Scientists say this mental trick will reduce your anxiety
If you’re one of the more than 200,000 Kiwis living with anxiety, you’ll know just how much it can get in the way of carrying out simple, everyday activities and achieving your goals. Well, a recent finding might just be what you need to take back control.
New research from Dr Gabrielle Oettingen, author, professor of psychology at New York University and developer of the visualisation technique known as mental contrasting, supports the theory that it can help reduce anxious feelings.
“We have discovered that positive thoughts and images about future success predict low effort and low success, whether in the areas of achievement, health, or interpersonal relations,” Dr Oettingen told PsyPost.
“When you mentally contrast the thoughts and fantasies about a desired future with the main inner obstacle of reality standing in the way, people will find clarity about what they want and can achieve, and they invest the effort to fulfil their wishes and attain their goals.”
So what is mental contrasting exactly and how can you use it? Well, mental contrasting is positive thinking’s more grounded counterpart. Instead of only thinking positive thoughts (which tend to cause anxiety when we fail to meet our high expectations) mental contrasting focuses on creating realistic paths towards your goals. This is more likely to drive behavioural change “via nonconscious cognitive, motivational, and feedback processes.”
Dr Oettingen outlines four steps known by the acronym “WOOP”.
- Wish – Make a wish that is both challenging and realistic.
- Outcome – Visualise the moment when this wish comes true and how it would make you feel.
- Obstacle – Visualise the obstacles standing in your way (e.g. emotions, habits). Don’t ignore these obstacles – envision them as fully as you did the positive outcome.
- Plan – Instead of creating a plan for your desired outcome only, make a specific, realistic and practical plan to overcome each obstacle.
For example, say you wanted to lose weight.
- Wish – To lose 10kg by next year.
- Outcome – Visualise yourself 10kg lighter and savour that feeling.
- Obstacle – Visualise the obstacles in your way. In this instance, let’s say you lack motivation and can’t afford a gym membership.
- Plan – How can you overcome these obstacles? To increase your motivation, you could ask a friend to join you for morning run once a week. Can’t afford the gym? Use the outdoor gym in your local park or use items around the house. Focus on beating your obstacles instead of ignoring them. This fear is what makes us anxious and gets in the way of achieving our goals.