A Change of Mind
1. Ban toxic individuals from your life or minimize your time spent around their negativity. Don't eliminate someone just because they tell you what you need to hear - versus what you want to hear.
2. Reframe the way you see yourself. Belittling beliefs can get you stuck in a cycle of destructive habits. Make two columns. In one, write down any self defeating thoughts and in the other, write positive notions that counteract your first list of opinions. Repeat these affirmations when self-doubt invades your consciousness.
3. Tame your emotional responses. The person who angers you, owns you. Try not to make important decisions when you’re sad or at the end of your rope. Give yourself at least 10 minutes to pause before responding to intense situations.
4. Center yourself when stressed or anxious. Pray or do active meditation such as tai chi or walking. Focus a corner of your pysche on one simple thing while taking deep, cleansing breaths. Most of us breathe about 14 to 16 times a minute. That’s entirely too fast. It makes the body think we’re in a danger.
5. Perform a mental rehearsal. Stop thinking the worst before it even happens. Instead, close your eyes for a few minutes. Go through detailed scenarios and visualize successful outcomes.
6. Start a journal and set goals along the way. At the end of the week, assess your progress. Give yourself credit for how far you’ve come. If you fall short, identify a theme in how you responded or didn’t respond. Next, create a series of small action steps you can take a break that chain.
I found this article extremely helpful. I been trying to do some of these steps, but find it hard to keep doing it. Sometimes, I feel like I am just stuck, but I realize it just a phase and things will get better! I hope this article helps you as much as it did for me.
