Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Being Grateful for the Simple Things in My Life 7-16-2014

I have so much to be grateful for in my life!! Today I am grateful that my life is very simple. I don't live from crisis to crisis like I did for so very many years and I actually look forward to my day when I wake up in the mornings. My needs are met for the most part and I am very grateful for that in of itself!!

What are you grateful for today?

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Gratitude for 11-27-2013 and Being Grateful for Opportunities to Achieve Fulfilment

Today I am grateful for any and all opportunities to achieve Fulfilment.


I feel very fortunate indeed to be able to devote all the time I need to create artistic pieces I love that I can wear, use and even sell. When I get to deliver a custom handmade piece, the reaction I get to see just thrills me!

Also donating what I can to fundraisers in my area to auction off also pleases me, but it isn't enough for me. I want and I need to do more, much more.

I do not want to be stuck in yearning, I want to achieve fulfilment!  I believe that this is doable for EACH and EVERY one of us! What do you love to do more than anything at all? What brings you the MOST joy and happiness ever?  Why aren't you doing that daily?

Clear out those cobwebs and obstacles in front of you and go for it. We do only live one life, why not make it your absolute BEST!!??





Monday, November 25, 2013

Gratitude for 11-25-2013 and Being True to My Capabilities

Today I am profoundly grateful that I know that I do not have to hide my brains from anyone, any more ever again. I can let that light shine proudly and true.


When I was in the second grade, we were given aptitude tests. My results were such that my teacher advised my mother to place me in advanced classes. I remember Mother's expression and her terse words to my teacher, Sister Rosetta: " It will do her more harm than good".

As I continued my schooling, I remember finishing my math workbooks for the entire year by Thanksgiving. One of my teachers realized that I had and she praised me for my accomplishment. Well, my classmates hated me for it and ostracized me for that. I dumbed down in a futile attempt to fit in.

I realized only a handful of years ago that my mother was threatened by anyone who she perceived as better than her, so she was not about to encourage my schooling in areas where I could excel.

I know that I no longer need to or even want to continue dumbing myself down. I know I am intelligent and I choose to develop that to the very best of my capabilities.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Gratitude for 11-09-2013 and Being Grateful for Mental Health Improvements

Today and every day, I am very grateful for the improvements I am seeing in my mental health.  I see improvements daily and I am determined to continue to PLOUGH THROUGH the issues that need to be tossed out and replace them with healthy, productive and creative behaviour!

I am soooo much happier than I can even remember! And I am happy Every Single Day!! I have, with the help of excellent psychological tools and a fantastic psychotherapist, resolved some huge and far reaching poisonous issues that have plagued me for decades!  I get to crank them out by their roots and banish them from me, never to return! I am surrounded by loving, funny and creative people who I know love me and want the best for me just as I do for them!

I am truly blessed and richer than I ever dreamed I would be!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Gratitude for 11-06-2013 and Being Grateful for Everyone Who Helped Me Save My Life

Today I am profoundly grateful for all the people who have been in and are in my life who have helped me turn from that path of self-destruction I was once on.

Over the years, I have encountered so many quality people who have touched my life in so many wonderful ways!  And at the time, I had no idea what was happening to me, I didn't know that it would all add up and I would be whole again.

I am also profoundly grateful for all of the tools I have learned and for the opportunities to learn more. My life has been forever changed!!

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Gratitude for 11-02 2013 and Being Grateful for My Improving My Self-Esteem

Today I am profoundly grateful for being able to work through and process old hurts and pains and for being able to improve my self-esteem.

Life is so MUCH More FUN now!! So many things I used to worry about are gone and I feel stronger and better about myself. And getting to learn about setting boundaries and keeping them intact is getting easier for me. Before I was a very insecure frightened and followed along without speaking up for myself and I found myself going along with things I really didn't want to do. Now, after careful consideration, I can do what I want and I don't have to do what I don't.

Life is becoming a LOT of FUN for me now!!


