Positive Thinking

Positive thinking seems to be today's theme. I have five recovery meditation books and three of them talked about postitive thinking for today....

I used to be such a pessimist when I was younger. I was also depressed. The two things fed on each other. Nothing was going right, even when it was.... I didn't start using drugs regularly until I was 25. I think my attitude had a lot to do with my decision to just give in to drugs, as well as the depression.

Gratitude doesn't fix clinical depression. I tried that for awhile. It wasn't making me feel any better. I gave up on it. I gave up on life, I guess. I had had many bad experiences with men, and forgot that many of the men I had as teachers had been decent. I had a very negative opinion of men, in general.

Gratitude can fix a negative attitude. It can fix negative thinking. If we look around to find the good things, we will surely find some.... Part of having a positive attitude and/or outlook is seeing the good in any situation.

I've noticed that a lot of people are very negative about themselves too. A lot of people seem to think very badly of themselves. I notice it when people are beating themselves up, because I used to do it all the time. A good inventory includes our assets, too. We all have assets. We have to notice these things about ourself. I think having a positive way of looking at ourself is half the battle, really. Affirmations can help. Some people write down their affirmations and stick them on the mirror. I firmly believe that smiling at oneself in the mirror is a good tool for learning to think more positively about ourselves. It is unlikely that God/dess thinks as little of you as you do!

God/dess does not expect perfection from us....

To think positively requires something of a thick skin. If you take criticism to heart, or take things personally a lot (like I used to) you will have a hard time thinking positively about yourself or anything you are attempting to do. Better to wonder what the critics agenda is then to take it to heart. Thinking positively can help us develop a thicker skin, and a thick skin can help us be more positive.

The desire to escape, too, isn't all bad. It isn't good to take those little mental vacations that drugs and alcohol provide, but a literal escape from our problems can be very helpful. We can often gain perspective on our problems from a distance. It helps to be able to see the "forest for the trees." Go do something fun. Take a break from stressful situations. You might just come back with a new solution. Do something new; it can help you reconnect with the Spirit. I'm not suggesting running from problems, here, just taking a vacation, (although running from domestic violence is sometimes the sanest thing to do.)

Looking back (they say hindsight is 20/20) I didn't do too badly in spite of having such a bad attitude. I don't live with my parents. I healed from all the abuse mostly -- although there is still some healing left to do. Negativity won't kill you right away. But it does increase stress, which can make us fat, sick and unpopular. It can keep us from jobs. It usually leads to using....

A lot of people believe that you attract to you what you think about. I happen to believe there are some exceptions to that. I believe there IS some randomness to life. There is, however, some truth to that. If we believe we deserve good things, and that good things will and have happened to us, we will find out that that's the truth, mostly. I'm not suggesting that one take on the blind kind of Pollyanna attitude, but we do tend to attract to us what we believe we deserve. (I don't believe in "Peter Pan advice.) I believe the reason for that is that God/dess sees what our hearts desire is and gives that to us. It isn't as mysterious as it seems, and it wouldn't happen without a God or Goddess. Some people seem to believe that they have all this "power of attraction" and there is nothing answering their secret unspoken prayers. We simply aren't that powerful, thoughts are merely thoughts....

Oh, and one last thing, don't beat yourself up for having negative thoughts sometimes. Everyone has them. It only creates more negativity.

Please, don't feed the monsters....