I know we have all heard it before – you are what you eat. So, what do I do? I make a conscious effort to eat healthier. This doesn’t always work, but most of the time, it does. I try to eat my fruits and veggies and keep my sugar tooth in line.
So, if you are what you eat, then wouldn’t it make sense to surmise you are what you think? I know, the power of mind control and to actual filter what goes through your brain over the course of the day can be overwhelming. However, can’t we make conscious decisions on how to recognize when our thoughts go “south” and the triggers that take them there?
Pondering this over the weekend, I decided to really take note about what I was thinking (good and bad) all day long. And let me tell you, it’s a scary thought (no pun intended) to make an attempt to do this never mind actually taking the time to write down what races through one’s brain over a 24 hour time span. Of course, I was sleeping for some of it (but the dreams were wacky, a whole other story) but my down time on Saturday – what there was of it – was interesting. I realized that I have many emotional triggers that actually control my mood. Whether it comes in a form of a sarcastic text from an ex or the rolling of the eyes from a kid, I realized that my mood is easily swayed by the moods of others. I mean, I am able to go from aspiring to think like Mary Poppins to feeling like Mary Poppins on 85 cups of cappuccino with no sleep for three days in a blink of an eye due to the company I keep.
I thought long and hard about posting this but I wanted you all to see that I am constantly doing these experiments that I have you all do – so know I am by no means trying to skirt out of the work! I decided to take note of the people, places and situations that almost always create a negative energy in my life. Right now, I can list about 10 things off the top of my head. To take this a step further, I started to notice the people in my life that suck me into their drama and can really put a negative spin to virutally anything.
I call these people emotional blood-suckers. We all know them. No matter what we are doing – no matter where we are – they find us to one up us on a crisis or tell us over and over there is absolutely no way to solve their problems, no matter how much they complain. Or, the person that is constantly reminding you of the things you may do wrong, instead of the things you may do right. With the blink of an eye, these people can knock you down a few notches with a simple one liner. Unfortunatley, many of those I have described are friends, family or even spouses.
So, what are we supposed to do when we are constantly trying to create a positive environment for ourselves? Well, the answer really is simple. Start to recognize when your mood starts to change and how much control these people have on our lives. Instead of participating in their negativity, (and it really is theirs) make a conscious choice to disengage. When it happened to me this weekend, when I felt myself going down that dismal road of defending myself or better yet, trying to win an argument that was completely being baited, I took myself out of the equation. Simple as that.
How am I supposed to think positively (or at least try to!) if I am getting sucked into these bits and pieces of other people’s emotional crisis? I simply wasn’t going to own that anymore. So, what did I do? I gave it right back to them! All of them! I didn’t engage and basically handed them over their crisis tied in a nice little bow. I was done.
It was the strangest feeling to know I had a choice to whether to be happy or not during the course of the day when you notice these triggers. You can fall for them, or choose not to. I managed to have a wonderful weekend that was full of mind tactics to shoo away those “bad vibe gremlins” that tried to sneak up on me throughout the day. Most of the time, it only took putting on my stereo and listening to some classic rock; other times it took 100% distraction so I went to the gym. Take note on what can bring you down during the day and know you are what you think. Choose to go the other way and surround yourself with positive people that bring you positve energy. And when push comes to shove, a few episodes of I Love Lucy is sure fire way to bring Mary Poppins back to life.
