Posted in Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Mental Health, Potential and Worth, Power, Quotes, Self-Care, Self-Talk

Is This the First Time You are Alone With Your Thoughts?

Busyness is how some of us distract ourselves from our thoughts and trauma. With so much to do, there is often no time to stop, reflect, and build a relationship with ourselves. In times of isolation, however, it’s more difficult to combat and dismiss the impulse of intrusive thoughts. This may even be the first time some are alone with their thoughts and can’t immediately turn to “doing” to deflect negative patterns of thinking.

What do we do when experiencing an overwhelming spiral of intrusive thoughts?

  • Acknowledge the thought. Ask yourself, Is this thought familiar?
  • Identify the feelings the thought brings up. How am I feeling? Why am I feeling this?
  • Turn to a productive perspective to address spiraling. Is this thought true or intrusive?
  • Reassure yourself that you are doing the best you can and practice self-compassion. What is triggering this thought and what can I do to help myself reframe/dismiss this thought.
  • Write down what you are thinking or feeling. How intense is what I’m experiencing?
  • Ask for help or talk to someone you trust to get a different perspective.

Building a sense of self-awareness takes time and patience. There may even be parts of ourselves we may encounter for the first time and that’s okay. We are all multifaceted. Building a relationship with who we are is important.

This may be the first time we find ourselves actually reflecting, but that doesn’t mean we can’t grow and learn to love all parts of ourselves.

Posted in Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Mental Health, Potential and Worth, Power, Quotes, Self-Care, Self-Talk

Mental Health, Productivity, and Worth: COVID-19

Remember that although some of us may be out of work, away from the people we love, or can’t pursue what we want to do right now, it doesn’t take away from our worth or value. Because we sometimes link what we “do” to our value, we lose our sense of self.

Message: You are valuable despite your productivity level or how much motivation you have. Give yourself time to figure out what time looks like for you. Reflect and get to know who you are, what you like to do, and what your next steps will be. Put yourself first. Step back from the noise and connect with your needs.

Mental health and well-being are important as we navigate the what-ifs and anxiety of uncertainty.

Ask yourself, what are my needs right now? How can I meet those needs?

Posted in Creative Writing, Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Potential and Worth, Power, Self-Care, Self-Talk

I Am Resilient.

If there is one word to define me, that word would be resiliency. My unrelenting will to keep coming back stronger and better is what makes me who I am.
I reflect.
I think.
I learn.
I evolve.
I move on.
It’s a kind of elasticity. Adaptation.
Evolution.
I face what is mine and I craft it into myself.
It is a part of me.
To become more of myself is the purpose and the goal.
And as I adapt and adjust, I leave a little of what was me behind.
I am not what I was but still is who I am.
Whatever was me is still me, but now I embrace what I hid. I am the shadow and id. The ego.
All that is me I learn to admire, I tame the impulse. I am my own choice. I choose me.
I think.
I speak.
I challenge.
I am my biggest challenge.
I face that challenge.
If I am not what I know I can be, I am failing my resiliency.

Posted in Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Mental Health, Potential and Worth, Power, Quotes, Self-Care, Self-Talk

You Are Valid

Stand firm and know that what you feel and experience is valid. There is no checklist or standard to what makes your story enough to cause pain, growth, or transformation. Wherever you are in your journey, whatever frustrations, confusions, turmoil, or changes influence how you are perceiving the events that happen to you is your call to make. There is no shame in feeling what you feel.

No need to compare yourself to anyone, downplay what you are feeling, or over-explain any part of your story. You are valid in whatever stage you are in. Receive the support or help that is necessary to get you where you need/want to go in your growth and healing.

Posted in Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Love, Mental Health, Potential and Worth, Power, Quotes, Self-Care, Self-Talk

A Series of Quotes: Recycling Pain Through Our Behavior

Growth and Transformation Through Awareness: Pain and Toxic Traits

We all have a way in which we think and act based on our beliefs and ideas. Sometimes, however, our judgment and growth are clouded by the pain and trauma we often recycle through our toxic habits and behaviors.

The tricky thing about pain is how deeply rooted it is. We don’t see our behavior as toxic or hurtful until it’s too late and we’ve already hurt someone we might care for.

In order to identify those toxic cycles, we must grow in self-awareness. The more self-aware we become, the more we are able to catch ourselves and understand why we act the way we do. Although some behaviors may appear harmless, like numbing our feelings and trying not to cope with our pain, if repressed for too long, will eventually appear in our behavior.

Projection occurs when we place how we treat ourselves onto the people we love or want to love. Often unconsciously our own self-abandonment is how we begin to treat those around us.

The first step in feeling our pain is to accept that we’ve hurt someone and forgive ourselves. If we hold onto the pain and regret, it will stay with us and lead how we treat those who enter our lives.

Once aware, begin the process of identifying in what ways we can improve and begin to love ourselves in that process. Although we can’t undo another person’s pain, we can improve and heal through our own. We must learn who we are and the pain that guided our past self.

The growth that self-awareness brings can resurface memories and thoughts that created the original pain, but that process will birth a transformed perspective.

We learn through experiences and wanting to do better. Without the urge to do better, the pain will validate itself and remain how we see ourselves.

Important note: This process can be difficult to do on our own but I found therapy, self-help books, meditation, writing, reflective exercises, support groups, and mental health resources to be a great help in beginning this process.

Posted in Defying Shadows Articles, Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Mental Health, Other Publications, Potential and Worth, Power, Self-Care, Self-Talk

Defying Shadows Article: How to Achieve your Goals and New Year Resolutions

“Reminder: Remember to be gentle with yourself and the expectations of your goals. Some goals can only be achieved during different seasons of your lifetime and that’s okay. It’s okay to not be able to achieve all you want to achieve when you want to achieve it. It’s also okay to make small goals as well. Take your time with your goals and give yourself time to achieve them. Not everyone’s life will turn out the same and no one has it all together, so no need to compare another person’s accomplishments to yours. Everyone is different and there is no timeline to success.”

Link: How to Achieve your Goals and New Year Resolutions

Posted in Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Mental Health, Notes, Potential and Worth, Power, Self-Care, Self-Talk

SWT 100 Notes Note 40: Peace and Forgiveness

Although the year just began and we’re only in the second month, I’ve been faced with the most difficult challenges to date. From the toughest mental health battles to realizing my insecurities and toxic traits, this year is showing me to put my peace first.

I forgive myself for accepting what I don’t deserve. I move forward in claiming and proclaiming my worth and value.

Realization: I am worth more than I settle for.

Posted in Confessions, Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Love, Mental Health, Potential and Worth, Power, Reflection, Self-Care, Self-Talk

#IAM

If I were to tell you that the lists of things you’ve done, the relationships you have, or the job titles you’ve held don’t make you who you are, would you believe me?
If I were to tell you that you are whole just because, would you think I’m wrong?No matter what we do or who we think we have to become we are fundamentally valuable and worth living every single day. It doesn’t matter how much we get done, or how much we’ve been through, every day we wake up we hold the power of our value and worth and that never changes.”I am” despite of anything that follows that statement.