Mental
Today I am grateful for people who care about me and people I care about. I am also grateful for healthier thought processes.
Mental wellness has to do with my thought processes and my thoughts. Are my thoughts negative and defeating or are they positive and forward-moving? Can I think clearly or do I get hung up on a few thoughts and keep replaying them? Are my thoughts calming me or agitating me? These are all useful questions.
When it comes to my thoughts, I used to be my own worst enemy, and then some. I got really good at beating myself up. I finally learned a key lesson-whether you think you are worse than others or better than others, those are both functions of ego. (And even though I hated myself on some levels, I also had self-righteousness that told me I was right and someone else wasn't.)
It has taken training, effort, and time to shift my thoughts from less healthy and irrational ones to more healthy and rational ones. The work continues, but I feel confident saying that my default mode has changed from pessimistic to optimistic in terms of my thinking patterns.
One of the things I did years ago, a few years into sobriety, and on the advice of a recovery friend, was write down several positive affirmations on a piece of paper. Just writing them down was a start. I carried them around in my pocket for months. I read them several times a day. I committed them to memory and said them in the shower in the morning. I rewrote them on a new piece of paper when the other one got too tattered. That is what it took.
I still remember some of the affirmations on that list:
"I am lovable and capable."
"I am personable and likeable."
"I do love myself."
"I am loved by others."
"I am worthy of that love."
I couldn't simply think my way into better thoughts. I had to take actions like the writing and repeating.
Today I know that healthy thoughts lead to motivating energy, which makes me more likely to feel better, move more, and appreciate more. I'm not there all day,every day, but I am there far more than I ever used to be. For that I am so grateful.
Mental wellness has to do with my thought processes and my thoughts. Are my thoughts negative and defeating or are they positive and forward-moving? Can I think clearly or do I get hung up on a few thoughts and keep replaying them? Are my thoughts calming me or agitating me? These are all useful questions.
When it comes to my thoughts, I used to be my own worst enemy, and then some. I got really good at beating myself up. I finally learned a key lesson-whether you think you are worse than others or better than others, those are both functions of ego. (And even though I hated myself on some levels, I also had self-righteousness that told me I was right and someone else wasn't.)
It has taken training, effort, and time to shift my thoughts from less healthy and irrational ones to more healthy and rational ones. The work continues, but I feel confident saying that my default mode has changed from pessimistic to optimistic in terms of my thinking patterns.
One of the things I did years ago, a few years into sobriety, and on the advice of a recovery friend, was write down several positive affirmations on a piece of paper. Just writing them down was a start. I carried them around in my pocket for months. I read them several times a day. I committed them to memory and said them in the shower in the morning. I rewrote them on a new piece of paper when the other one got too tattered. That is what it took.
I still remember some of the affirmations on that list:
"I am lovable and capable."
"I am personable and likeable."
"I do love myself."
"I am loved by others."
"I am worthy of that love."
I couldn't simply think my way into better thoughts. I had to take actions like the writing and repeating.
Today I know that healthy thoughts lead to motivating energy, which makes me more likely to feel better, move more, and appreciate more. I'm not there all day,every day, but I am there far more than I ever used to be. For that I am so grateful.
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