“You are going to feel this way forever,” “you are only going to get worse,” ” you will never be able to do that,” “you are a burden.”
Who would say such horrible things to you? I’m guessing you do.
They begin as whispers in the back of our minds and they fester and shout for so long, we begin to accept them as our self-truths. But they are NOT truths, they are only our fears and our doubts. ONLY? Yes, they are not reality.
Depression, chronic pain, chronic illness, trauma, long periods of high stress: Leech out the positive chemicals from your brain and body. Those chemicals are responsible for the good thoughts and feelings which help balance our problems and our negative thoughts. Remember feeling like you used to be such a positive, upbeat person? It isn’t your fault that your mind is different. Your body chemistry and brain wiring is altered by your changing health. Your brain is no longer combating destructive whispers and banishing horrible images of yourself. It means you are filled with LIES. Your brain is sneaky lying liar who deceives you more than ever…so don’t believe her sales pitches!
After a while, the whispers turn to shouts and we begin to believe these negative messages like: No one cares, I am weak, I’m not good enough, etc. You would never say these things to a suffering loved one in pain, so why do you replay these messages over and over to yourself? It becomes habit. These lies take on a life of their own and before we know it, they make us feel powerless, hopeless, ashamed, guilty, and alone.
But we are not powerless! We can take control over our thoughts and change the tape that has been endlessly running. You can help restore balance to the stream of lies that have been on blast.
Replace the negative messages with positive mantras that are TRUE! No one deserves to be bullied constantly. Why not try showing yourself the same compassion you show others? You could really use it right about now…
Become self-aware. Scout out the lies. Take them down!
When you realize you are tossing yourself a negative message, say “STOP” like snapping a rubber band on your wrist. Replace those lies with something positive and true, such as: “My life is a gift,” “I will do my best today,” “I am thankful for the love in my life.”
Just as you now believe the negative self–talk which were once only tiny whispers, new positives can become your reality instead. Sometimes people say, “I choose happiness.” But it isn’t actually that easy. Seeking out gratitude is possible, however. And gratitude ushers more and more joy into our lives.
My mantra for today: “I am a child of the Creator. Forgiven all things by His son. I am perfectly and wonderfully made, and there is no room in here for my negative noise while the Holy Spirit is trying to speak!”
Please share your positive mantras in comments. Blessings on your journey.
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“We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” -Marianne Williamson

Inspirational artwork by Jezabel Rodrigo Yusta. See more original images of the artist’s here.
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About abodyofhope
I do not know why it is that we must wade through tragic circumstances to find truth. We nearly drown! But under the water, there are pearls. I hope in writing this blog, more will come to the surface. Over the past 15 years living with chronic pain,
patient advocacy has had a powerful effect on my life through meeting so many remarkable teens, women and men: SURVIVORS. These individuals are HOPE personified. I wish to honor them in the same spirit they have encouraged me to press on.
Eight years ago, I became bed-bound from a variety of secondary chronic illnesses. A procedure meant to help the pain condition I had been managing for several years- went bust #BIGTIME. Over the years, my entire life has changed. I have changed, but I am still striving to live my best life possible. Along with sharing inspiring pieces about spiritual wellness and finding quality of life inside of ongoing illness, I also share health research, awareness information, poetry, memes, art, and this blog is also an attempt to put my own pieces back together. Welcome to A Body of Hope, and thank you for visiting. [Complex Regional Pain Syndrome/ RSD, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Dysautonomia, Chronic Intractable Migraine, Cluster headache, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Occipital Neuralgia, Hypersensitivity to Sound & Light, Fibro, CFS/ME, Cerebrospinal Fluid Imbalance......blah, blah, blah] >>> P.S. My headgear is protective for pain. I just rock it hard ;)
Love love love this post. My mantra: I am stronger than RSD. I will not give up!!
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Thank you ❤
I LOVE you mantra Nikki! Shows how strong and focused you are !
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YES. What an awesome battlecry. This is why i treasure your writing so much. Your personal strength and compassionate voice shine on in this post. Thank you for this gentle, timely reminder that my brain is trained to lie to me at this point, and i need not listen to those untruths anymore today. Love you!
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Thank you Jess ❤
You have a beautiful self that speaks volumes of truth, love, and light to so many, and I would hate for your brain to be telling you any lies on the contrary.
Love you too, girl.
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I love this! It’s hard not to feel like a burden sometimes, or to feel like all of my dreams will never come to fruitition. I don’t have a single positive mantra I use, but I tell myself “I have value as a human being, for who I am, not what I can do” fairly often.
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I like that positive mantra! Sort of a triple threat of positivity 🙂
I’m the same way. It can be a full-time job keeping my mind in check. I find myself saying “this isn’t a real life” or “time is going by too fast” so I have to be vigilant over thoughts like those or they turn to sorrow fast.
Thank you for sharing your reassuring thought. Just might borrow it 😉
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Excellent thinking, and it reminds me of a quote from Andree Seu Peterson (columnist with World Magazine): “What would you do to a friend who lied to you as often as your feelings have?” This is why we need to fill our minds with Truth.
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Excellent quote. Finding the truth for ourselves, and then reminding ourselves of that truth over and over- as much as we have been reminding ourselves of those lies. It’s the only way the truth can win!
Thank you so much for your comment 🙂
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My mantra for today ” I was put on this earth for a reason, I am not going to let God down” thanks for this awesome post Mary.. Love you as always
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Wow! That’s so powerful! Thank you for sharing your mantra 🙂 Love you.
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