Thursday, October 31, 2013

Gratitude for 10-31-2013 and Not Obligated to be a People Pleaser Anymore

Today I am grateful to realize that I am not obligated to be a people pleaser, that it is completely OK to say No when I don't want to do something someone asks me to do. Also I am not obligated to give reasons for saying no. I can then choose how important that relationship is to me and on whether I want to give that person reasons on why I am saying no to them.


For ages, deep inside me, I was afraid that if I didn't follow along with the proverbial crowd, I would be rejected, I would be all alone.  That belief put me directly in the path of people I really didn't want to spend time with and I ended up being manipulated which I now realize that resulted in depression issues for me.

I have come to learn and also to realize that I have the prerogative to select what I want to do and with whom.  I have rights, just like anyone else does and I have to right to enjoy myself and do as I please. Being manipulated or bullied into doing something I don't want to do simply because I choose not to no longer has to be part of my life.

To me, realizing this and implementing it into my life go hand in hand, it is every bit as important to stand my ground when I say no and am met with responses pressuring  to do what I have just stated that I do not want to.  That is also a way for me to see who respects me and respects my needs and who is trying to manipulate me into doing what I do not want to do.   Also, I am not obligated to give anyone a reason why not. If I chose to give a reason, that is because that relationship is important to me and I would want to preserve it. There also is letting someone down gently. Standing my ground is critically important to me, taking care of me is my biggest responsibility!! And I am loving learning how to do that!! It ROCKS!!


Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Gratitude for 10-30-2013 and Being Grateful for the Ability to Say No Thank You.

"Today I am very grateful for understanding how important it is to follow the path I chose and to be able to politely but firmly say No Thank You to requests for events I do not want to participate in. This frees me up to do what is healthy and what works for me and to spend my time wisely doing what I enjoy and love. "


Do you know how and when to say : "No, thank you, I have to pass on that."  One behaviour I am modifying is to stop and think about what I want to do or what I do not want to do and who I want to spend my time with. Not everyone clicks and not all events are fun or beneficial for everyone.

For me to follow and carefully think through what I want to do and with who has greatly improved my outlook and mental health. I am not feeling as exhausted as I have been and I am really getting a kick out of what I get to do with my time.

I am looking at what and where my boundaries are and what I can do to set and protect those boundaries. I have people in my life who respect them and I also have people who don't. I believe that everyone does, we all know people who need to be reminded of what is ok and what isn't. They can be co-workers, neighbours, family.....

In my life, I have allowed myself to be led about by my nose because deep down, I was afraid of being rejected if I didn't follow along. I am so glad I have finally realized and am understanding why I did that and how to behave in a healthier way for me.


Here are some great articles on saying no politely and firmly.

7 Ways to Say "No" and Keep Good Relations

Ten Keys to Handling Unreasonable and Difficult People

Best Wishes!!

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Gratitude for 10-29-2013 and Being Grateful for Mental Health Improvement Tools

Today I am grateful for the tools I have access to and have used over the years to improve my mental health dysfunctions and turn them into positive and healthy behaviour.

I find the process of addressing outdated and no longer useful behaviour, examining it and replacing it with positive, healthy and assertive behaviour fascinating!! I can decide on what area I want to work on and I either journal about it or I listen to positive behaviour modification Hypnosis scripts to see and address old and outdated behaviour, face it and accept it as what I once did but no longer need to. I can then decide what I want to do from now on, how can I change that behaviour into positive and healthier behaviour.


Thursday, October 24, 2013

Gratitude for 10-24-2013 and Being Grateful for Building Solid Self-esteem

Today I am very grateful that it is even possible for me to build my self-esteem.


According to Dr. Nathaniel Branden, self-esteem is a particular way of experiencing the self. He goes on to say this:

"It is more complex than any mental picture of ourselves and more basic than any transitory feeling. It contains emotional, evaluative, and cognitive components.....Our responses to other people, to the challenges of work, to the sight of suffering or beauty, to the vicissitudes of life-all are affected by our deepest sense of who we are, what we are capable of, what we deserve."

