you may feel more presence, less emotional tumble and the power of knowing you can change what you need and let go of everything else.
Perspective shifts help us improve our mental outlook, ourselves and our lives. As situations shift and improve, self-empowerment increases as does your ability to creatively handle life experiences.
Journal Reflections: How can a broader life view (zooming out) help you dream bigger? How can life clarity (zooming in) help you create a plan to realize that dream? What step can you take today?