Can You Really Change Your Experience by Shifting Your Perspective? by Jo Shipley

Or, how to make a 23-hour flight more enjoyable

Can our thoughts really change our experience of reality?

I’m not sure we can think our way out of a cramped airplane seat, but I have recently been practising whether I can improve my experience of life by simply changing my attitude.

Heading back to the UK to celebrate my mother’s 80th birthday, my recent 23-hour London-to-Sydney endurance test in economy class gave me the perfect opportunity to put this to the test.

I boarded the plane with a simple mantra ringing in my ears: “We are not always in control of what happens, but we can control how we respond.”

Armed with hand luggage full of positive affirmations, I was pleasantly surprised that both the outgoing and return flights were genuinely bearable (although I wouldn’t go as far as to say pleasurable!).

Admittedly, they were long. The seat was uncomfortable; it was cramped, hot and very tiring. But compared with some of my previous long-haul experiences – you want to hear about the one where my young child vomited for nine hours non-stop, or the one where our luggage continued on to London while we stopped over in Dubai – these flights were relatively pain-free!

So, in my expanded state of awareness, had I consciously created a more enjoyable experience simply by approaching the situation with a more positive mindset?

Sit on a Pin

A recent e-newsletter from the local meditation centre reminded me of a Buddhist teaching that compares ordinary life to sitting on top of a pin.

It explained how we wriggle and adjust, trying to find a position where nothing hurts. We change our circumstances, relationships and jobs, hoping that when we get everything just right, life on top of the pin will finally feel comfortable. However, inevitably, the pin still pricks.

I reflected that on previous flights my attention would have been almost entirely on my considerable discomfort: How cramped am I? How much longer? When will this endurance test finally be over?

And, of course, the more attention I gave my discomfort, the worse it became.

So this time, instead of focusing on my cramped seat and my internal thought loops about why I wasn’t in first class, or why time travel wasn’t yet a thing, I took a different emotional journey.

I focused on the experience I wanted to have. I marvelled at the wonders of jet engines. I felt gratitude to the cabin crew and BA’s wellbeing ambient lighting. I reflected on why I was travelling and who was going to be there to meet me at Heathrow. And it seemed to work!

Chakras as a Map

During life’s challenges, our energy can contract around a problem. We can become caught up in our internal dialogue around safety, emotion, control, hurt, unspoken words, overthinking, or uncertainty.

The chakra system can be seen as a map for exploring how we process these different aspects of our human experience. Through awareness, we can begin to notice where our energy may feel stuck or out of balance. Once we have identified where we are stuck, we can consciously redirect our energy rather than continually feeding our negative thought loops.

Reframing is key – try contemplating safety rather than fear, choice rather than control, love rather than protection, perspective rather than rumination, and trust rather than resistance.

Accept that we can’t always change the journey, but we can become more conscious of how we travel it. We don’t have to make the discomfort disappear, but we can simply stop making it our whole story.

So, the next time you find yourself sitting uncomfortably on the proverbial pin, just ask yourself:

“Where is my energy going – and where would I prefer it to go?”

Maybe healing is a little like enduring long-haul travel in economy.  It’s not comfortable, but it begins by choosing a new perspective.

If you would like to learn more about how to balance your chakras or deepen your connection with your inner being, I’d love to help. Please get in touch.

If you’d like support working through any emotional and physical issues using energy-healing practices, work with me 1:1 in my Canberra therapy rooms.

Enjoying this content? Tune into my Wellness Valley Podcast, where I speak to inspirational healers and share stories of hope, wellbeing and personal growth (available on Spotify, Amazon and my website) and on my Wellness Valley Substack.

Find Jo Shipley at linktr.ee/joshipley