Every day we try our best to keep ourselves up. To keep ourselves presentable and to be the best version we can be in front of others. We also try our best in order to make things better for the people around us.

Yet, for some people there is still that tiny voice inside their heads telling them that they are not enough.

This voice is also the one that tells us that we are not worthy of anything we deserve. It tells us that we don’t deserve to be loved if we don’t look or weigh in a certain way. It also tells us that we are not doing our best if we don’t say yes to every single favor that is asked of us. In addition, it whispers to us that nobody actually likes us and is only hanging out with us out of pity.

Sometimes we realize that what these voices are saying is not true. However, the more it repeats and echoes the same thoughts over and over again, the more likely we start believing it and trap ourselves within a cage of insecurity and negative thoughts.

Well, I’m here to tell you that whatever these voices tell you, it is not the truth!

We are not what we feel we are and we are definitely not what our negative thoughts claim us to be. You are much more than what you can imagine right now. These negative emotions that cloud your judgment about yourself are not there to stay. What stays is how you treat yourself and what kind you can show yourself.

Another tricky concept about this is that the more we try to acknowledge how toxic our own mindset is, the more we fall into negativity. Things such as, “I’m so obnoxious”, or “I must be so annoying to have around” are the kinds of things we end up thinking and hurting ourselves. This is when our own emotions also drive us more into the corner as these negative thoughts and emotions caused by it and also fueling it starts snowballing into even more negativity in our minds.

You must know that you are the one who is in control of your emotions and not the other way around! Your experiences build up who you are and not what the voice of our insecurities tells us so.

We know it’s not easy to let go of negative thoughts and mindsets. After all, if it was as easy as wishing all these things to be gone, everyone would do it by now.

One way we can help ourselves recover is by dissociating ourselves from negative thoughts. For example, instead of telling yourself, “I don’t think I’m pretty enough” we can instead say, “My mind is telling me I’m not pretty enough”. Another example is instead of thinking, “I don’t deserve it” we can say, “I’m having thoughts that I don’t deserve any of it”. Do you see the difference?

It still has the same situation in mind, but we allow ourselves some distance away from the thought. We don’t automatically own the negative thoughts that come to us. Instead, we acknowledge that it’s from somewhere else that is not totally under our complete control such as our emotions. Speaking of which, in this way we are also capable of watching over our emotions better as we get an overview of how exactly we feel about these thoughts.

Therefore, this form of mindfulness will allow you to focus on your thoughts while also being aware of how you feel about them and how it makes you feel. You also don’t associate all the toxic thoughts with yourself immediately. Instead, you allow yourself to be free and look at yourself from another perspective. So these are the ways you can free yourself from negative thoughts and not let yourself get swallowed up by an abysmal amount of insecurity and self-loathing.

Here are some ways to practice mindfulness that doesn’t involve meditation.

• Cleaning mindfully
• Going for a mindful walk
• Journaling mindfully
• Exercising without technology
• Cooking, gardening, taking a bath…really anything!

Wishing you a gorgeous day.

Louise x