you are not your thoughts...

7/22/22

good morning cherubs!

today we are going to be discussing our thoughts...

what are thoughts?

thoughts are "an idea or opinion produced by thinking, or occurring suddenly in the mind."

if you had to guess, how many thoughts would you think the average person has in a day?

hundreds, thousands, millions?

according to Cleveland Clinic experts , "your brain processes about 70,000 thoughts per day."

technically speaking, your brain never stops "thinking." we are constantly in a state of processing our thoughts, but for a general sense, most thoughts are happening in the background. only the important ones are what we remember and act upon.

isn't that crazy? but take another guess, how many of those thoughts are negative? positive?

typically our thoughts are negative. learning to turn our negative thoughts into positive ones is the true struggle.

thoughts are generally all about perspective. if you put yourself in a mindset that is harsh and cruel, your thoughts are going to reflect that. but on the flipside, if you put yourself in a mindset that is accepting and gentle, your thoughts will follow.

speaking of thoughts makes me think of options of being an optimist, looking at the bright side no matter what, a pessimist, looking at the negative in every situation, or somewhere in between or neutral, a realist.

when you are being optimistic, you make the most out of every situation. typically these are happy people that make good out of sucky situations. whether plans go accordingly or not, they are always finding something to be excited and happy about.

now pessimists are the exact opposite. no matter the situation, they always find something to complain about or something negative to focus on. these are the people that are never satisfied and always judgmental of situations.

but what we should all really aspire to be like is a realist. realists look at situations at face value. if it's good, that's great. but if it's bad, that sucks and they move on. these people understand that life isn't all sunshine and rainbows, that we are going to have struggles, but that's what life is.

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what is important to remember is that you are not your thoughts. thoughts are something that everyone deals with. when you are an overthinker like me, thoughts can be consuming.

often times it feels as if i don't get a break from my overthinking. no matter the situation, i overthink it. but does this mean i'm a pessimist? i don't think so. it just means that my mind is programmed in such a way that everything has meaning.

thoughts can be all consuming and life altering. there is no way to shut them off. but learning to sit with them and let them run their course is the best way to solve them.

learning to sit with our emotions and feel them is the easiest way to experience them.

often times when i was young, i would bottle up my emotions. i would take on so much until it was too much and i would break. since recently starting therapy, i have had to relearn how to deal with my emotions. i am still learning what is best for me.

if you are thinking of therapy, i highly suggest that you try it. you might not even realize that you need it until you go. having a professional that knows how to deal with whatever it is that you have going on is extremely helpful.

you don't have to do this alone. if you don't have anyone to lean on, you can focus on finding a therapist that will be there for you and help you develop what it is you need to become self-reliant and self-sufficient.

you will find your people. it might only be a couple people, but you will find them and they will understand and help you through whatever it is that you are going through or will eventually stumble upon.

if there is anyone that is struggling, whether you know me personally or not, please reach out. i am more than willing to be that person in your corner and help you get whatever it is you need.

you are not alone.

you deserve it be here.

thank you guys for supporting me in what i love doing. i'll see you in the next one!

xx Loryn