Use Your Imagination to Create Magic, Not Stress

I had a procedure this week – just to investigate and check out and make sure all is well. Nothing to worry about. And I was not worried about the procedure itself…I was more worried about the sedative and painkiller. I don’t take drugs. The last time I had an Ibuprofen was about 3 years ago. I have to be swearing with pain before I even contemplate taking pills.

(Since I’ve been doing this, I need pills WAY less…just sayin…)

The catalyst for this aversion to pharmaceuticals (which I used to embrace wholeheartedly!) was a bad reaction to penicillin that put me in anaphylactic shock. After nearly 30 years of taking penicillin regularly (3 times a year at least), I suddenly developed an allergy to it. Over the next few years, I realised I also reacted adversely to Codeine and Paracetamol (happily the reaction was far less dramatic than anaphylaxis). This made me paranoid about pharmaceuticals.

And this week, I had this procedure coming up and I would rather be sedated and have pain relief…BUT there is the fear that despite never having reacted in the past to a sedative, or ever having had this particular painkiller, I would have a reaction to the drugs. So, because I have a magnificently active imagination, I was conjuring scenarios of ending up staying at the hospital because I’d gone into anaphylactic shock again!

How lovely. But then I realised:

I can use my imagination to create scenarios I WANT to happen, not just go with the unconscious fearful scenarios.

Magnificent imaginations are a gift. My inner life is so rich – I can imagine in wonderful detail anything you care to mention (including zombies at the window when I’m home alone!). So why not use that magnificent gift to create visions that feel good and are helpful and calming instead of fear-filled and alarming?

Do you do the same? Imagine worst-case scenarios in excruciatingly terrifying detail? Maybe you could use that magnificent gift of imagination for creating the life you want? Imagining best-case scenarios, wonderful visions, the perfect outcome, the most glorious dream for your life – the best you could possibly imagine.

You may think ‘why? It’s not real.’ It’s no less real than the disaster scenarios – those ones that terrify you and stress you out and make you feel sick with fear. That’s the power of imagination – you are creating something that FEELS real. And you can either feel wonderful about it…or you can feel stressed, terrified, worried over scenarios that never come to pass. (Well, none of my imagined worst-case scenarios have ever happened to me – all the disasters in my life came from left-field!)

So imagine using your imagination to create feelings of love, joy, happiness, wonder, delight, glee and exhilaration instead. And this is not just a ‘good-feeling’ exercise. When you use your imagination to create pictures of what you want, you are also led to inspired action which will take you towards that wonderful vision. (That’s what turns a ‘good feeling’ exercise into the pure magic of creation)

It’s your choice – you get to use your imagination however you wish…but I’m making the choice to create magic, not fear and stress. I imagined my procedure going perfectly, my body being perfectly at ease with the sedative and painkiller and all being well (and it was). It was much more enjoyable than the alternative vision of anaphylaxis and hospitalisation!

Remember, when you imagine worst-case scenarios, you are MAKING IT UP! So why not make up something magical and wonderful instead?

Related posts