This is such an intriguing question this week. I always love an opportunity to
reflect on our personal lives and see how it ties into the week’s material. A few
years ago, I was at the lowest point mentally I had ever been. I was depressed,
suffering from crippling anxiety. It was affecting every area of my life. My
work, my physical body, my eating habits and my relationships. I wasn’t
sleeping or eating, which continued the cycle of negative behaviors in my life.
The combination of these behaviors and mood patterns made me feel
worthless and incredibly isolated from my loved ones. I am a heavily
motivated person and hated the feeling that this was keeping me from moving
forward with my goals in life. I knew I needed to make a change. I started with
small steps to motivate myself to keep moving forward. I started with getting
outside for a walk for an hour a day. Then I added listening to psychological
podcasts to help interpret what I was feeling. Then I added a weekly journal to
chart out my emotions and analyze why I was feeling that way and what
triggered that response. Sometime after I was in this rhythm, I was able to
recognize my emotions as they were happening and was in control of how they
would affect me. Through this experience, I gained so many insights about my
life and the way in which we are able to overcome obstacles. We are all in
charge of our thoughts, feelings and emotions, and grasping this concept
changed my outlook on life. I was able to decide how things affected me and
chose to mentally deal with them in a healthy way. I became motivated to
continue with my goals and acquire the life that I wanted. Where I am now is
so different from where I was a few years ago. I am proud of the hard work, all
of the tears and the determination that I put in to ensure that I am able to thrive
and flourish today.
