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Tutor Audrey オードリー 's Column

Easing your anxiety by changing your story

Jan 4, 2022

It is the beginning of a new year, let’s make this a better year and make positive changes.

We can ease our anxiety by changing the story in our heads.

Changing our “now” story, we instantly change our past and future stories.

Our thoughts affect how our lives are.  There is so much in our lives that we have no control over or influence.  We want to take hold of the things we can have influence over.

If we lean toward the negative things, we tend to be worrisome.  That’s okay.  But if we are leaning too much toward the negative things in our lives, we cannot feel happiness and joy at all. Therefore, it is time to make some changes.

Here are some things to free your minds from negative thoughts and beliefs.

We didn’t try to think negatively by choice, it is just that it has become a pattern over time.  At some point in time, we became stuck.  How we think affect how we act. It is useful to journal your feelings and progress.

Let’s take time to sit quietly, go inside your mind to see what is in there.  Meditation can declutter your mind.  Are you a positive person or a negative person?  Are you happy, confident?  Nobody is totally positive or totally negative.  It is alright to have negative feelings.  Let the negative thoughts and stories you are telling yourself settle and sink to the side. 

Tell yourself you need to clean your mind a little bit, and let the past and present negative thoughts settle and not follow them.

Change your story and tell a new story.  It is the story you tell yourself. You can change your world if you change your story.  Take the necessary steps.  You are not stuck, whether it is your job or relationship.  You can take responsibility for your life.

It is okay to have fear, but feel and face the fear and do it anyways.  Sometimes, we are comfortable with our fear and the stories we have been telling ourselves, and we are afraid to change, even though our situation is not so good.  Make small steps to make positive changes.

Keep a journal and write down what you want – a new job, new friends, a new partner, more freedom.  Write an action plan.  It doesn’t happen overnight, but it will happen eventually.

Life can change.  Your attitude and environment can change.  You choose where you go from here.

This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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