Have you noticed that despite achieving things you desire, you still find yourself dissatisfied with life? You are not alone. Negative visualization leads to a positive shift in perspective. Here’s why:
Most people would say that their goal in life is to be happy. To be happy, we each have a list or an idea of what it would take to get us to happiness: desires. We begin to desire these things or lifestyles, thinking that once we finally get them, we will be happy.
However, the enjoyment we get from achieving our desires wears off over time. Once that happens, we desire something new. Whether positive or negative, large changes in our lives tend to stabilize, bringing us back to a neutral state.
This phenomenon is known as hedonic adaptation. People often say that humans are on a hedonic treadmill, always seeking our desires to make us happy, but generally going nowhere long term.
On the flip side, not achieving our desires leaves us feeling dissatisfied. Dissatisfaction is incompatible with happiness. We are stuck in a lose-lose situation: we can desire things, achieve them, and desire more, or we can be dissatisfied with not achieving them at all.
So what is the solution? The Stoics believed it is to want what we already have. If we can train our minds to be satisfied with what we have, we can begin to approach happiness.
Negative visualization is an exercise that can be done to improve satisfaction with our lives. An exercise to help us want what we already have. To practice takes only a few seconds, though it can be longer if you wish.
The concept is simple: imagine something or someone in your life that you love or makes you happy, and visualize it disappearing or worsening. A bleak thought, I know, but that’s the point.
By visualizing that positive aspect of your life deteriorating, even for a few seconds, you are left with greater appreciation of your current life. Your perspective has shifted, giving yourself a new outlook on life. An outlook where you are satisfied with what you have.
Phrased another way, reminding ourselves that things could always be worse actually improves our satisfaction and happiness with where we are at now. Appreciating what you have already can be a satisfyingly freeing thought.
However, this gain in appreciation does not last forever, sometimes only a few hours or minutes. The exercise of negative visualization can be practiced regularly to maintain appreciation. You can use it whenever you are feeling dissatisfied with life.
It is important to note that dwelling on negative visualization is not the point, and can be a negative side effect of this practice. If you find yourself stuck in a spiral of negativity, it may be a good idea to talk to someone.
By shifting our perspective more regularly, it helps us take a step back and observe our own lives. Regular reevaluation of our lives can be a humbling experience that gives clarity and direction to where we are at and where we would like to go next.
I have personally found negative visualization to be a helpful exercise for improving my appreciation of my life and the stage I am at. Shifting my perspective on a regular basis helps me notice brightness in areas of my life that I had become desensitized to.
Negative visualization is just one tool the Stoics proposed to assist in self-observation. Self-observation is a Stoic methodology for improving happiness and life satisfaction. I will continue sharing more tools as I work my way through this mindfulness series.
If you found this helpful or interesting, I would love to hear your thoughts! The more we learn how this practice helps each of us, the more we can collectively improve. Please feel free to leave questions or comments below.
Continue reading about the stoic path with: The Last Time Meditation.
Find the full list of mindful thoughts here.
