I keep grabbing this lady's material. Because it speaks to me. And I hope to YOU also. It spoke to me on many levels - that of the newly relapsed quitter, and just in terms of the general disappointments we go through in life that must be overcome in the new quit smoking mind/bodies we inhabit. (Bold emphasis is mine.)
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Don’t cave in to disappointment when things don’t happen as planned. Instead, get busy turning your negative self-dialogue into positive statements. Thinking positive is beneficial in helping you achieve your goals, it also gives you protection from spiraling down into a depressed mood. Remember, where your thoughts go your feelings follow. Positive thoughts will help enhance your mood and well being while negative thoughts will make you feel sad, depressed and have a negative impact on your immune system. Sometimes you don’t have control over what happens to you, but you always have a choice in how you choose to view it. Take an active part in creating your joy by turning disappointments into opportunities of growth and wisdom. Learn from your mistakes rather than using them to beat yourself up. If you’re not quite happy how things are turning out for you, actively do something about it. Don’t slip into feeling helpless. There is no such thing as, “I can’t help it, that’s just the way I am.” Neuroscience proves otherwise. We have the ability to change (neuroplasticity) our brains, our minds, our feelings, until the day we no longer exist. The way to do that is by creating new experiences for yourself, which in turn create new neuronal pathways, which have an impact on the way you feel. For more info on this fascinating subject take a peak here. No one can make you feel disappointment. You have to choose to feel it all on your own. When something disappointing happens to you, feel the “ouch,” and then move through it in a positive direction. Take the experience and use it to create the life you want to live. Everything that happens to you, good and bad, can be used for growth. Think of the negative situation as compost for your internal garden. You take garbage and through your thinking turn it into beautiful flowers.
