If you are looking to change your life in any way, the way to start is by becoming aware of your thoughts.

OUR THOUGHTS HOLD THE POWER

TO CHANGE OUR LIVES

There was a point in my life where I KNEW I NEEDED TO FIND SOME STRENGTH FROM SOMEWHERE…..

So, I found myself on that path of self exploration. I was so incredibly desperate for a change that I submerged myself into reading, studying, exploring, trying to find anything to give me hope! Something to recreate my happiness! 

I read just about everything in sight & am so grateful that I did!

Each & every day that I read new articles, books, etc., I started discovering so many amazing tools & I began to implement them into my daily life, which started the entire process of change within me!

ONE OF THE MANY & MOST AMAZING GIFTS FROM THIS EXPERIENCE WAS THE DISCOVERY OF BECOMING AWARE OF MY THOUGHTS!

I will never forget reading that first book about the power that our thoughts hold. It was so incredibly enlightening!

THAT SAYING, “CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE” will forever stick with me.

Your thoughts–The way you interpret, judge and label a person, situation or event determines how you feel.

We are all constantly labeling and interpreting things as good, bad, right, or wrong.

You have been conditioned by things that happened in your childhood and by your family, friends, teachers and the media to think and interpret events in certain ways.

These thoughts have become habitual and pop into your mind, often without being noticed. They are often believed without being questioned or challenged and they give personal meaning to all the situations and people you encounter.

If we were to observe, and take time to objectively analyze and review our thoughts we would realize that some of them are unrealistic and exaggerated. Some of them are even toxic.

Thoughts can go by undetected in a millisecond. 

“I can’t stand it.” 

Or a half-second image of a terrifying event flies through your mind.

Maybe you interpret the actions of another—

“She’s bored.”  “She’s irritated with me.” “He’s putting me down.”

Or you may think,

“I can’t handle this again,” “It will never get better,” “Nothing works for me.”

 Some thoughts add more stress to already stressful situations.

 

Then there’s the self-judgmental thoughts:

“ I handled that like such an idiot,” “Why did I say that,” “I should have known better”

Our internal storylines—how we think—can make even the most challenging times feel far, far worse than they actually are.

Our mental thought habits often skew our

perspective in negative ways.

Do these thought exercises:

• Reflect on a past decision that went well and one that wasn’t your finest.
• Picture an ideal future for you and one that worries you.
• Focus on what makes you most proud about yourself and then what you least like.

For each pair, what holds your attention longer?

For most of us, the negative one has far more power.

If ten things go perfectly one day but you feel you screwed up one interaction, which hangs around that evening?

This hard-wired negative bias takes effort to manage.

We are taught from a very young age that nutritious foods are good for our body

What we are often not taught is how our body is deeply impacted by our thoughts.

…..Thoughts either support you or they don’t.

…..Some can be helpful and effective.

…..Others can be limiting, negative, and harmful.

…..A lot of thoughts can be just mental noise, nothing important.

To know which ones are beneficial and which ones aren’t, we have to first be AWARE of them.

Mindfulness helps us to OBSERVE and RECOGNIZE our thoughts.

The clearer you see and recognize your thoughts, the more you realize that choosing some of them over others benefits you significantly.

TRY TO BE CONSCIOUS OF YOUR THOUGHTS FOR A SINGLE DAY. 

From sunup to sundown, become an observer of the self-talk and thoughts that are going through your mind.

Don’t judge your thoughts but just observe them.

Notice when you have negative, judgmental or self-critical thoughts.

SELF MONITORING or being the OBSERVER of your own thoughts is one of the simplest and most powerful cognitive-behavioral tools to change a negative thought pattern.

You can’t change something that you aren’t even aware of.

Our thoughts have tremendous power if we believe them.

The process of noticing them will help you immensely in becoming more aware and less reactive to negative thoughts that drain your energy and limit your growth.

I can honestly say that becoming aware of my thoughts has been one of the absolute best skills I’ve ever learned.  It’s helped me in countless ways in my life.

When you become aware of your thoughts, you can actively start to filter them. Awareness allows you to stop and decide if you want to believe this thought or not.

AWARENESS GIVES YOU A CHOICE

If you’d like help to recognize and change your thought patterns, reach out to Fay to set up a FREE, NO OBLIGATION 30 minute phone call to see how personal life coaching can benefit you.