Your ‘mental diet’ has a huge influence upon your experiences in life. It can make the difference between a happy life and a miserable one. Your thoughts and your inner dialogue really are that important! Learn to filter your thinking and make an effort to ‘feed’ yourself positive affirmations. The more you do this, the more you create positive neural pathways in your brain. The more you think in a certain way, the more natural it becomes. Think of it like a field full of tall grass. It’s easy to take the already trodden footpath (your existing ways of thinking – often mostly negative) but it’s harder to choose a new path and walk through the tall grass. Initially it feels like hard work but the more you do it, the more the grass flattens and after a while, the new ‘footpath’ seems far more natural and easy than it did at the beginning. Mental habits work the same way. It pays to get into the habit of using positive inner dialogue when thinking about yourself and about others and the world. Here are a few examples to get you going:
I will not let fear hold me back
There are no blocks I cannot overcome
Life supports me
Other people are mostly good and trustworthy
I express myself open and freely
I accept and love myself the way I am
I am unique and valuable
I am unique and valuable whether I am achieving or not
I have unlimited power
I trust and believe in myself
Everything is unfolding as it should be
I trust the process of life
The future is full of endless possibilities
My future is bright
I am capable of having a happy fulfilled life
Others warm to me as I have a lot of good to share
Work on your mental diet regularly. It’s often not what happens to you but rather your interpretation of what is going on that affects you the most. Thoughts lead to feelings – what are you telling yourself? Limit the negative self talk and the cynical views of life. You tend to look for evidence of what your thinking is telling you. Make an effort to look for the opposite – there will ALWAYS be more than one way to look at a situation. Choose your thoughts and beliefs carefully.
Mandy X
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
