You do not have to drown. You have another option.

Blooming Season Family! 

I am writing this on Thursday December 10th and by the time you guys read this it will be Saturday December 12th. 

On this fine Thursday, I am doing well but can I tell you about my Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday? 

Lord, have sweet mercy. 

I was having a hard time, emotionally and mentally. 

Did I have my period? 

Yes. 

I’ve gotten really good at training my thoughts to overpower the force of emotions that come along with that monthly tribulation but guess who didn’t do a good job this month? 

Me. 

I was dragged through the mud by my thoughts on Monday, thrown into the sea of negativity on Tuesday and by Wednesday I was drowning. 

I allowed my feelings to paralyze me. 

I gave my power away. 

Period or no period, challenge or no challenge, tragedy or no tragedy : my response/my reaction is 100% my responsibility. 

Can I be honest and say that I forget that sometimes? Because I do. 

I should get it tattooed on my forehead. 

Although, I think I would still forget occasionally even if that were the case. 

I’m working on marrying this truth with the depth of my being so I can be alert and ready for when life slaps me upside the head. 

Last night, as I meditated on some scripture, I felt God give me a clear/direct message. 

God said, “You do not have to drown. You have another option.” 

So simple, yet it rocked me and I immediately felt a weight lift from my soul. 

Depression is a liar and it says that there is no other option. 

Negativity is a liar and it says there is nothing to be grateful for. 

Hardship is a liar and it says that things will never get better. 

We can either choose to believe the lies or we can go higher and believe the truth. 

The truth is, period or no period, challenge or no challenge, tragedy or no tragedy : I do not have to drown. I always have another option, another choice, another perspective, another solution. 

As I was reflecting on these past few days, I came to a deeper awareness of my mental traffic and the ways in which I have to continue learning how to better direct that traffic. 

I wrote down 3 different areas in my mental traffic that tend to create accidents and they are the following : 

Mental Blocks
Self pity	Focusing more on the problem  rather than the solution
Placing blame instead of taking responsibility	Ignoring the messages that  my emotions are trying to communicate

Old Destructive Thinking Patterns
Ingratitude	“I’m stuck here.”
“God is punishing me and he is  not even here with me.”	“Nothing will ever change.”

Cycles of Habit That Hold You Back
Escaping in social media or pointless imagination	Neglecting routines
Punishing myself for not going to bed extremely late -  knowing that I have to wake up early	Comparison
Ignoring prayer life	Skipping meditaiton

 

Those are the toxic things that I tend to fall back into if I am not alert, doing the work (journal therapy, meditation, prayer, intentional gratitude, etc) or taking care of myself (getting enough sleep, being productive, exercise, etc) 

Doing the work on a consistent basis keeps me alert when hardships arise because it's easier to remember that I do not have to drown in this situation. 

I do not have to sink into depression or sadness. 

I do not have to react to a bad situation with a bad attitude. 

I have a choice. 

Life is not what happens to me. 

I am happening to life. 

I am making the choices here. 

I can focus on solutions in the face of problems. 

I can offer understanding to a stranger when they offer me anger.

I can give myself 20 minutes to cry and then get up to move forward.  

I always have a choice. 

I do not have to drown and neither do you. 

I don’t know exactly what you’re going through but I want to remind you that you do not have to drown, there is a better option, a higher choice. 

In order to choose the better option, we must first be aware of all of the stuff that holds us back from being able to go higher. 

Acknowledge the negative thoughts patterns you tend to fall into when life gets tough, recognize your self destructive language and behavior. Bringing an awareness to this helps so much. 

Clearly, I have yet to master this and as you read above, I still fall flat on my face sometimes but I am learning that I always have a better choice. 

I do not have to drown, regardless of the intensity of the storm and the impact of the waves. 

And neither do you my friends :) 

Let’s grow.