Positive Reframing: How To Look At Things From Another Perspective

Sometimes being able to see things from another point of view improves our ability to handle difficulties. Positive reframing is an example of this and how, by rethinking certain aspects or dimensions, confusion, discomfort and those tensions that we have with people around us are reduced. It is a very useful resource that we can all use.

However, there is one thing we must admit: applying this type of mental craft is difficult for us. People tend to be stubborn in our interpretations, stubborn in those appraisals we make about certain situations, circumstances and relationships. We do not hesitate to label as toxic that companion who is always in a bad mood or as a controlling person who is obsessed with order.

Maybe that toxic person is going through a bad time and is having a bad time in silence. Anyone who is obsessed with order may have one of those brilliant minds that would be worth learning something from. Let’s admit it, our reality has many faces and it is not good to be left with only the most negative.

Positive reframing, what does it consist of?

Positive framing is a technique widely used in therapy. With it, an attempt is made for the person to be able to see things differently and to change the meanings attributed to them. The essential idea is to make him understand that the point of view he applies towards certain realities that cause him suffering acts as a filter capable of blurring everything, altering emotions, thoughts and behaviors.

Let’s take an example. I am a person with a showy nose or someone who is extremely thin or short. Beyond working on my self-esteem or self-acceptance, I must also be able to make use of a positive frame to each situation. Instead of thinking that everyone is going to look at me if I go to a party, I must relativize that idea and focus it on other dimensions : on having fun, on assuming that we all have our particularities and that this is what makes us unique.

Should I avoid going to social events for it? Obviously not. Because those mental schemes that we apply to certain areas of our lives not only limit us, they act as veterans of happiness. And if there is something we must consider, it is that a large part of us make use of these mental processes. Thinking that there is only one perspective and one unique way of seeing things is very human.

Moving from the “problem-frame” to the “objective-frame”

Positive framing follows a very concrete process in which to move from negativity towards a more open, constructive and hopeful attitude. To understand it better, we will put ourselves in the shoes of another person, someone who has just received a very specific diagnosis: multiple sclerosis.

This particular person tells himself that his life is over, that he will never work again, and that his future is over.

• The framework-problem is the following: it assumes that this chronic disease is degenerative and that all is lost, that there is no other option but to assume the end.
• Well, within the therapeutic process it is essential to make use of the positive frame and for this we will apply the objective-framework that consists of making the person see other options. It is going from the concrete problem to an objective that acts as hope, as a way out to break that negative pattern.
• In this case, you will be focused on understanding the disease, understanding it and knowing that there are options to stop it and be able to maintain an adequate quality of life.

The positive framing does not fall into excessive optimism, it is to rethink experiences to provide solutions

Positive framing is part of the positive psychology started by Martin Seligman in the 90s. It is important to understand that this technique is not intended for someone to always be able to see the bright side of life. It is to enable so that, within the context and reality of each patient, it is possible to consider what options there are to manage the situation and improve their life.

Something like this implies understanding that, sometimes, we cannot change what happens to us. If I have lost my job, I am lost. If I have been diagnosed with a disease, the evidence is that and no other. However, the positive framing allows me to see what approaches I can consider to cope with and face these events.

It is to weaken the negative and defeatist bias that has trapped me to feed my gaze on other possibilities, other perspectives with which to improve my motivation and the possibility that I better handle those already complex circumstances. Thanks to this resource, I find emotional calm, mental clarity and I can redefine the meanings that I give to certain things.

To conclude, this technique to restructure cognitions (thoughts) is a life tool that we should make our own. It is a way of moving forward a little better through those difficult days that we may have ahead. Likewise, if it is not possible for us to achieve it ourselves, it is always appropriate to consult a specialized professional. Let’s keep it in mind.