Dawn Patrol

Wrestling Mental Weeds Before Sunrise

Do you ever wake up flooded with negative thoughts?

“Why did I put off the dishes last night? I’m so lazy and worthless.”

“I should get this mole checked out. I hope it’s not Lupus. What if I have Lupus? Do I even know what Lupus is? I’d better learn since I have it.”

“Remember when you misspelled truly in the spelling bee and everybody laughed at you? That was so stupid. No wonder people don’t like you. Idiot.”

Excuse me? It’s 5:33 am, and my mind convinced me that I was lazy, I had Lupus, and people disliked me because of a grade school blunder. I’ve only been awake for 94 seconds.

What just happened?

Emotions dictate the tone of my day. The problem is that my subconscious sets the tone, so I’m hardly aware it’s happening. When I become mindful that I’m a crabby, antagonistic jerk, the damage is done.

Had I nipped this in the bud when it was only a thought, I wouldn’t be beating myself up for contracting Lupus.

Not everybody deals with a deluge of depressing thoughts. I’m sure some people wake up farting rainbows and don’t get sleep crust in their eyes.

Bully for them.

For the rest of us, there is hope. Scoring free tickets to ride the negative bus doesn’t mean we have to hop on. We can toss the tickets in the rubbish bin. It’s a simple decision.

Dealing with negative thoughts can be a real challenge, but it's important to remember that can overcome them.

Personally, I've always had a tendency towards negativity that rivals Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, but I've learned to keep boogying through the shit swamp, and I believe you can too.

The following are some tips for not letting your mind’s Negative Nancy hijack your day:

Get out of bed

The longer you idle in bed, the more space intrusive thoughts have to reproduce. Don’t give them the opportunity. Get up and do something.

Make a cup of coffee.

Meditate.

Write in a journal.

Go for a walk.

Negative thoughts will dissipate if you don’t provide them a runway to gain momentum.

Take a few deep breaths when you feel negative thoughts creeping in.

Get out of your head and back into your body. Be present. Remember, they are only thoughts, not an accurate reflection of reality.

Observe your thoughts. Don’t become them.

Talk to somebody

If you’re fortunate to have a close partner or friend, talk to them. There is no shame in admitting you need help. It shows courage.

Ask a partner to point out if they notice your negativity. Your mood often rubs off on them. The thought of a happier you might tickle their fancy.

They’re likely tired of hearing about what you could have said to your grade seven girlfriend when she broke up with you.

Talking helps.

The body stores unchecked emotions. Get that shit out before it poisons you, your day, and your life.

The juice is worth the squeeze

There are days I feel like I’ve made zero progress. Sometimes, this work feels like a waste of time. It’s difficult not to give up.

I have been working on cultivating a more positive mindset for years.

However, the negativity tractor beam sucks me in more often than I would like to admit. Nevertheless, I am becoming more aware of this tendency, which is step one.

We all want to wake up burping sunshine and rainbows. Occasionally, those days come, and it’s lovely when they do.

Who doesn’t love it when things run like a sewing machine?

Turning around a day that starts like garbage is far more magical than coasting through the easy ones.

You can do it.

All you have to do is pay attention.

Kick Negative Nancy to the curb.

Nothing will make you feel more powerful.