The ANTS in your brain

As the saying goes, how we do one thing is how we do everything....I find this to be both amazingly and depressingly true depending on how I am feeling in the moment.  I always relate this back to hearing one of the many teachers I listen to talk about if you are the person sweeping the floor in an office, make sure you do the best job you can.  Believe it or not this was not why I picked a picture of a floor of lego to go with this blog.  I was actually looking for a picture of a road block and this caught my imagination!

I hit a heap of road blocks last week.  I had let my thinking get out of my control and due to some unexpected incidents, I felt like my life had stopped.  Even with all my learning and techniques, it took me a couple of days before I dug myself out of the hole I had created with my thoughts.  It became very apparent that how I was doing one thing was indeed how I was doing everything and that was without much care or not at all.

After a few days, I clearly saw what I was doing and I set about making a list of the things I love to do.  I love to learn so once I gave myself permission to look at some videos on motivation, I was up and going again.  I have had this song in my head for a while now, just the first few lines really...  

The Clash! - should I stay or should I go.

It really was me last week.  I got to a point where I was happy to stay in my comfort zone and do very little.  Once I got myself moving, both mentally and physically, my mood lifted and off I went!  We all need to give ourselves permission to feel out of sorts occasionally but the trick is not to stay there too long.  Make a list of some of the things you like to do so you have a quick reference if you are not feeling good.  They can be simple ones like the list I posted on Facebook or more detailed life changes, which for me, include watching someone on the internet teach something that touches my soul or my heart, even if I have seen it before or, of course, to do some modern energy tapping.  

Once you start to connect back to your true self and understand that you are a soul first, just living temporarily in this human body, it becomes so much easier to be kind to yourself and then take some positive action.

Another really great thing to do is to pay attention to your moods and start to notice when your thinking changes from positive to more negative.  This is the moment to make the change.  At the moment, one of my big triggers is the cold.  Once I start feeling cold, I immediately think I should give up on everything I am doing and find somewhere warm to sit and snooze.  Now that I know this, I am way more proactive.  When I start to get cold, I get some exercise, maybe go for a walk or just put on more clothes!

So think about what triggers you to go to your comforts, even when you have no real reason.  Are you like me and can't wait to head to bed for a nap when you get cold or does stress make you reach for some more chocolate?  What else can you do instead?

So, make that list - big things and little things, things you know you feel better after doing and put it up somewhere that you will see it when you need it.

You can download a blank version of My file to fill in if you like.

Enjoy and get rid of the ANTS (automatic negative thoughts) in your brain!

And remember music is also a great thought changer and can make you get up and move too! 

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash