When working on yourself and your mental health, it is so important to specifically pay attention to your mindset. It makes all the difference in your view of the world and view of yourself.
I, for one, have a very shitty mindset, and it is something I have to constantly work on. Having a good mindset is something that is so, so important in recovery and healing. These are the steps I’ve picked up from my own experience of trying to fix my mindset. The process is simple, but implementing it into everyday life is the hard part, but I promise, it is worth the hard work and you will immediately start to see how much it changes your perspective on life.
The first step to changing your mindset is recognizing your harmful thoughts. Recognize when you are having thoughts that bring yourself down, and specifically recognize how these types of thoughts make you feel. Your inner thoughts have such a direct influence on your mood, so especially if you are in a bad mood, tune into your thoughts and see how you can alter them. This reminder justifies just how powerful thoughts are. Next, focus on reframing the thought. Challenge the thought. Try to think of a time where you have proved that thought wrong. For example, during a soccer game, if I am thinking to myself “I suck at soccer” because I am not playing well in one game, I can start to challenge this thought by thinking of a time I played really well. I could think of a specific game where I hit all my passes straight to where I wanted them and I felt really confident on the ball. Now that I have this moment in my mind, I will go back to my original thought, “I suck at soccer,” and change it because I know it is not true. Instead of thinking “I suck at soccer,” I could change my thought to say “I am allowed to have off-days, I am still a great soccer player.”
If you want to go a step further, take a few deep breaths, and try to redirect your thoughts. In this soccer example, I could make the effort to stop thinking about my mistakes I have made so far and instead try to focus on something I know I can do well. For example, working hard off the ball. Or focusing on my first touch. Whatever it is, pick something related to your original thought, but something you are confident you can do well. I recommend redirecting to something that doesn’t require a lot of thinking because doing this makes it easier to get out of your head and move away from the original thought.
Using these steps, you can challenge any intrusive thoughts that come your way. I understand that these thoughts may seem so real and truthful at the moment, but I promise you they are not. You are beautiful, you are strong, you are a good friend, and most importantly, you are human. It is okay to think these things as long as you don’t give them too much credit in who you are as a person.
When you start to change the way you think, you start to see the world differently. You see the beauty in things you didn’t before. You appreciate everything, both big and small, because you know you are lucky to have them. Just reframing your thoughts can change you from inside out, which is so empowering. Remember, in the end, you are in control. You get to choose what you think, the actions you take, and how you see the world. Make it the best it can be. And just know that I’ll be here striving to do the same thing. You are never alone.
– Avery
Mentally, I’m Here 