REFRAMING YOUR PERCEPTIONS TO BUILD RESILIENCY – PART 1
From Our Resiliency Blog Series: The Science & Spirit Of Resiliency: Building A Stronger You (Full list of 8 blogs)
Reframing has been evidenced in positive psychology as one of the most effective ways to build resilience.
This blog is an excerpt from my book, Transformed by Values, Chapter: 10 Live your Islamic Values with Excellence by Mastering your Reframing Skills. The blog will help you gain knowledge, understanding and skills in:
- Reframing – The skill of changing your perceptions to support your values and goals.
- How to develop excellence in your reframing skills to empower your values
- Different reframing contexts
- Effective and different ways to reframe.
REFRAMING – THE SKILL OF TRANSFORMING YOUR PERCEPTIONS
In this blog, my favorite window will be explored for how to make rapid changes in your responses, behaviors and thinking using a method called reframing.
Reframing is the skill of changing your perceptions about what something means, so a more positive, beneficial, and empowering meaning occurs.
It can be done with single words, sentences, paragraphs, stories, and conversations. When the meaning you associate with anything changes, your thoughts, behaviors and responses will automatically change too (lots of examples coming up).
Reframing offers you great ways to master living your Islamic values. Reframing a negative context, is where you change its description to make it more acceptable to you, aligned to your Islamic teachings. As a result, the situation gains new meaning or can occur in a different context.
When something challenging, unexpected, or unwanted occurs, by practicing reframing, you can create a positive meaning you want to associate with the situation, based on your values.
For example, you had some things planned for you and some unexpected situation occurs and all your plans get messed up, which might catch you unguarded and throw you off guard! How can you stop this from adversely effecting you?
With the reframing skills you will learn in this blog, you can reframe and associate this with a meaning to support you such as, “everything happens for my own good and this is what Allah planned for me and no doubt, what He plans is the best”.
FOLLOWING ISLAMIC TEACHINGS MAKES REFRAMING EASY!
Everything in Islam encourages you to reframe the negative into a positive, difficulties into faith and patience etc. The greatest role model of reframing was the Prophet (PBUH). His ability to judge and see the good and positive in everything (no matter what!) was one of his key teachings.
He taught us the reward of being patient during difficulties, calamities or trials – which serves as a powerful reframe for you:
He (PBUH) stated, “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that” (Al-Bukhari)
Remaining patient during problems is equated with entering Paradise!
Remembering this means positively reframing any difficult situation becomes easy!
Allah, the Most Glorious states, “Those will be rewarded with the highest place (in Paradise) because of their patience. Therein they shall be met with greetings and the word of peace and respect” (Qur’an 25:75).
REFRAMES IS ALL ABOUT GROWING YOUR ISLAMIC VALUES.
One of my all-time favorite self-mastery strategies is reframing any experience of seeming failure into the idea, that there is no failure, but only learning, results and feedback in my life.
By actively changing your perception when something looks like it is not working as expected, you give yourself the opportunity to stay positive and resourceful to support achieving your desired results.
Reframes are all about growth of Islamic values supporting your ability to stay strong in hope and faith. It’s like telling yourself there’s always a better result if you choose to stay in faith and remember that every challenge is always about the opportunity of new growth.
Once you develop strong reframing skills, you will know how to motivate and empower your thinking and emotions by taking anything potentially adverse that happens in your thoughts, actions and life and instantly perceiving the positive possibilities, knowing there is always a higher way of perceiving everything.
Not surprisingly, reframing is the basis of many creative ways of thinking, such as humor, jokes, myths and legends where the creators took adversity or tough situations and tried to create stories that incorporate the solutions to the problem at hand.
HOW DO YOUR QUESTIONS IMPACT YOUR REFRAMING SKILLS?
A common response for many people towards something that happens unexpectedly or is unwanted is to ask disempowering questions, which often lead to more problems and disempowering results.
Disempowering questions such as,
- ‘Why did this happen to me?’
- ‘Why even try?’ or
- ‘Why has God done this to me?’
These are negative or limiting reframes.
For positive reframing, you will have to do the opposite, which is to ask empowering questions at challenging times to help achieve optimal results. Examples are listed below.
Positive reframe questions to empower your values success!
- What/How is the best way to think, respond and feel about this, in line with my Islamic value/s of …?
- How would Allah (swt) (God) want me to think, respond and feel about this to achieve the best outcome?
- How would the Prophet (pbuh) think, respond and feel in this situation?
- What would the Prophet (pbuh) focus on?
- What would [another role model] focus on in this situation?
- What other possibilities might there be?
- What else might this mean?
- What would I like this to mean?
- How would I like to think, respond and feel here?
- In what frame (context) could this be positive or a useful resource?
- How can I use this situation or challenge to take my Islamic values to a higher level?
- How can I turn this around?
- What is the most useful question I can ask right now?
- What is my intention?
- Who am I trying to please?
- What don’t I know that would make a difference if I did?
The questions you ask shape your perceptions about everything, including who you are, what you are capable of, and what you are willing to do to achieve your values goals.
Learning how to use questions to take you further in achieving what you want becomes critical. Often your minds’ resources are limited only by the questions you ask yourself.
By positively influencing your states, you can spend more time in positive and resourceful states. From these states, you can make the choices and decisions that will help you reach your highest potential and enjoy every moment of your life.
With prayers for your highest wellbeing!
Thanks for reading my blog!
Thank you for also being a part of our global self-improvement community as you explore this topic with us.
I deeply appreciate your support and look forward to sharing more valuable life transforming content to support your highest well-being.
Until next blog, stay resilient and keep learning!
To learn more – Keep building your resiliency with our next resiliency blog in this series
Written by Cynthia Aisha Meguid
Well-Being – Author, Educator, Consultant & Coach
