The alarm clock goes off, and you reach for it, and hop up in a fairly decent mood. (I realize even this is not possible for non-morning people, trying to make a point here, bear with me) and head for the coffee or teapot. You imagine a good day and then it happens, that old negative thought that creates anticipation of an awful day, then, it becomes one. Some of us wake up and immediately become sad, depressed, angry, or dreadful. The thing is, we don’t just wake up that way, SOMETHING triggers us, be it a thought, a sound, a smell, or a memory. The good news is, we can LEARN to avoid this. Imagine waking with a smile and keeping it, all day long, being a peace, actually wanting to smile, would that not be fantastic? It CAN become YOUR reality.

It is not surprising that this negative thought process happens to most of us daily. There is always that one person or reminder that can change our day at the drop of a hat. The thing is, most of us think our day is ruined. We mosey on through the day with our heads down, and shoulders slumped, finding it difficult to develop even a fake smile for those that cross our path. It gets comfortable, and we become complacent there. Somehow we begin to find comfort in the dark because it is easier to stay there than just to let ourselves feel happy. After all, we think it is temporary. The letdown and disappointments get tiresome, so why bother being happy in the first place? This is often how depression starts; if we let it, it can become our permanent way of thinking. What if I told you that it does not have to be this way? Would you be willing to listen?

I have suffered from depression from time to time, and I have found that imagery helps me to snap out of it.  I discovered that if I can get out of my current surroundings, even for a moment, and take just a solitary second to notice what I SEE, things in my brain start to shift. At that moment, I can feel the depression slipping away, and an actual feeling of euphoria taking its place. Before long I find myself whipping out my camera, tip-toeing around trying to capture the moments that recently changed my entire thought process. Alright, alright, I realize that everyone may not be as cheesy as me, and these things may not work or even be possible for everyone, after all, not everyone is an outdoor person. However, the concept is the same. The idea is to change your thought process by replacing your negative thoughts with positive ones. It takes practice, but the more you do it, the easier and easier it becomes, until it becomes second nature. Before you know it, you will be a pro and control your thoughts.
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You can’t always STOP what enters your mind, however, you can stop those thoughts and purposely replace them with something pleasant. Speak it out loud if you need to. I do. The second a negative thought pops into my head, I speak out loud “No, I am NOT going to think that way” and I quickly shift my thoughts to a positive one. (Believe it or not, you DO listen to yourself) It IS easier than you think. You can even build upon your negative thought by simply changing something about THAT particular thought. For example, if you are about to head into work, and you dread seeing that one person that can deflate a room, you say to yourself, might as well not even get happy because Negative Nancy will ruin it for me. Instead shift your thought to, no matter what kind of look Negative Nancy gives me today I am going to smile at her and keep on going. Yes, it is THAT simple. There more you practice it, you may even start to believe you can smile at negative Nancy enough that even SHE feels like smiling back. Are you getting this? Am I making sense? It is all you! YOU control YOU and your attitude. Find what works for YOU. For me, it’s imagery, be it nature, taking photos, or even shifting my thoughts to my Grandkids, my pet, my kids, or my husband. Whatever normally makes you smile, habitually use that image to replace the negative ones that try to jump into your brain! The more you do this, the easier it will become. I promise.  Stay tuned for more tips on how to use imagery to change your brain's thought process! 

​Even Girls on Pedestals…….
 
Even girls on pedestals, need the time to cry,
They do not have it all together, and sometimes they are shy.
They often did not ask to be placed up so high, they had no control, and nobody asked them why.
 
Confused and all alone, the little girl sits…..waiting for someone to come along, and notice she exists. 
As she grows older, the pedestal begins to shrink. Stones are tossed in her direction, what did everybody think?
They thought she was a snob, a stuck-up little prude, but never once had she ever been rude.
Spoiled maybe yes, thought about with love, nobody could have known, that she wanted to shove, herself away……
She was so alone, surrounded by her dolls, the only REAL friends she knew had a pissed-off Mom….
They were not allowed to play, or even talk on the phone, that horrible girl on the pedestal should just be gone,
She often wished she was……
A high opinion of herself, “everyone is glad to see me”, knocked the breath out of her one day, when the world showed just how sleazy, it could be….
Then came reality, that there was nowhere she could be, where anybody sincerely liked her……
A lot of pretending, a lot of fake smiles, a lot of snickering and making fun, because it WAS fun, to go to her house. She had everything…..or so they thought.
So naïve she had become, so oblivious and gullible, How did she ever think she was actually lovable?
She gave and gave and gave to the wrong people,
every Sunday morning, she stared at the steeple, asking God why she felt alone in a room full of people……
No matter how much she loved, she would never fit in, there was always a space before the end, that reminded her not to pretend, that she was REAL…. That she belonged……
Should have just stayed on the pedestal, where nobody could reach her……