Work The Mind
“The Trick Is In What One Emphasizes. We Either Make Ourselves Miserable Or We Make Ourselves Happy. The Amount Of Work Is The Same.” ~~ Carlos Castaneda
~~~Nothing is as easy as it seems. We are all allotted the same 24 hours in a day, 7 days a week, 12 months a year. The choices in how we train our brain is what makes our time here on earth heaven or hell. There are moments in my personal struggles where I fall into that pessimistic trap door. I never dwell there long though. It is a dangerous place to stay. The darkness will engulf me and I will start spiraling. I do not want to spiral. Right away, I start looking for cracks of light anywhere I can find them. A crack in the wall, in the floor, on the ceiling, or on the door. Without the light in my life, what will I do? How will I see?
~~~I stop myself and breath. I never underestimate the power of inhaling and exhaling, of feeling the oxygen expand my ribcage as the air fills my lungs and the release of what feels like a few seconds of relief. Once I take as much air as I can, I hold it for a few seconds before I blow it out. I envision I am blowing out all the toxins from my body. I am breathing in the positive and exhaling the negative. Breathing in light, exhaling darkness. I make sure I am in a quiet space or around nature or water. That is even better for the process of relaxing my brain.
~~~Our minds are funny things. It is a relatively small muscle but it has to be trained like any other on a continuous basis in order to keep serving us well. I can compare mine to my days in the Navy. I had a routine at the gym to stay in shape so when the Physical Readiness Test came I would not have to worry about the run, the push-ups, or the sit-ups. Everyday I would work a different muscle group. If I skipped a workout, I could always tell the difference. I would not feel my best, like I had cheated myself of applying my best effort. It is consistency over time that builds strong minds and bodies.
~~~With all the tricks the mind can play on us we have to outsmart it. For example: When I am sick and tired of going to doctor appointments and I start saying things like “This is stupid! It’s always the same thing anyway. They cannot help. Why am I going?” I stop and change my thought process to “Lord, you are right. Instead of me complaining, I need to be thankful I have healthcare! I am fortunate.” Another example: “I am in so much pain emotionally. This time of year sucks. It just reminds me of how much I miss my Mom and Sister.” I bow my head and say “Lord, you are right. I am so lucky to have so many wonderful memories. What an amazing Mother and Sister you gave me. They are in Heaven waiting for me.”
~~~If all our energy is constantly placed into negativity then that is what our minds will be focused on. Eventually, the heart will become hardened overtime too. We want to protect ourselves from that. This is the place of darkness where no cracks of light can be seen. It takes the same amount of energy and time to fight for yourself and find the good in something. There is always something to be thankful for.
~~~This blog was longer than normal. So much on my mind today 😊 Almost done. I love the Bible verse “I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing ALL my ENERGIES to bear on this ONE thing: Forgetting the PAST and looking FORWARD to what lies ahead.” Phil 3:13. I leave on that note because there is no better way to leave than with the word of God 🦋 Wishing all a blessed Sunday! #LupusMariposa® #MindTricks #WorkThatMuscle #FindLight #StayPositive
