Have you ever had the experience of buying, or looking to buy, a particular brand of car and then start to notice examples of that car all over the road? Or perhaps you bought a new pair of shoes you were sure would be unique to you … only to discover those same shoes seem to be on the feet of every other person on the street?

This ability of our minds to bring into ‘view’ aspects of our surroundings that we have never noticed before is incredibly powerful. When we understand it and learn to tap into it, it can become an important step on our journey towards raising our level of emotional health.

In the world of QuantumThink®, this phenomenon is recognised as the Distinction of ‘Observer Created Reality’. In our Mastering Emotional Health app, QuantumThink® creator Dianne Collins describes Observer Created Reality like this:

“Reality as we see it is always being shaped by the way in which we observe it. There is no absolute objective reality ‘out there’. There is no separation between the observer and what is being observed. Our consciousness, our observation affects the reality, creates the reality, and is manifesting our reality, directed by the dynamic of creation. Our own consciousness is the creative force.”

Put another way, when you start noticing all those other purple Hondas or orange Nikes, it’s not because anything has changed in the physical environment. What has changed is the way you are seeing that environment. What has changed is your observer created reality.

The power of this becomes apparent when we understand that we can play a conscious role in choosing the ‘reality’ we see. We don’t need to buy a car or shoes in order to notice them. We just need to make a conscious decision to be aware of those things. And not just physical objects. We can also choose to raise our awareness of the actions and behaviours of others or any other aspect of our environment.

In terms of increasing our level of emotional health, observer created reality sits neatly between two other central concepts that I’ve introduced previously: the inner observer and intent.

The inner observer allows us to be both ‘inside’ our current experience and ‘outside’ it at the same time, bringing awareness of how we are responding to that experience. Switching on our inner observer immediately broadens our perspective. We become more aware, including of the impact we are having on those around us.

Setting an intent is all about choosing how we want to be or be seen in our environment. Having a clear understanding of our observer created reality can help us realise what that intent will feel like.

Let me share a couple of examples.

A great many of us are struggling with the current state of our world. There seems to be so much suffering, whether due to conflict or economic challenges or the impacts of the climate crisis. It is easy to be overwhelmed and to feel incredibly small in this situation, unable to see any way in which our actions can make any difference. This in turn can cause us to turn away from the world. It is easy to go below the line, saying, ‘It is all out of my control’.

Of course, it is true that any individual’s impact on the state of the world will always be extremely limited. Nevertheless, no matter how bad things get we always retain authority over the way we respond or how we want to ‘be’ – that is, our intent.

We can choose, for instance, to bring the quality of ‘positivity’ into our world and look for examples of this in action, focusing on what is working and how this is contributing to a better society. We can choose the quality of ‘caring’ and look for examples of people helping each other out and providing assistance and support without expectation.

As we choose the qualities we want more of, we begin to notice them all around us and appreciate the benefit they can bring. With practice, we can embed them into the way we live our lives and draw on them for inspiration in order to stay above the line.

Another example is smaller in scale though tends to increase in significance towards the end of the year. Annual family gatherings are times of celebration for some, while for others they can be a real challenge. It is very easy to enter these occasions with an observer created reality that is defined by the past – with a perspective narrowed by situations that are long gone.

However, once again, it is possible to choose a different reality. You could bring an intent to be calm and patient, and begin to look for examples to support you in creating an approach and way of being that really reflects these qualities.

This takes practice and time. There is no guarantee that by simply choosing a quality that it will suddenly appear just in time for the festive season. What we do know is that if you share your intent out loud or write it down each morning for the next three weeks, then look for examples of the quality you want, you may have a different experience at that family gathering.

With seasons’ greetings and looking forward to reconnecting in 2025.

Gayle

Main photo by David Brewster