How to be More Happy in Your Mind
As the seasons transform, this time of year encourages us to reflect on all that we have achieved within the year so far. The good times and the more challenging times have all served us in some way, even though we may not be able to see how these situations have been for our greater good.
More recently are you feeling heavier or flat in your thinking and feeling? This increase in negativity could be a result of many things but a good nourishing and nurturing of our own subconscious mind is really where the magic happens.
Having suffered with depression myself, I know what it feels like to have negative thoughts and I know how difficult it can be to find the energy to pull oneself out of a negative slump, particularly when everything feels like a black hole of hopelessness. But during some of the most challenging years of my life and in between the flood of prescriptions from my doctor, I always knew more deeply that if anything was going to last long term, it had to be down to me to change it.
Along my personal journey, one of my greatest fascinations was learning about the mind. Simply understanding how susceptible and flexible it can be was a big relief, and most significantly, how the mind learns to think and behave in a way we tell it to. For example; if I said “don’t think of a pink elephant” the mind would automatically search for a picture of a pink elephant, it doesn’t understand the word “don’t” but it hears only the demand “pink elephant”. So if you are constantly repeating negative things in your mind, how can it possibly think happy and positive thoughts if you fill it with all the negative stuff?
When we experience difficult times, many people try to suppress their emotions in fear of not appearing strong, but processing emotion is a fundamental part of our natural healing process. In more extreme situations having a good cry is sometimes not even enough as the manifestations of a stressful memory can be rooted much more deeply. This is why techniques such as wingwave and NLP can be so effective because they work with gently shifting off stress and trauma in a gentle and organic way.
Self-healing, it’s Important to Start Somewhere
There is much you can do on a personal self-help level to move towards better feelings. You can tap into your own resources and kick start the changes yourself. If you are ready to take action and responsibility for your mind and your emotions, doing some of these simple exercises will help you to become more aware of your internal thinking and feeling. The most effective change happens in small manageable steps. Be realistic and patient as healing takes a little time and remember that we are all on our own journey, wherever it may lead.
Here are some questions to ask yourself about the past, present or future:
What am I stressed about?
What is not working for me right now?
How do I feel about my body?
How do I rate my health?
Who has upset me?
What is not working for me?
What am I angry about?
Who am I annoyed with?
What is worrying me?
If you ask yourself these questions you can start to be more honest and connected to your inner self. Try to ensure you do this exercise on your own, knowing that you don’t have to answer to anyone.
Once you have answered the above questions, take some time to reflect on your answers.
What do you notice?
What can you do to begin to heal your feelings about any of the above?
This is where taking responsibility for your own self-healing is important. Remember that carrying burdens around only effects you, not the other person/s involved.
So what can you start to do to take responsibility? Here is another exercise:
Some things I can do now to change my thoughts and feelings about the past are:
- Keep going….!
Finally doing something worthwhile or taking action by incorporating something that you enjoy is a fundamental contribution to your own mental health.
I can help to improve my mindset by committing to doing 3 things that are good for me daily:
1.
2.
3.
Some positive affirmations to end:
I focus on the good in myself and others
I appreciate the journey I am on knowing that I am always doing the best I know how
I love and appreciate my mind and my body
I am loved and accepted
I enjoy the good that surrounds me
I believe in myself
I am worthy
I am enough
