Spirit Matters: Self-talk a strong influence on our lives

In general, I am a pretty positive person.

I try to live in the moment. I appreciate the little things in life. I don’t require much in the way of material things. I seek ways to be creative and make people laugh – or at least smile. I choose to engage with educational, enriching media rather than critical, destructive propaganda.

It is a good way to live. I highly recommend it.

But then there are days like today – rare, but most often after a terrible night of sleep – that I become my own worst enemy.

Lately, I have been in a pattern of getting started on this column early – about 6:30 or 7 a.m. I like to get it done so I can move on with the rest of the day.

But this morning, I have been sitting at my laptop for almost two hours, my brain refusing to cooperate with a cohesive thought and, in fact, telling me in no uncertain terms how much of an imposter I am, how I am on the decline creatively and why do I even try ... and on and on and on.

It would seem, today anyway, that little devil on my shoulder is beating the daylights out of the little angel on the other shoulder.

I know these unproductive and self-critical moments are temporary, but still, when I am in the midst of them, I sometimes feel helpless to pull myself out of such an ugly mood.

It just so happens that my thoughts began to shift after I found and ate some leftover scrambled eggs, and took the dog outside to do his thing. A boost of protein and a blast of sunlight can work wonders for the brain.

I am a firm believer that the thoughts we choose to entertain about ourselves, our environment and the world in which we live have a powerful influence on our life experience.

Many of us carry around negative thought patterns we grew up with, unaware of how deeply they have ingrained themselves into our lives. Often, we think, things have always been this way; there is no reason to think they will change now.

But that is simply not true.

Especially if we call ourselves believers and followers of Christ and the life-giving and transformative way he models and gives us.

If we regularly put ourselves down, or think the world is out to get us, our circumstances will have no choice but to back up these beliefs, and our daily life will do a nosedive.

On the other hand, if we talk nicely to ourselves and challenge negative thoughts with a more constructive, realistic and positive thought, we will notice our step getting lighter and the clouds moving right along to clearer skies. Practicing gratitude daily provides solid evidence of just how wrong those negative voices in our heads are.

Living a generally positive life doesn’t mean we won’t encounter dark times. No one escapes the reality that sometimes life just doesn’t go our way and, worse, sometimes it even wrecks our way.

But when we know how powerful our thoughts can be, we can avoid spiraling deeper by being aware of the negative intrusions and responding with a kinder, gentler voice based in reality.

How we see and talk to ourselves plays a big role in how our life plays out.

It is never too late to change your script and turn your life around to one of healthy self-regard and simple abundance.

SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column by Jerrilyn Zavada Novak that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact her at jzblue33@yahoo.com.