Tag: Mind

Make it Right

Is there something that you have on your conscience? Is there a habit that you have that weighs on you because you can’t seem to make a change that could lead to a happier life?

As we go through life, we accumulate many experiences. These memories stay etched in our minds. Some situations that we have encountered in life leave us with unpleasant memories. Maybe it was a relationship with someone, the way that we left an old job, or maybe we have a habit of not being honest with ourselves and it leaves us feeling angry and disconnected.

Observations

In my life lately, I have been hyperaware of what causes me to feel anything unpleasant. I note what makes me feel angry, hurt, sad, and confused. As human beings, we don’t like the feeling of pain and unhappiness and we usually will go to great lengths to make sure that we stay feeling content.

For everything that makes me upset, I try to “make it right,” so that it has no more room in my head or my heart. I observe my thoughts and what seems to weigh on me the most. I try to look at a particular trigger or situation from every angle.

If the remedy lies in someone else’s hands, then it can be a little more difficult, but we can make peace with ourselves and offer forgiveness. If we have done something out of character and it is weighing on us, we can apologize and right our wrongs so that we can let it go from our conscience.

Lately

I noticed that as I try to make things right that cause me pain, a huge weight is lifted off of me. Even if I make them right in my own mind or heart, it offers me freedom and peace. It gives me hope that I can approach future situations and people in my life in a different manner.

Much of what we go through in life can be much less stressful with a more helpful mindset. If we can stop taking things too personally (I am so guilty of this) and if we can forgive others and forgive ours, life could be a little bit easier. As I work on addressing things in my life that don’t serve me or make me happy, I realize that my mindset is everything.

Forgiveness and Apologies

To my ex who caused me a lot of pain, I forgive you and I also apologize for hurting you with my lack of communication. To the person who cut me off abruptly while driving, I forgive you because I don’t know what you are going through, it isn’t personal, because you don’t even know me. To my old friend who ghosted me, the pain is real. I would love to know why, but I will have to create peace in my own heart. To the friend that I hurt unintentionally, I am forever sorry, and I should have handled things better.

Life is hard enough, if there is any part of it that we can make easier, it helps a lot! Think of things that are currently weighing you down and see if there is any way that you can make these situations “right.” Easier said than done, but sometimes all it takes is an apology or forgiveness. We can feel so much lighter!

Advertisement

Lost in my Own World

Throughout my life, I have heard “J, you are in your own little world” more times than I can count. At first, I took offense to this, because it doesn’t seem like a kind remark and it most likely isn’t, but I have come to realize that I am lost in my own world!

I have a little world inside of my head that I go to when I am wanting to escape reality or when I want to daydream. I have created a little space inside of my head where there is happiness, positivity, and safety. Life is full of ups and downs; it is challenging and as humans, we are constantly striving for balance and peace. We will do anything to be happy and to feel comfortable.

Miles in My Mind

My mind takes me to many places. I can daydream of being on the beach or on a tropical island. I can imagine myself surrounded by loved ones as I reminisce about old family traditions and memories. I can escape reality by creating a scenario in my head about something more pleasant than what I am experiencing.

I am a dreamer. I love to daydream. I often see people in a crowd or at the store and wonder what their daily lives are like. I wonder what they enjoy and what experiences that they have had. I wonder what their personality is like, and what their goals are in life. It’s amazing to me that we see so many people in passing, and we don’t have any idea about what their lives are like. It’s fascinating to me that we have so much going on in our lives, but most people will only see us on the surface. My mind wanders.

Thoughts

I am the kind of person that never gets bored. I can always find something to do and when I can’t, my mind is the most entertaining thing there is! I seem to be able to think up whole situations and scenarios. I have always had quite an imagination. I like to get lost thinking about the past and how I could have done things differently.

Sometimes I pretend that I am given another chance and I relive it in my head the way that I wish I could have before. I find myself daydreaming about my future. Where will I live? Will I find true love? I wonder what my kids will do in life, and where life will take us all in general. Part of the fun is not knowing.

I always have many thoughts. My mind is like a hamster wheel, it keeps spinning. I hop from one thought to another. It is absolutely exhausting, but I cannot seem to stop. I am typically deep in thought much of the time. I think about life and current situations on a very deep level. I think about those in my life very often.

