Can You Change Emotions with a Reframe?

Can you change emotions with a reframe?

Sounds too simple. But, in some cases, it works!

Recently, I was complaining to a friend about a BIG SUV parked in front of my house, most days of the week and sometimes at night. Actually, it’s parked right in front of the path to my front door. I have to park in front of it or behind it when I bring in groceries. Most days, my view out of my home office window is this big car. This happens every May though the end of August. So, I’m imagining it belongs to a college kid or a nanny who works for an unknown neighbor a block away. The back of their house butts up to my street. So, the young woman, whom I have seen only once, parks her car on my street and uses the gate at the back of their house.

I was saying to myself, “Yes, it’s a public street. But why can’t she park on her own street in front of her own house?” It was really bugging me! My friend said she had struggled with the very same issue. She lives on a cul-de-sac and her next door neighbor has a bunch of teenagers and a bunch of cars.

Here’s how she reframed the situation. She told herself this was a useful thing, “Because there’s a car parked right in front of my house, it always looks like someone is home. Now, it’s much less likely someone will pick my house to burglarize.” Great reframe!

It worked! I am now saying the same thing; looking for the positive side of a situation I cannot control. Seeing this young woman’s car in front of my house has not bothered me since. Amazing!

Now I’m trying to do a reframe every time I can’t find a shoe or sock…and then I find it in my dog Emma’s favorite spot in the den (unharmed). My reframe, “How cute; Emma loves to have me (or the next best thing; the smell of my feet) near her when I’m not home or not awake (she does most of her stealing in the dead of night). This reframe really makes me smile! Emma is pretty happy with it, too 🙂 !

You can change emotions through ‘Reframe’. It works!

Do you have any situations in your life that would benefit from a reframe?

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Ellen Shuman is a pioneer in the field of binge eating disorder treatment; a Coach who specializes in helping people overcome binge eating, binge eating disorder, emotional eating, compulsive eating, and food addiction. She is the founder of A Weigh Out  Life Coaching & Members’ Circle, Acoria Binge Eating Disorder Treatment (1993-present). She is a Past President of the Binge Eating Disorder Association (2011/2012), and Co-Founder of the Academy for Eating Disorders Special Interest Group on “Health at Every Size”, ellen@aweighout.com, 513-321-4242.