Alternative Thoughts

We can't choose whether our physical or mental conditions stay or go. But we CAN choose how we think of it.

Imagine repeating these thoughts about our conditions dozens of times a day:

🔹Anxiety and depression aren't a choice.
🔹I wish this would just go away.
🔹I am always suffering.
🔹I can't stand the pain anymore.
🔹It SUCKS to have _________.

Now all these thoughts may be true. Our conditions aren't a choice. It does suck to go through them, and the pain can often be unbearable.

But try repeating those above thoughts even just 5 times right now...

...it's miserable, right?! And they actually make the physical and emotional pain WORSE.

I'm not saying we have to think rainbows and daisies about them, but what we do think about them MATTERS.

And today, I want to offer you some alternative thoughts until you get to a point of seeing your conditions as life-long companions, because many, if not all of them, will be with us for the rest of our lives.

🔹Anxiety and depression aren't a choice, but how I think of them are.
🔹I don't like I'm experiencing this, but I am working on living with it.
🔹I am always overcoming and persevering.
🔹This is painful, but I can still live. OR This is painful, but I can't stand not living anymore.
🔹It SUCKS to have _________, but I am working on still living despite __________.

Try repeating those a dozen times a day versus the first ones and although it may not bring unicorns...I guarantee you they will NOT feel as heavy or painful as the first ones.

Drop a 💜 if you want to try some of the alternative thoughts this week to see if they serve you better! And share the second image to your stories for someone who may need it!

#overcomingwithgrace

God-Centered Marriage

Your traumatic past can leave you with not being able to believe complements and to feel uncomfortable receiving love even though you so desperately want it.

It can lead you to believe that your emotions aren't valid so you protect them. It brings you to overthink "little things"and to need assurance.

It makes it hard to trust and and often times, you end up having decreased self-worth.

But when you have someone beside you and loves you so much that they are willing to be with you through your healing with patience, love and compassion, it makes going through the process that much easier.

When you have someone come alongside your healing that points you to the greatest Healer, who has infinite love, patience and compassion for you, that is the BEST.

Pray for your [future] spouse to be that person. Pray for you to be that person for them too.

#gospelcenteredmarriage #gospelheals

Deep Breathing

It may not be able to take it away completely...but there are scientific and anecdotal reasons of how and why it can help decrease it.

I won’t go into those here, but know that the oxygen flow helps not just the cells in your brain and body, but it also helps disrupt whatever thoughts you are having that could be making your pain worse.

This week, if you find yourself having a headache after doing deep work, reading a hard textbook/article, or anything else that may be bringing on some stress, pause from it.

Take 5 minutes to do deep breathing. There are many variations, but to start, you can inhale through the nose for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds and exhale for 4 through the mouth.

Notice how at the end of the 5 minutes, that tension headache may decrease.

It’s so simple, yet it is often the simple things we dismiss in our healing.

Drop a 🌬 if this is something you want to do more of this week!