I like to take myself to a place that is magical and happy, there is enough negativity and sadness in this world.

You Can Say It

It doesn’t bother me anymore when I hear this comment. Sometimes the world in my head is so much better than reality!

An Alternate World

Have you ever felt like you were in a different world? Has your mind taken you to a place where you felt disconnected from yourself? Perhaps feeling like people are little ants in a jar and someone is watching us live. Okay, maybe that went too far, but you might get my point.

I have felt this “world” many times in my life. Dissociation is the term for this phenomenon. It’s when your mind takes over and you’re sort of on autopilot. You’re living, but not truly living as you’re not making connections and taking in the world around you. It’s a “head in the clouds” situation. Dissociation is a type of coping mechanism that we hear about in Psychology.

This Got Me Wondering 

When our minds are floating somewhere else, where are we? When we dream, where is our mind taking us? My brain started thinking and pondering the many possibilities of our minds and this life here on Earth.

Are we capable of visiting other realms while here? How is it that the subconscious mind is just that, if it’s a part of us, why aren’t we consciously aware? There are so many questions and not many answers. The mystery is intriguing!

The Human Brain 

One thing for certain, our brains are capable of so much more than we think they are. We understand how all of the parts of the brain work together to help us retain memories, process emotions, live and breathe, and function as human beings, but there are intricate parts of the brain that are still undiscovered.

The mind and human behavior have always fascinated me. Psychology is one of my absolute favorite subjects!

Head in the Clouds

Our brains are smart enough to float away for a bit to repel environmental stimuli. The brain seems to know that it is in overload and reacts accordingly.

We may not know where the mind is wandering to during the day or as we sleep at night, but it sure is a fascinating subject to ponder. The brain remains active in many ways. The human mind and even body works in ways that we have yet to understand!

A Surprising Supplement That Helps Anxiety

Disclaimer: Please do not take any information in this article as medical advice. I am not a doctor or a licensed professional. Always consult a doctor before starting a new supplement. 

Please read the disclaimer before you read this story. I have dealt with anxiety my entire life. My first memories of feeling anxious and uncomfortable were around three years old. I remember as a child worrying about anything and everything.

Once I entered my pre-teen and teenage years, I become even more anxious and on top of that, I started experiencing severe social anxiety. I could hardly look anyone in the eye and the palms of my hands would sweat from being so nervous. I felt like I never knew what to say or how to carry a conversation.

Once I went through my teenage years and become a young adult, I got over the social anxiety with much exposure to other people. I began to slowly gain enough confidence in myself to function properly in society.

Now, being in my late 30s, I don’t deal with social anxiety anymore, however, I do have anxiety when it comes to relationships and other people getting close to me. Life experiences have made me weary in some ways.

Besides that, anxiety is unfortunately a part of my everyday life. I have severe anxiety. I am constantly worrying and thinking of all that can happen. My thoughts plague me every day, all day long. I hardly get a break from feeling panicky and anxious, it truly disrupted my life in all aspects. I am working hard on maintaining a positive mindset and viewing situations and circumstances in a better light.

My History

I have tried so many medications for anxiety. The great thing is that almost all of them worked beautifully, the downside is that I am allergic to certain ingredients inside every one of them that I have tried. Sometimes the allergic reactions were so bad that I had to go immediately to the emergency room. My doctors felt that it was too much of a risk for me to be on any medications. As I mentioned in another story, my body is highly sensitive to medicine, it doesn’t take much to affect me, I have many allergies to medications as well.

I went through 6 months of therapy and that was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. My therapist helped me see myself and the world around me in a different way. My anxiety was at the lowest it has ever been. It was worth the money and persistence. I even created a binder with all of the papers and exercises that I did so that I could refer back to them once I left therapy.

I did really great after leaving, but then about 6 months after I left therapy, my anxiety started creeping back. After a year, the anxiety that I felt was just like it always had been. I felt defeated. I wasn’t able to maintain this new “freedom” that I had experienced.

