Monday, January 18, 2016

Ways to stop singing the dreadful Negative Nancy Blues...





 I have been walking the tight rope path while singing the Negative Nancy blues for a long time. It's a new year and I am ready to just start my journey of life walking the right beat. I am trying to live healthier with my mind, body, and soul. I have just been running into one major problem..a case of the ugly negative thoughts. 
  
  I normally try to stay positive with my thoughts, but I have been living through a rainy season of my life for a while now. I am ready to take out my umbrella and embellish all the horrible rotten things and turn them into something beautiful!! I am sick and tired of singing the Negative Nancy Blues. I am ready to sing and shout off the roof tops something amazing!!

  Getting rid of these bad negative stinky thoughts isn't as easy as you would think!! I tried and I tried and then I gave up. I decided to see how other people have conquered negative thoughts from running their mind. After making up a list of things to do to elevate my mind from the negative and to bring out positive thoughts. I have been using this list in my life lately and I have, personally, already been feeling better. I haven't been dwelling on the negative thoughts as much. I can honestly feel my negative thoughts, feelings, and emotions changing every day into something positive. 









How to get rid of those pesky negative thoughts:


1. Yoga & Meditate





  I have tried Yoga in the past and got a little bit out of it, but wasn't really looking to change any aspects of my life at the time. I picked up Yoga again and this has made a world of a difference!! There is just something special about becoming "one with yourself". The whole experience is totally awesome and helpful for me. Starting from the breathing techniques, to the poses (helping back pain..which is a huge stress reliever), pushing myself to become a better me, letting out all the negativity around me, and at the end of my yoga session I just sit there and meditate. It is SO worth trying for anyone that is looking for a change in their lives. I would recommend Yoga & Meditation to women, men (yes men do yoga), teens, or even kids!! 

  You can sign up for Yoga classes, buy a yoga video to do at home, or go on youtube and watch yoga videos from there!! I am on a tight budget at this moment..so I watch yoga on youtube. I kind of like doing it that way because I am definitely not a yoga warrior so I feel more comfortable doing it alone in the comfort of my own home. :)



2. Positive Affirmations





 I will admit I was 100% skeptical about positive affirmations. I thought it was lame, stupid, wouldn't help me out at all, etc. Wow, did you notice how NEGATIVE my thoughts were on this particular topic? I am currently sitting here with a half grin on my face because of the irony of it all. Positive affirmations is the one thing that is helping me become a better person and helping me truly love myself!! And to think.. if I wouldn't have ever tried out using positive affirmations then I would seriously be missing out on improving my life. 

  I do not sit in front of a mirror every day and look at myself saying my positive affirmations. I don't have stuff written all over post it notes and posted up all over my house. I didn't go that route. That route definitely would work for others, but I just didn't fancy that way. I started off by telling myself positive affirmations when ever I was drinking my first cup of coffee for the day. I do say them out loud when ever I am by myself and if someone is around me I still do them, but in my head! I now say my positive affirmations when ever I am feeling down in the dumps, I have a lot of negative thoughts conjuring through my mind, I want to lift my spirits, or even when ever I am feeling on top of my game.

  A lot of my negative thinking ultimately results from having low self esteem issues. For that reason my first positive affirmation was, "I am a strong, beautiful woman inside and out." I started off by only saying one affirmation a day. To this day, I only use one positive affirmation for a few weeks and then I will change it up and say another one. Once I start believing the positive affirmation or once I can feel it changing the way I think on a certain situation I will change my affirmation. Do I ever go back and use old ones? Most definitely!! 

Here is some positive affirmations you can use for different areas in your life.

Acceptance

"I accept myself, and my loved ones, just as we are."

"I accept and appreciate my current situations."

"I accept myself for who I am."

"I accept others as they are and they in turn accept me as I am."

Self Esteem

"I am a strong, beautiful woman (man) inside and out."

"I am a well loved and well respected person."

"I deserve to live an amazing life."

"I let go of negative thoughts and feelings about myself."

"I am competent, smart, and able."

Anxiety

"I am cool, calm, and collected."

"I transcend stress of any kind. I live in peace."

"I am social and I like meeting people."

"I am capable of leaving my past in the past and always look forward to the future."

Financial Health

"I am wealthy."

"I always think positively about money."

"I am rich and prosperous."

"I will be financially successful."

Love

"I am surrounded by love and everything is fine."

"My heart is always open and I can radiate love."

"I deserve to be loved."

"I am attracting my soulmate."

Jealousy

"I own my feelings."

"I am secure about myself and my self worth."

"I have peace of mind."

"I will forget my past issues."






Always remember, you have to be patient with positive affirmations. Don't expect to say them for a week straight and all of a sudden you feel the affirmations working. Sometimes it can take a while. Continue saying them though!! I promise they will begin to help you in the long run. :)


3. Exercise



  During my younger years exercising was very relaxing to me. I would go on a few mile run almost every evening. As I got older I stopped exercising so I kind of lost that exercise "want". I've tried to pick up exercising here and there, but it has seemed more of a task than pleasure. I have recently tried to embark into the exercise world again. It isn't easy, but at the end of exercising I feel a positive sense of accomplishment. I enjoy that feeling so much that I am using that to trigger my exercise "want" again. 

  Exercising can help with anxiety, depression, too much energy, not enough energy, stress, etc. Exercising can improve your self esteem, which in the end will help stop any negative thoughts flowing in your mind about your body image. When ever a person exercises they are releasing Endorphin's which trigger a positive, happy feeling. People that exercise on a regular, explain that they feel a kind of "high" while exercising. That is because of the Endorphin's being released. The brain and body can do some crazy cool things whenever you let it!! 

  If you are suffering from negative thinking..why not just give exercise a try? What is the worst that could happen? You wouldn't enjoy it? Give yourself goals to accomplish. You can start off with small goals and then work your way up to bigger goals. You never know what your missing until you try it!!



4. Journal/ Creative Journal






  I love to journal. There is something special about writing down your thoughts. A lot of times we have all of these stressers in our lives that cause negative thinking. Just thinking something is different than actually writing it down on a piece of paper and then reading it back to yourself. Once something is written down on paper the meaning actually comes to life. (For me anyway.) I would recommend everyone and anyone to start a journal. It is pretty neat how you can go back and read what you wrote a few months before and see how much personal growth you've had just within a few months. It amazes me every time. Or going back and reading about a major stresser you were going through at the time and when ever you read it you think to yourself, well that actually wasn't that big of a deal in the end. It really opens up your way of thinking. 

  Who said there were limitations on journaling? Because there is absolutely none!! The sky is the limit! If you have a creative flare to you (which I believe everyone does) than make journaling fun!! You are the only person that is going to see your journal, so personalize it! I personally do both ways of journaling. There are some days where I honestly have no desire to be creative so I just write and write. Then, there are the days where I am in the mood to be a creative maniac. I love to cut things out of magazines, newspapers, etc and make collages in my journal. I put pictures of my family and friends in them and make the page look super cute. I use markers, crayons, highlighters, stickers, nail polish, glitter glue and what ever else I want to use at the time! Like I said, the sky is the limit!! Relax, enjoy, and have fun with it!!









5. Smile/Laugh






  Instead of always have a frown on your face..add life to it by smiling!! I never even noticed that I was giving off the sad vibe until a close friend of mine asked me why I always look sad? I thought I just felt the sadness inside of me. My face told my whole story. So I began by first, faking a smile. Did it look super fake?? Honestly, probably. But, something crazy happened during that time..my fake smile started to turn into a real smile. :) 

  I then decided I needed more laughter in my life. I was holding back from laughing at really anything because my negative way of thinking was holding me back. My first initial thought would be that something was funny, but then my negative thinking would tell me, "That was stupid." In the end, I wouldn't laugh. So I decided to start off by watching funny movies. Then I upgraded to watching and listening to comedians. Before I knew it I was a laughing fool. I caught myself laughing at things that, to a normal person probably weren't too funny, but to me it was the funniest thing ever.  

Benefits of Laughter

Reduces Stress Hormone Levels

Lowers Blood Pressure

Triggers the Release of Endorphins

Stimulates Tons of Organs

Soothes Tension

Improves your Immune System

Relieves Pain

Improves your Mood

And the list goes on...


6. Gratitude List





  Writing out a gratitude list can help you look at your life in a positive way. Singing the Negative Nancy Blues can really make you look at everything in your life negatively. For example, you get an awesome new pair of shoes, but once you get home you notice a tiny flaw in them. All of a sudden negativity shoots through your brain like a wild fire.These shoes are stupid, everyone's going to think there ugly, I don't ever want to wear them, this is probably why they were on sale, etc. STOP right there!! What should you be grateful for in this situation?? 1. That you got a new pair of awesome new shoes. 2. That you had the money to buy them 3. There gonna make your outfit look killer! 4. No one else has them. I could go on, but you get the point. 
  
  Gratitude lists can turn all of your negative thoughts into positive thoughts real quick.  Being thankful for what you have or for things that you've accomplished can and will make a huge difference on your way of thinking. 

Here's an example of my Gratitude list:

1. I have a roof over my head.
2. I have food in my belly.
3. I have a jacket to wear so I am not mega chilly outside.
4. I have supportive friends and family.
5. I can smile a real true smile today.
6. I have cute awesome animals that make my heart smile.
7. My self esteem is growing everyday.
8. I have heat in my house.
9. I have snow boots to wear outside with this snowy weather.
10. I love myself today.


7. Surround yourself with positive people & positive situations.


  If you have that one friend that is constantly a debbie downer maybe you need to slowly withdrawal yourself from them. I realize that this is MUCH easier said than done, but sometimes in life you need to make changes that better yourself. I am not saying completely stop talking to them.. I am just saying maybe don't talk to them every single day. At least until your negative thoughts are slowing down and you are able to finally control them. Once you are at this point in your life you will slowly begin to take notice of people, places, and things that bring out those negative thoughts in your mind. You then can decide what to do about it. 




  Constantly dealing with negative thoughts daily can and will absolutely drain you. You need to remember that you control your thoughts so you can change them!! I am not saying it will be an easy road, but it is definitely worth it! Anytime you notice yourself saying something negative, try to say something positive about that negative. Try not to dwell on the past or the future. Take one day at a time. I still go through my days where it is hard to think positive, but I still try and I don't ever give up!!  

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