Change Your Thoughts...Change Your Life.
As someone who has never really looked at the brighter side in life, it can be very hard to change your perspective in life so that you can live a healthier, and a more positive one. Growing up, I was a very optimistic child. I think it's safe to say we all were for the most part. I mean, we were kids we didn't know what the "real world" was truly like yet. It's not like our parents were gonna crush our dreams at the age of seven haha. However, as I grew older, if one small thing happened to me, even in the morning, and it didn't matter how small it was either. I would let this thing bother me for the rest of the day. I would also let it affect my mood that day as well, and that mood more than likely always equaled crabby. It was dumb honestly, I should've been enjoying my day. Instead, I was still upset over something stupid that had happened and just wishing I could crawl back into bed already.
Letting things go was never something I was very good at. Sometimes, if I said something stupid to someone..especially if it was public speaking..I would just lie awake in my bed and think about the different ways I could of said it to make it sound more appealing. Or, if I had heard someone mention something bad about me I would fester at it for days debating if it was true or not. It was like I had this giant big gray cloud above my head that got bigger and bigger as it soaked up all my negative energy.
"It was like I had this giant big gray cloud above my head that got bigger and bigger."
It wasn't until recently, after seeking help in therapy, that I realized I could, for the most part, control how I felt about something. Now, most of the times whenever I have a negative thought rolling in my mind, I'll ask myself..is this a fact or an opinion? When asking questions such as these it makes you stop and think a little more and gives you some more perspective on the situation.
Obviously, having negative energy in your life isn't healthy. To counteract these feelings a good idea is to list..or think..of things in your life that you are thankful for whenever you are feeling down or depressed. Realizing there is something good in your life will instantly make you feel more positive. Whenever I feel like giving up on life I just think of my family and how one day, I will be able to pay them back in some shape or form for everything they have done for me in my life so far.
"I really feel like I have changed my life for the better."
Combining a new positive outlook and my willpower to succeed, I really feel like I have changed my life for the better. I set goals for myself, which I plan to one day achieve. This, then feeds a hunger inside of me that makes me want live my life to the fullest. Like I said in my previous post, my life will never be perfect. There will always be bumps in the road. Starting this blog again is just the first step in my life. I have so many goals I want to accomplish in life. Even if it is just crossing off the small little day-by-day tasks...I feel so proud of myself because I know I'm working towards my end goal and I will get there one day...it's just baby steps.
The only person that can change my life for the better is me. No one is just going to give me what I want on a silver platter. Life isn't perfect. I gotta work my ass off for what I want in life and that is what I need to keep telling myself to stay on the right track. It will be tough, yes, but luckily I am now able to tell when my first signs of depression start to trigger. This way, instead of letting my emotions get the best of me, I can act on them and get better quicker instead of feeling sorry for myself. Things I do to help myself include; journal, exercise, clean/organize, take a bubble bath, go to the movies, or watch my favorite shows which include, The Office, and FRIENDS. Sometimes, if I am up for it, I do sit and talk/vent with either my close friends or my mom. Getting it all out helps a lot, but a lot of the time I prefer to just be alone until I am ready to talk to someone. However, I have grown to believe that if you start to focus on the positive things in life and keep busy, you start to wave off those depressive states that you could have been in.
Now, I am not saying that being depressed or in a negative state of mind is an easy thing to come out of. Not at all. Shoot, it took me about three years to come to this conclusion...probably more. This post is just explaining how I stay above it all and how I have implemented changes to my everyday life. With this post, I hope that I have helped someone feel more positive and focus on the good in their life to also achieve any goals that they have in their life as well! As always...thank you for reading.