Julie Smith

when dealing with mood it is essential to remember that it’s not all in your head. It’s also in your body state, your relationships, your past and present, your living conditions and lifestyle. It’s in everything you do and don’t do, in your diet and your thoughts, your movements and memories. How you feel is not simply a product of your brain.

When I am feeling this, what am I thinking about?
When I am feeling this, what state is my body in?
How was I looking after myself in the days or hours leading up to this feeling?
Is this an emotion or just physical discomfort from an unmet need?

It’s in everything you do and don’t do, in your diet and your thoughts, your movements and memories. How you feel is not simply a product of your brain.

If you can anticipate the situations that may be difficult and have a plan in place to deal with them, you won’t have to think on your feet and wrestle with temptation or motivation at a time when you may feel vulnerable.

But you don’t have to tumble and struggle against the waves.
Those waves are coming no matter what.
When you accept that, you can focus on keeping your head above the water as it passes.
You still feel the effects.
Might even get lifted off your feet for a moment.
But you move with the water and brace yourself ready to land back on your feet.

The metacognition tool of pausing between emotion and action is that same process of stepping back, even just for a moment, to check in with your thoughts and actions to see if they will be in line with the person you want to be.

As the river of constant thoughts flows, we get to put our head above water and check those thoughts are heading in the direction we want to move in.

Confidence is like a home that you build for yourself.
When you go somewhere new, you must build a new one.

Confident is not the same as comfortable.

The second you notice signs that you might be less than, you brand yourself as not enough.