I have taken the above statements from one of Dr. Nathaniel Branden's books: Self-Esteem Every Day. It is truly a wonderful book and it FULL of wisdom, truths and insights. I can't recommend it enough!!

I am very grateful to finally be at this stage of my recovery; I believe that I am done with the poison and toxic influences of my past and now I get the privilege and responsibility to work on me!  And I love it, it FEELS Great!!!!!

Monday, October 21, 2013

Gratitude for 10-21-2013 and Being Grateful for the Choice to Release Everything that Interferes with My Happiness

Today and everyday I have the privilege and responsibility to rid myself of everything that interferes with my being and staying happy.

I have been working on this process for quite a while now. For me, it has taken careful thought, determined deliberation and many many years in psychotherapy to process what works and what doesn't. Also, I get to replace the negative with constructive positive behaviour. That is where the fun begins, LOL And once I get rid of what interferes with my happiness, I get to take steps to make sure it doesn't get back in. And that is where setting up healthy boundaries and saying "no" comes into play.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Gratitude for 10-11-2013 and Being Grateful for Rising Self-Esteem

Today I am so very grateful for the improvements I am seeing in my self-esteem as I move forward in my life. I see myself benefit from developing self-sufficiency and managing myself to the best of my ability.


As I learn and move myself through situations that crippled me in the past, I see the improvement in my outlook. I am building on this foundation and moving in the direction I have longed for for many many years.

Learning how to say "no" politely and firmly to requests I do not want to do or that I believe would benefit me, learning how to set my boundaries, even figuring out what those boundaries are!

If you google Self-Esteem and/or Setting Boundaries, you will find an absolute wealth of information on how to set boundaries, how to figure them out. Of course, non of this can take the place of a good psychotherapist in the event you need one and would benefit from one.


Happy Boundary Setting!!!

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Gratitude for 10-10-2013 and Being Grateful for the Choices I Am Privileged to Make

Today and everyday I am grateful for the fact that I have so many choices to pick from!  I can decide how I want to live my life, conduct myself on a daily basis and improve myself to the very best of my abilities in my physical, mental and emotional health.

I get to make all the decisions in my own life. I can chose to be happy, mad, sad, go shopping, not go shopping, what I eat and on and on and on....................I am very grateful for this, otherwise, someone else making my decisions for me could very easily not be in my best interest.

I have the privilege of doing that myself. Good decisions or bad ones, I get to make them and learn how to better my problem solving skills. I am learning what behaviours to enjoy and which to change. I do not have to allow every one I meet into my life, I can set boundaries and keep them in place.

This ROCKS!!!


Saturday, October 5, 2013

Gratitude for 10-05-2013 and Being Grateful for Implimenting Coping Skills

Today I am grateful to be able to approach situations that  I would clam up in and walk away from in an attempt to manage my anxiety.


 I have absolutely no idea how many of these situations I have screwed up by pulling myself out of the picture.  It was my go to reaction so prolly pretty much daily.

I can see how needy and desperate I came across to people in my past because I was needy and desperate! I am doing much better in that area now and am happily gaining the self-esteem and confidence that has eluded me for so many years of my life. I also understand how me behaving that way would attract other unhealthy personalities into my life, such as people whose goal was not to be helpful but to be controlling. 

Now, I do my best to remain standing and address them in a much healthier manner. I strive to be assertive and clear, not to resort to being angry or insulting as I once did. I strive to develop compassion in handling these situations and I learning to say "no" in a kind and firm way. I am far from perfect but I believe and can see where I am doing better than I did before.

I want practise in handling myself in face to face situations where I have to think on my feet. Interacting online is wonderful but it allows me to step back and think about how I want to handle each situation where my anxiety barometer stands up and pays attention, LOL.  Sometimes my emotions run pretty high and I mess up in those.  I can get the time to think that I need in face to face situations by simply saying, let me think about that and get back to you on it. Or a simple No, Thank You works also, even if I have to repeat that more than once.

