I’m not referring to digging around in the trash for “finds.” I’m talking about emotional dumpster diving. If you do, I’ve got a few tips for staying out of the dumpster and keeping your mood and vibration high.
First, let’s talk about what I’m referring to when I talk about Dumpster Diving. This is a concept I often discuss with my clients. What I’m referring to is the tendency to slide into the depths of despair where all of the icky, yucky feelings and ideas and doomsday thoughts languish.
Down there in dumpster diving land is where you do the what-iffing leading to potential tragedy and gloom and despair. This occurs when you’re having a bad day or week or month and you begin wondering what if. What if this thing I’m struggling with gets so out of control that it literally runs me over and ruins me? What if what I’m worried about comes true but in spades? What if, what if, what if……
We’ve all been to what-if land, because we’re all human. And you likely know how paralyzing this place can be. As you sit deep down in the dumpster and bemoan your fate and what if, the what ifs tend to become your reality. It’s smelly and uncomfortable down there, but you just can’t help from mucking around in the dumpster abyss. The more icky things you find in the dumpster that has become your mind, the more you slosh about and add to the collection of yuck. Until you feel so terrible you become sure that you will never feel good again.
At some point, though, you get tired of being down there. It just gets too uncomfortable.
How to Get out of the Dumpster
Have you ever noticed if you have a positive thought or say something positive out loud doing so tends to push away negative thoughts? The fact is that positive thoughts and words and actions are stronger than negative ones. This might seem like it’s not true, but I encourage you to try it.
The next time you think of something terrible that could or might happen, I want you to think the inverse—meaning something wonderful that could or might happen. Or think of something that has happened that was wonderful, and for which you are grateful.
When you think or say the wonderful possibility or express gratitude, something happens. Your vibration goes up a couple of notches! If you feed off that positive thought or sentiment and come up with another positive, your vibration jumps up some more notches!
What happens if you continue to think positive, grateful thoughts? Your vibration/energy/mood continues to elevate. Until something really interesting happens.
You suddenly look around the dumpster and notice just how disgusting being down there is. In fact, because your vibration has raised, everything feels and smells much worse now.
You even begin to wonder just how you had managed to stay down in the dumpster with all its grossness—how you tolerated it. And what do you know! You stand and scrabble your way up, gasping gratefully at the fresh air once you exit the dumpster! Then you get yourself cleaned up with more words of gratitude and hope, and what do you know, you feel like a whole new person!
How to Stay out of the Dumpster
The good news is once you begin to tend to your vibration and mood level, the idea of going back into the dumpster becomes repellant. If you do find yourself starting to get into the dumpster, or have a really bad day and dive in head first, you immediately know what you’ve done, because the smell and feeling is so unpleasant. This will result in you climbing out immediately, or much sooner than you used to.
Until one day, you simply choose not to go into the dumpster ever again. You may consider it at times when you’re having challenging times, but you know how hard it is to scrabble back up the slimy sides into the light, and so you stop yourself with positive thoughts of gratitude.
Gratitude for all you’ve been given and will be given. For there is much.
