Do you suffer with bouts of depression or anxiety? Does it come over you like a blanket or cloud?
I think we all may feel depression or anxiety at different levels. Some of us, a lot more than others.
I know some people seem happy and everything is fine all the time but is that just the pictures we see on social media or the front that is put up when we are with them?
That alone can cause you to dip further into depression or anxiety.
I saw this statement on social media and thought I would save it. It said, “Before you speak let your words pass through three gates: … “. Maybe you have seen that before.
One of the first things I thought of was perhaps those are three filters we should also ask ourselves when random thoughts pop in our head.
Listen in or read on below for 3 gates to pass thoughts through to help you stop negative thoughts from creeping in.
Is it true?
Your thoughts are very powerful and can have a huge effect on the way you think.
You have over 45,000 negative thoughts a day. That’s crazy!
What you believe has a huge impact on how you feel. Each thought you have releases either feel-good chemicals or feel-bad chemicals from your brain.
So, stopping to question if that thought is true could be very powerful for you. It could stop or slow down the release of the feel-bad chemicals into your system.
If you continually believe the negative thoughts then this will create pessimism and all you will see is the negative everywhere. Which then confirms to you that things are bad.
Ask yourself is this thought true?
Is it necessary?
Some of your thoughts are very necessary. They are needed for your survival.
But many other thoughts may not be necessary for your wellbeing.
The thought may be true but is it necessary for you to think about or dwell on right now?
Releasing those thoughts that are not necessary will free up space for you to have so many more positive and optimistic thoughts floating in your head.
Make sure that when you release those unnecessary thoughts that you purposefully fill your mind with positive and optimistic thoughts. This will help flood those feel-good chemicals into your system.
Is it kind?
Often, we are kind to everyone but ourselves. Why is that? That’s a huge question for another day.
Do you find that you are beating yourself up a lot? Everything you do. It seems like nothing you do is right.
Are the thoughts you are thinking kind to you?
If all you are having are negative unkind thoughts of yourself, why wouldn’t you feel beat down?
What could you do to help lift yourself up?
What is one kind thought that you know to be true or a compliment you received recently that could lift you up whenever you have an unkind thought of yourself? Put this in your phone in the notes section then pull it out and read it whenever you need. Post it on your phone or laptop's screen saver, everywhere you can think of if you need reminders often!
Before you believe the thoughts or let them take up residence in your mind let them pass through these 3 gates: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?
What you think and what you believe can either positively lift you up or negatively pull you down. Your thoughts and beliefs are very powerful and important for you to have excellent health and wellbeing.
I challenge you to carry a little notebook and track your thoughts for a day or two. Be honest and write down what you are thinking. It may be shocking.
After accumulating your thoughts figure out how many are negative thoughts you have about yourself. Now for each negative thought you had about yourself create a rebuttal.
What would you like to think instead? What do you choose to think and believe instead?
Do you think passing your thoughts through these 3 gates will be helpful for you?
Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an
email - sheri@empoweredhealthcoaching.com I would love to hear.
Live life empowered!
When you are experiencing negative thoughts, anxiety, depression it is often very powerful to practice mindfulness. Here is a free guide for ways to practice mindfulness and bonus it will also help reduce your stress: 7 Easy Mindfulness Practices to Ease Your Stress
Sheri Johnson is a certified Transformational Holistic Health and Life Coach in the Central Florida area. She believes everyone deserves an amazing healthy, balanced life, full of energy and feeling fantastic! When you get back on track in life and feel like yourself again then you can easily step into who you truly want to be, living out your purpose, passion and what you were called here to do.
If you are ready to decrease stress and overwhelm while creating balance in your body, mind and spirit then please check out her website and book a free strategy session with her below.