Throughout my life, I have often battled “the blues”. As a child, I was shy, quiet, introspective; as an adolescent, I was often moody, emotional, and withdrawn. I realize now, of course, that I was suffering from very low self-esteem. This low self-esteem sometimes led to negative self criticism and depression. I would think I had finally achieved a healthy self esteem, but it never seemed to be permanent. I realize now that it takes a constant conscious effort to achieve permanent adjustment in my thought processes.
To that end, I have explored various options to increase my mental health. I am currently working with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to retrain my thoughts. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the cognitive model of emotional response. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, not external things, like people, situations, and events.The benefit of this fact is that we can change the way we think to feel/act better even if the situation does not change. By changing the way we think, we arm ourselves with a powerful tool to guard against self doubt. With this tool, we can set goals and more effectively manage life stress.
I am also exploring positive affirmations; daily statements made to ones self to promote positive self image. Poor body image and low self esteem tend to go hand in hand. Positve affirmation related to body image includes focusing on one part of your body you do like, looking in the mirror every morning, and telling yourself how much you like that part. In this case, my eyes are my favorite part. I think they are very expressive and beautiful.
I am learning relaxation, stress reduction techniques and meditation practices. I am getting out in to nature on walks, and find that I really love the warm breeze, the sunshine, and blue skies on a spring day. I love the earthy smell of the woods on hikes. I am also resuming an exercise regimen at least 3 days a week at my gym. I am enjoying the movement of my body in class and just the act of becoming active again. I want to be healthy, strong, and happy.
As someone said recently, “You choose to be as happy as you want to be.” In some cases, we need some extra tools to help us along the way. It’s a journey for each of us. I am responsible for my own happiness. I am building myself up from the inside out. I hope to be able to help someone do the same.
Thanks for listening.
Joann
For more info on CBT: http://nacbt.org/whatiscbt.aspx
