For the purpose of this article, I am going to split us into 3 components; Physical, Mental/Emotional, and Spiritual. Thought Life refers to how we interface with the 3 components of our humanity. It often goes unnoticed, but has the ability to make a great impact on us as a whole because it informs all aspects.
Most likely today, you have had some thought about each of your human components. You had some thoughts as you looked at yourself in the mirror (Physical), as you remembered that Friday’s make you happy (Emotional), and as you did your devotionals (Spiritual). During each of these events, you had thoughts that reinforced how you view and experience yourself and your world. So those thoughts, hold great importance! We would all benefit a great deal by paying more attention to how we talk to ourselves in our thought life.
Many who are struggling with depression or anxiety, even just mildly, report having a negative Thought Life after they take some time to examine it. Some refer to this as the tape player in our mind, reinforcing that we are “bad,” “stupid,” or “never going to amount to anything.” We have to change the tape. Start filling your Thought Life with positive aspects of yourself.
If you think about your thought life as a house, what is it filled with? Is it a place you really want to be? If not, what are some things you want to change about it? Replace the old worn out thoughts that leave you feeling down or stressed out. What are your strengths, passions, goals, and dreams? Fill your Thought Life with these items and they will make a more comfortable house to live in.
By: Nicholas Smith, MA, LPC
Most likely today, you have had some thought about each of your human components. You had some thoughts as you looked at yourself in the mirror (Physical), as you remembered that Friday’s make you happy (Emotional), and as you did your devotionals (Spiritual). During each of these events, you had thoughts that reinforced how you view and experience yourself and your world. So those thoughts, hold great importance! We would all benefit a great deal by paying more attention to how we talk to ourselves in our thought life.
Many who are struggling with depression or anxiety, even just mildly, report having a negative Thought Life after they take some time to examine it. Some refer to this as the tape player in our mind, reinforcing that we are “bad,” “stupid,” or “never going to amount to anything.” We have to change the tape. Start filling your Thought Life with positive aspects of yourself.
If you think about your thought life as a house, what is it filled with? Is it a place you really want to be? If not, what are some things you want to change about it? Replace the old worn out thoughts that leave you feeling down or stressed out. What are your strengths, passions, goals, and dreams? Fill your Thought Life with these items and they will make a more comfortable house to live in.
By: Nicholas Smith, MA, LPC
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI do love circles, haha!
DeleteI completely understand the 20 steps backwards thing today. My question is if these backwards steps are the inevitable consequence of having several weeks worth of "good" days. Especially since I can't figure out what the problem is with today.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I wish we could avoid bad days all together. Sometimes we just have to just endure feeling crummy, knowing that more good days are to come. We often times believe that a bad day means we have done something to get to feeling that way. Several weeks of good days sounds like success!
Delete