I went through something this past week that really brought home to me how resilient our minds are. I want to share it with you in the hopes it may help when your darkness comes calling too.
Setting your GPS
Your mind travels down the road you set it to. If you set your mind GPS to frustrated, angry, down, and resentful, then your mind will take you on a nasty ride to that very destination. But if you set it to a place filled with gratitude, fun and happiness, you’ll enjoy a relaxed and peaceful joyride.
This past week, I had my GPS set firmly on joy, gratitude, and happiness. I spent time with family and friends I hadn’t seen in a while and cooked up a storm with my boys. We ate tons of mouthwatering food and spent time relaxing in the sun listening to amazing music.
But even after a fabulous week, the prince of darkness still managed to rear his ugly head and take me on a ‘woe-is-me’ ride. Just what brought the prince of darkness pounding on my door? It was a casual slip of the tongue that did it.
Bringing it all back
In a casual conversation with a friend, I was reminded of the tremendous pain and hurt someone had inflicted on me a while ago. Right away, my mind went on a journey back to the past to a time when I felt devastated, hurt, alone, and abandoned.
Now in the present moment, I wasn’t any of those things. On the contrary, I was in a great place, surrounded by love and support. But the pain I felt from that past experience came rushing over me like a tidal wave. I felt a deep sense of darkness and sadness. I just kept running the situation in my mind, getting more upset and resentful by the minute. And I wallowed in that sadness for a couple of days. I ate more than enough See’s Candy and did everything in slow motion. I felt TERRIBLE.
The light bulb turned on
By taking myself to that past devastating experience, I was allowing my mind to live it all over again. My mind doesn’t know the difference between then and now. It just knows what I am focusing on in the moment! Dah Grace, light bulb moment.
And then another thought hit me, ‘Wait, don’t I teach this?’. So I resolved to practice what I preach and redirected my focus to what I was grateful for now. I also remembered that I wouldn’t be who I am today if I didn’t have that bad experience. That painful experience helps me help others when they have difficult times too.
So I put on my favorite play list, called my bestie, and hit the gym. Within a couple of days, I had gone from a deep, dark place to feeling myself again.
Turning the negative into a positive
Darkness doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, we need it to learn, grow, and appreciate the light. It also reminds us of what we don’t want and gets our focus back on what we do. The key is letting go of the hurt, take your power back and not stay in the darkness for too long. And remember how resilient our minds can be. What will you choose to set your GPS to today?