DorlandHealth

Be more in touch with your thoughts, see better results

Perhaps you keep a to-do list to keep track of it all. Let me propose something else. We’ll call it a “to-be” list. And it may be the most useful one you ever draw up.

Your daily to-be list lays out how you want to be — that is, the way you want to act, interact, feel and exist — with yourself and others during a given timeframe. Positive, patient, direct and open to others’ ideas may be among the entries. The exercise gives you pause to consider your current mindset and mood, and serves as a compass to help recalibrate your state of mind over the course of a day.
Whether you are a list-maker or not, the idea is shifting focus from what you are going to do today to how you are going to be today. It’s about being present in the moment and getting in touch with your thoughts. It takes some effort, given how our task- and pressure-packed days hit 5:00 p.m. before we know it.

Getting good at living in the moment can greatly enhance your interaction with others and ultimately help create the type of outcomes in your work (and life) that you want and need. It makes your to do time more effective and results-oriented. It’s relevant to the challenges case managers face day in and day out, particularly in listening to and connecting with others.

But why take time to deal with how you are “being,” when your day and mind already are filled to capacity? The answer lies in David Spangler’s highly regarded Law of Manifestation, which says: everything that exists comes about in an orderly and predictable way. It’s a three-step process, which goes like this: being (how we are, how we think) motivates doing, which in turn determines having (or the results we generate). In other words, our mental state and our thoughts drive our actions and ultimate outcomes. Logical, right?

BEING

Our thoughts, ideas and beliefs drive...

DOING

Our behavior and the actions we take, which in turn produce...

HAVING

The results and outcomes we experience.
 

One of psychology’s key axioms says that all behavior is motivated. Pursuing the Law of Manifestation, it is clear that our actions are motivated by thoughts that precede them (our way of being). These thoughts are both conscious and unconscious. Either way, we, the thinker, have control over them because we create them. Again, we don’t create results. We create ideas, which in turn motivate our actions — which then produce results.

What does it mean from a practical standpoint? The bottom line, in both professional and personal realms, is that awareness of how we are being and thinking is critical to positive outcomes.

Communication is a good test case for what I shall call the power of presence. You listen better when you are more present during a discussion. It takes work, and involves being “for” the person speaking — opening up and accepting what they have to say, putting your own agenda or opinions temporarily aside. Do this and you will better understand a person’s real issue or message. You will really hear what they are saying, and in turn respond and converse in more meaningful and productive ways.

It doesn’t mean agreeing with everything that person says; in fact, quite the opposite. When you listen better, you argue more on point, and gain resolution faster. More often, it’s about having a positive experience. Think about a great conversation you had with a close friend. The two of you were on a roll; you went on for hours, completely losing track of time. Chances are, you were both very present in that process.

With all this said, you probably are seeing how awareness of your thoughts can benefit a case manager’s work. My personal experience in working with case management professionals showed how shuttling among your many constituencies — patients, families, providers and carriers — and working toward optimal outcomes for each takes a special kind of diplomacy and patience.

On the patient and family side in particular, think about how awareness of your state can enhance conversations. You’ll hear not just their words but also their emotion (even when not explicitly expressed), and gain deeper insight into some issues and concerns they may not be directly communicating. You may still have to deliver news that a family will find less than ideal, but they may accept it more easily if it is communicated in a way that acknowledges their concerns.

Zeroing in on patients’ and families’ below-the-surface concerns, originated through better self-awareness, can in turn benefit your work on the business side. It may lead you to recommend an alternate plan of action than what is “standard” for a particular situation — not necessarily more costly, but more effective in instilling peace of mind in the patient camp, and potentially staving off the kind of conflicts that ultimately drain your time and generate their own hidden costs.

It’s one thing to be more aware of your thoughts. It is quite another to change your subconscious thought pattern. It turns out that our subconscious minds create two distinct categories of thoughts — let’s call them “Column A” and “Column B.” The relative nature of these two types of thoughts is illustrated below:

COLUMN A	COLUMN B
Unlimited	Limited
Open	Closed
Expanded	Contracted
Accept	Reject
Propose	Oppose
Can	Can't
Positive	Negative
For	Against

Unfortunately, Column B thoughts occur far more frequently than Column A. So the goal is to move from B to A. One way is by “catching your thoughts.” By that, I mean recognizing a negative thought as exactly that — negative — putting it aside, and considering its positive counterpart. (If that’s what can’t be, then what can be?) Working in the present is like putting on a big, broken-in catcher’s mitt.

I teach a mnemonic device called NICE to help people get more into the moment:

Notice your thoughts.

Intercept them to stop the automatic process.

Choose the way you want to think about or be in the situation.

Execute your choice with your conscious mind.

Physical steps to getting more in sync with your thoughts include a simple breathing exercise. A few times during the day, take three deep, very conscious breaths, inhaling and exhaling through the nose. This works great for me as a kind of “reset button,” planting me firmly in my present state of mind. The other involves making regular use of sensory language: “I’m feeling (fill in the blank),” I’m thinking,” even, “I’m tasting.” It situates you more in the realm of your mind and reminds you how thinking and feeling motivate what you may, or may not, do next.

You may have other ways to get more in touch with yourself. Whatever works best, I urge you to use it. The benefits are available to everyone, and are too great to leave on the table.
 

Dr. Vergil L. Metts is president and CEO of Impact Associates Inc. and holds a doctorate degree in industrial and organizational psychology
from the University of Tennessee. Dr. Metts has extensive experience working for and consulting with public and private organizations.
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