Thoughts Are Powerful Forces

The Trails where I find renewal in mind, body and soul.

Thoughts....how easily they can become clouded and muddled. They can be forces that seem to be in battle sometimes...the good, uplifting thoughts versus the bad, destructive thoughts. The destructive ones say...you are not enough, you are not worth the air I breathe, you are not worth the time of day, you are nothing, you have nothing, you will never be good enough, no one even notices you or cares, no one wants to be with you, no one will ever truly love you, you will never be that special or important to anyone, no one is interested in you or anything you do.....see how easily I can come up with all the destructive thoughts? (and trust me, I could go on and on and on with a very long, ugly, depressing list).  Yes, they are familiar and seem to always want to take up residence in my head on a lot of days. They tear apart self-esteem and confidence. These thoughts destroy you from the inside out.  I have been reminded many times of how powerful thoughts are by people who can see the path of destruction that my thoughts take me down. I know this...yet why is so hard to stop those thoughts and think differently. I have concluded that it is a conscious exercise. Just like we exercise the body and target specific muscle groups, we have to consciously exercise and target the thought processes so they become positive and not negative. The wrong thoughts, perceived as truth by me even if they are not truth, causes destruction within myself as well as destruction in relation to those around me. It comes out like poison. I don't want that. I have begun to recognize the pattern that takes place...the triggers and then the spiraling of the thoughts into some God-forsaken dark place that I know resembles the pit of hell. I now CONSCIOUSLY recognize what is about to happen and put a stop to it if at all possible. It works most of the time. Some days I succeed and some days I fail miserably as it is like a cancer that overtakes the mind. A Conscious Exercise: I must train my mind not to take the path of negative thoughts. How? Its like when you are on fire and you are taught to stop, drop and roll. Well, the same goes for thoughts that are going to destroy you....I stop (consciously stop the out of control thoughts and take a step back from the situation), I drop (to my knees figuratively, asking God to take over and help me gain the right perspective), and I roll (I am like a duck, be the duck...let everything ROLL off my back).  I breathe in and out fresh air, life-giving air. I love the lake trails...breathing the fresh air, the water is calming to my mind, the exercise releasing the right endorphins, and talking to God the whole time.  So as I exercise my physical body, I am exercising and strengthening my thought processes, my spiritual, emotional and mental health. I would rather the poison come out in my sweat on the trails than in my words or actions towards others. I am worth it. And I am...enough. No matter what my thoughts tell me.