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Friday, October 12, 2012

"How can you change your way of thinking?"

A very sweet and talented friend posted the question a few days ago, "How do you change your way of thinking?"  She doesn't think she deserves to be happy.  This is such an excellent question that so many of us are plagued with that I thought I'd devote today's post to it.

We are not only faced with pressure from outside to be perfect but even within ourselves, we struggle with the idea that we aren't good enough.  How do we overcome such an onslaught?

A few things to remember -
1.  We deserve to be happy.
2.  We are not perfect.  Not now, not ever in this life.
3.  We all have the ability to control our thoughts.
4.  Even bad days have things to be happy about.
5.  Habits built over time take time to change.
6.  Change is possible.

With those things in mind, how can we make the necessary changes to our lives?  Some suggestions -

1.  Decide now that you CAN change your thinking. Give yourself permission to change.
2.  Never underestimate the power of prayer.  A loving Heavenly Father always wants to help.
3.  Recognize when negative thoughts are creeping into your mind and refuse to dwell on them.
4.  Exchange the negative thoughts with an uplifting song in your head.  Sing it to yourself or out loud.
5.  Post reminders to yourself on your mirror, by the door, wherever you will see them to remind yourself that you are worth being happy.
My happy place is at the beach!
6.  A gratitude journal, written daily, will get you thinking of the positive things in your life.
7.  Talking with an understanding friend can help put things in perspective.
8.  Sometimes, the problem is a chemical imbalance within your body.  There is nothing wrong with medication, prescribed by a physician, to bring balance back to your body.
9.  Stay busy.  Inactivity lets negative thoughts creep back in.
10.  Read uplifting books. 
11.  Be content with baby steps.  If you try too much too soon, you'll just be making yourself feel bad again for not accomplishing enough.
12.  Don't let discouragement set you back.

I think we are often harder on ourselves than anyone else.  If we are trying our best, even though we aren't perfect, and look for the good around us, we can succeed. 


2 comments:

  1. Love your words, and I love that picture at the beach.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you! Even looking at that picture still makes me happy :)

    ReplyDelete