Spirals
Life can become a whirlwind of spirals. Are you checking in to your thoughts? Are you checking in daily? Checking in on yourself every day, at the beginning and the end, to have a firm accountability of where your mind and spirit are setting. I use a daily “read through the bible” guide, and a devotional book (100 days or 40 days or other); I begin my day with these, and end my day with a Gratitude guided journal that asks questions of affirmations and engaging questions to force me to think of the blessings of the day. I also use the question, “what went well today” at the bedtime, to have some good thoughts going to bed.
You may come up with some other ways to check in with yourself through out the day. Doing it is the key.
Take captive all thoughts means more than just the surface; it means all good and bad. Take in all the good, and throw out all the not so good. I will give an example of a recent chat with myself. I began to complain over a canning project that was taking longer than expected. I stopped, took a minute, gathered my thoughts, asked if they were beneficial to me or the task, and threw them out with a resounding “NO”. I ate a piece of chocolate, and finished the task. I will note that not long after I took captive the thoughts, I was blessed with my father in law bringing me a very large canner that held 3 times what I had in my small canner. And, because I slowed down and noticed my first batch being a bit under filled, I corrected the majority of jars left before they were canned. It just takes a few seconds to change a negative thought to a positive one; the blessings abound with the positive thing, life gets better, and joy comes in.
The thing about spirals is they grow. But, so does joy, peace, patience, kindness, and LOVE.
I will share a 7 day gratitude for you to use.
Day one: what are three things you are grateful for today? why? Say thank you after each one. Create positive affirmations from these things in the list. Name something you are proud of today. Tomorrow you look forward to what?
Day two: who is someone in your life that you are grateful for? why? Create positive affirmations for this person. Reach out to that person and tell them. What are ways you spread kindness today? Tomorrow you look forward to what?
Day three: what is something that happened today that you are grateful for? Why? Create positive affirmations for these things. What are things that inspire you? Tomorrow I look forward to what?
Day four: what is a physical ability or trait that you are grateful for? why? Create positive affirmations about these things. What is today’s biggest accomplishments? (even if small) Tomorrow you look forward to what?
Day five: what is something you own that you are grateful for? why? Create affirmations about these things. What things made you smile today? Tomorrow you look forward to what?
Day six: what is a challenge or obstacle that you have overcome that you are grateful for? why? Create affirmations about these things. What rewarding interactions did you have today? Tomorrow you look forward to what?
Day seven: what is something about yourself that you are grateful for? why? Create affirmations about these things. What lessons did you learn today? Tomorrow I look forward to what?
LOVE YOUR BRAIN.