During the school year, I draw a lot of pictures on index cards for students to take with them and reference. I am guessing most of them end up in the laundry – but it makes me feel good to give kids something that shows what we talked about during our visits. I often draw a version of this power loop – but I like this version the best.
This loop is often called the TFAR loop referencing the interplay between our thoughts, feelings, actions and results. I like the idea of the loop as we can start: WHERE WE ARE. The secret sauce is paying close attention to the interplay of these things in our lives.
Since we are all motivated by different things – we can decide where to start the healing and transformation process with some intention*.
THOUGHTS: Any ideas, beliefs, interpretations, or self-talk that run through our minds. While we can often control our thoughts, sometimes it is hard. And sometimes we don’t try very hard to do this. These thoughts play a big role in shaping how we perceive ourselves, others and the world around us.
FEELINGS: Thoughts often trigger us to feel something. These feelings or emotions can be positive ones like happiness, excitement, or love negative ones like sadness, anger and fear. Our feelings are often a mirror image of our thoughts – so that is why it is very important to try to control our thoughts.Here is a post all about thought disruption.
ACTIONS: Feelings can directly impact or motivate our actions or behaviors. Actions and behaviors are the things we sign up to do intentionally but also include the-habit-forming-bullshit actions and behaviors that we aren’t always proud of (think: screen time, the food and drink we put into your bodies, the sedentary-ness of our lives, etc.).
RESULTS: Our actions and behaviors lead to results. These results can be tangible or intangible. Results can be small or big. Results can be something you have planned for and/or wanted to happen.
In short, if you feel like you are in a hamster wheel and can’t get out – you know why. The mental interconnectedness reflected in this loop is a nice reminder of this hamster wheel. Just like a hamster on a wheel, you can slow things down. You can exit when you need to. You can manipulate the wheel with your intention*. And you can start wherever you are.
*I think it goes without saying, but being intentional week after week is the work of our lives, so I don’t like to throw that word out without some caution.
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