A New Hope

A while ago, I reached out to one of my doctors to let them know that I wanted to try something else to relieve my anxiety. My anxious state of mind is usually not this bad, but some life events have happened recently that have left me in a very unsettled state. It was suggested that I try magnesium, not just any magnesium, but specifically magnesium glycinate. I was more than happy to hear that this is a normal and common supplement with minimal side effects. I was open to trying it!

I easily found the supplement at Walmart on a shelf in the vitamin aisle. I started taking it about a month ago every single night and I have noticed a definite improvement! I am so excited about this because I have had no side effects so far and it helps calm my mind. I love even more that it is a supplement.

I am so thankful to my doctor who gave me hope in this area when I felt like I didn’t have much. I continue to take my supplement and I just pray that the effects will stay even when I take it for a longer period. It is not a miracle supplement, I still struggle with anxiety, but it does take the edge off and allows me to function much better each day.

To My Readers

For those of you that suffer from anxiety, if you haven’t already, I encourage you to talk with your doctors about what you are feeling. Usually, even in unique circumstances such as mine, there is a way to help, even if it is not the “normal” way. We all deserve peace of mind!

My College Major Changed Me

I have been out of college for many years now, but I can tell you one thing, the major that I choose has changed my life.

I’d like to say that it has changed me for the better, however, it has also changed me for the worse.

Background

Once I graduated high school, I was not certain which path I wanted to take in terms of a college major. I was always told to just feel each subject out and see which one that I was drawn to, it sounded easy and like great advice and it ended up being just that!

I had many classes that I thoroughly enjoyed. I would say that my top two subjects were Psychology and English. I loved both for different reasons. Given the nature of the job that I wanted to pursue at the time and an extreme interest and passion mine, I chose to major in Psychology. Little did I know, it would change the way that I saw myself and the world around me forever.

My Love

Psychology drew me in because I have always been fascinated with the human mind and finding out why people behave the way that they do. We are all born as blank slates, yet we all develop into very different beings, that is fascinating to me!

As I took many Psychology courses over the years, I learned so much about myself and the world around me. I was able to understand why I had become the person that I was and how the brain works and responds to people and life situations. I was able to understand others better with this newfound knowledge and empathy that came with it.

It was almost as though Psychology was the book of life, it felt as if this subject held all of the answers to the complexity of the human mind and behavior. I was captivated!

The Downside

As with many things in life, there are usually positives and negatives. I adore Psychology and all that it entails, but learning this subject to the extent that I did was detrimental to me in some ways.

Years after I graduated from college, I noticed that my anxiety was much worse than it usually had been. I have dealt with extreme anxiety since I was very little. I began to realize that the way that we are taught this subject and the ways that they have us learning the material truly changed the way that my brain responded to life and even to myself.

In Psychology, we were taught to analyze, analyze, and analyze some more. We were taught to observe very carefully and taught to look at people, situations, and ultimately life in many different ways. Yes, this sounds like a great thing and it is to an extent, but it became a constant in my life.

Taking Over

I found myself analyzing my life, thoughts, and behavior to an extreme. Psychology teaches you that there is a reason behind everything and that includes people’s actions. Therefore, I was always hunting for reasons and the meaning behind everything.

I started seeing life in many different aspects. I started viewing other people very differently, I was so curious as to why and how people behaved the way they did. It seemed as though I was always searching for information to complete my analysis and observations.

I wasn’t comfortable with this new way of viewing life. I understand that these are all necessary and helpful skills to have, especially if one is to become a therapist or social worker for example, however for me, it was overpowering, and I wasn’t able to separate myself from it.

Question

I know several of you talented individuals are in the field of Psychology. For those of you that are therapists, social workers, or even those that majored in Psychology as well, did you ever notice a drastic change in the way that you viewed life and other people after studying Psychology?

Closing

This subject was and still is my favorite subject of all time. I truly adore it and there is always so much to learn and gain. There are many times that I wish that my mind wasn’t so “stuck” in Psychology mode, but given this, I still would have chosen to major in this field.

It’s pretty amazing to me that what we expose ourselves to in our life truly does have a tremendous impact on us. Just a little food for thought as you go about your day. Surround yourself with good people and try to live life the best that you can, we are like sponges are we are truly changed by what we experience for better or for worse.