Life Happens! But What Do You Do When It Gets To Be Too Much?

We often get into life’s little ruts. Sometimes life is really easy and other times life gets really challenging. I recently had a time when I felt like I sucked at everything I did. Yes, I said SUCKED! That is a powerful word and it really encompasses the way I truly felt in my life at that moment in time. You see, as a Holistic Wellness Practitioner and Advocate, I help others with things like this yet somehow, I seemed to be struggling. February typically seems to be a challenging month for so many and I am no stranger to it. I decided to take my own advice and I was able to pull myself out of that rut.

There are many things that play a part in living with a healthy mindset, some of which include: eating right, exercising, getting adequate rest and managing stress, reducing toxic load, making informed decisions, and being proactive in your medical care. Addressing these areas in your life will ultimately lead to a healthy lifestyle, but sometimes looking at the big picture can be too overwhelming. So, I break them down into easy to manage steps. First, we must address the ‘stinkin’ thinkin’’.

There are two easy ways to do this:

1) Make a list of what you are great at.
We spend too much time looking at what we need to improve upon and not enough time looking at what we are already good at, using our strengths to move ourselves forward.
Here are some examples of my list (note that I included the negative, non-serving thought and replaced it with a positive reality):

I feel like suck at keeping up with the household responsibilities.
I am great at cooking yummy meals for my family and making sure the laundry is clean (not always folded or put away though. Lol).
I feel like I suck at getting my kids to school on time.
I always make sure my kids are fed and have clean clothes before going to school.
I feel like I suck at being a ‘good’ wife to my husband.
My husband loves me just the way I am and tells me so.
I feel like I suck at being organized in my business.
I am committed to providing opportunities for my partners and leaders to succeed.
The best way to do this exercise is to write all of your limiting beliefs on one paper and then replace each belief with a new, positive reality written on a separate piece of paper. If you are struggling to find a positive reality, then write out a new reality that you want to experience and write it as if you are already living it. Then to take this one step further, burn the paper that holds your negative and limiting beliefs. This is an important step because it releases those thoughts in a physical way.

2) Take an active role in eliminating your negative thoughts and feelings.

Here is the strategy to help deal with these real feelings when they pop up:

Be conscious and mindful of the negative thoughts and feelings, recognizing and accepting them for what they are; only thoughts and feelings, not reality.

“MINDSET” {noun}
-a set of beliefs or a way of thinking that determines one’s behaviour, outlook, and mental attitude.

Change your perspective.

How do you change these negative vibrations that do not serve you well into positive emotions that can help you move forward? POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS, my friends. For each negative thought that pops up, make a conscious effort to replace it with three positive ones. Sometimes it’s a huge effort to do this, but you must remain committed to the task until you find three.

Here is an example:
Negative thought: “I suck at everything I do.”
Positive affirmations: “I am an amazing mother, wife, and business owner.”, “I make a great lasagna.”, “I am great at folding laundry.”

These simple strategies will help you move past the, ‘I suck at...’ mentality and onto the, ‘I am amazing at...’ mindset.

What do you do when you have yucky feelings about yourself?
I find my tribe of people who love me for just being me and I borrow their love for me until I can get mine back.

Do you need to borrow someone’s love for you?

Josie LoPorto Freeborn, Founder of Freeborn Wellness, is a Certified Reflexology Healthcare Practitioner, Holistic Wellness Advocate, and an Essential Oil Educator specializing in stress management. She offers consultations in person in Windsor, Ontario or via telephone (text or call) @519-792-9111. She can be found on Facebook (Josie Freeborn’s Wellness from the Earth) or Instagram @oilyfreeborn