My point is to stand my ground since I am the one who gets the privilege of making the important and the little decisions in my life and believe me, it gets more and more fun every single day!

Friday, October 4, 2013

Gratitude for 10-4-2013 and Being Grateful for Pacing Myself

Today I am grateful that I can get done what I need to on my own schedule.

I can work on whichever craft I want to pretty much and take my time. I go to bed and get up when I want to, most nights at least. Once in a while I can't get to sleep but no where as much as before.
I can work from home and in my jammies, eat at my desk and turn off my phone if I want total peace and quiet.

I love that I can do this, it really makes a huge difference for me!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Gratitude for 10/02/2013 and Learning Effective Beneficial Coping Skills

Today I am grateful for the fact that I am learning effective coping skills that I know will only benefit me.


I am getting to learn how to manage situations and people who used to bother me or I would get angry or upset with. I don't have to distance myself or cut people out of my life anymore. I am learning how to manage myself when I find myself in those situations and I can develop roots in my emotional life. I can develop roots and build on that solid foundation and move on to handling myself maturely. I am looking forward to enriching my life with a variety of people and experiences.


Monday, September 30, 2013

Gratitude for 9-30-2013 and Actually Being Happy!

Today I am grateful that I can claim a happy life for myself and actually be happy!


A positive attitude is so much easier for me to maintain now, I have a lot of the misery I entered psychotherapy with behind me and out of my head. Will there still be ups and downs? Of course there will be, that is life. It can be fun and devastating, life goes on...........Coping with a stronger emotional base and looking on the bright side is making my life much more fun and exciting than I can ever remember it being!

I have worked very hard and I have come a very long way! And it is doable, you just have to take that first step and never let go!


Saturday, September 28, 2013

Gratitude for 9-28-2013 and Reaching for the STARS !!

Today I am grateful to be able to reach for the STARS!!!


I am feeling better emotionally than I have in years!! There are so many techniques and strategies I can and applying to improve my life and I am loving it!! Will I have ups and downs? Of course, that is part of life; I am finding that approaching my life with a can do attitude and working through issues in a healthy manner is making all the difference to me. I am sticking with that!!

Friday, September 27, 2013

Gratitude for 9-27-2013 and Being Grateful for Being Excited Again

Today I am grateful that I am experiencing excitement once again in my life!


I have done a ton of work to get my demons behind me and out of my head and it is feeling FANTASTIC!! I handle myself much more maturely now and don't brutalize people like I once did because I was so full of rage and anger. Things just don't bother me like they once did and I can address different situations much better now because I am calmer than I was.

I firmly believe that I owe this to flat out hard work, journaling, psychotherapy and hypnosis. I am a HUGE Fan of Hypnosis, it fascinates me and I am just thrilled to be able to use it and learn more on what it can do. It is a true blessing to turn these pages in my life and to be able to see on the other side of the mountains and not be at the bottom  trying to see the top.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Gratitude for 9/26/2013 and Being Grateful That I Can Build My Life How I Want It To Be

I am so grateful and just THRILLED that I get the privilege to build my life how I want to!!


I have chosen to surround myself with loving and wonderful people!! I get to do hypnosis and get rid of behaviours that are ugly and unproductive and reprogram myself with positive and effective behaviour. It is a thrill and I love it! I so look forward to every day now and the adventures every day brings to me.

I get to spend time in person with folks who are happy to see me and who I thoroughly enjoy my time with. I get to interact with people who have similar problems to mine and we are supportive of each other. I get to chose what I eat and how I get to prepare it.  I get to indulge myself in making crafts and people actually pay me money to wear my work! I absolutely LOVE how that makes me feel, I just get ELATED about that and their reaction to my work!  That is one of the areas I am building my life on, my goal and my dream is to be self-supporting.