Simply knowing they have someone they trust in their life can often help them feel less alone, whether they actually want to talk about your symptoms or not.
God: Because walls don’t come down easily. It takes demolition.
Me: I don’t like this.
God: I know. But, it’s for your good.
That did not make me feel much better. Knowing something is for my good but, the huge challenge of not just shifting thoughts but, tearing down fixed thoughts. Breakthroughs are BREAK-THROUGHS and they come by breaking something. This mental war to remove a fear is a battle I haven’t fought in a long time. I am not sure if I have ever been through something like this and if I have, I can’t remember. So, how do I deal with this thing? This…huge fear about a particular thing. This fixed array of thoughts?
I’m not quite ready to face it but, I know I have to. In the meantime, I am trying to understand the root of this fear and how to control my thoughts and tear down thoughts at the same time. In my research, this came about, “THOUGHTS ARE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL BUT, NOT IMPOSSIBLE”. The NOT IMPOSSIBLE part gave me hope and it’s continuing to give me the strength to keep up the “good fight”. Think about it, so many things we do or have done are difficult but we do them!
I got that from Swami Makundananda along with these things:
It requires EFFORT
It requires PRACTICE. Effort and Practice.
It requires DETACHMENT. Effort and Detachment
And this will lead to success.
I am trying and it is a very difficult challenge that has come at a time when I wish it had not. Yet, here I am in the middle of it. If you believe in prayer, send up some for me. If you believe in love and light send that, too. Continuously. Overcoming this paradigm is draining and I am just beginning to uproot it through understanding. Not to mention, my attitude is “I don’t like this!” and I am trying to conform to “acceptance” because I know accepting it will make it easier.
You must get creative. I looked in my refrigerator. I looked in my pantry. I said, hmm. I have some rice. I have some leftover mixed vegetables. I have some leftover baked chicken. I have some soy sauce. I can stir fry a meal.
Jesus said, I have two fish, and five loaves of bread. I can get creative and innovative. Work a miracle and feed 5,000!
Nehemiah looked around, saw some stones still whole from the fallen wall. He saw some stones, not whole but still big enough to build with. Then he got creative. He got innovative.
He got some HELP. Don’t forget YOUR HELP. Don’t forget some help. Some “help” are the people that remain. “YOUR HELP” is the LORD. All of my HELP comes from the LORD.
Wake up. Take Inventory. Get Innovative and Creative. Don’t forget your help.
Wake up. Take Inventory. Get Innovative and Creative. Don’t forget your help.
Wake up. Take Inventory. Get Innovative and Creative. Don’t forget your help.
Have you ever had a job where you had to take inventory? Have you ever looked in your refrigerator or pantry to see what was in there and what you could make to eat? Well then, you took inventory. You’ve got to take inventory of your life.
Nehemiah looked around for what was left, what he could salvage, what he could, rebuild with. He looked around to see who was left and he strengthened those that remained. What’s left? Who’s left? What skills do you have?
As long as you are looking back, you’re getting weak. As long as you are talking about when you were in high school, you are getting weak. As long as you are wishing on a star, you are in a position of weakness. Strengthen what remains, so you can rebuild.
We’ve got to rescue the good things we have going before they’re gone. Spend your energy trying to revitalize what you have, not resurrecting what you don’t. Pay attention to who and what remains.
Take Inventory!!! You are looking at what you’ve lost, but you need to focus on what remains and strengthen it.
So, I’m taking this 5-day FREE class on Millionaire Frequency and it’s about an hour and a half long each day. The question was asked, “What are your limiting beliefs surrounding money, wealth, and success?” I immediately said, “I have none” and then I said “None that I know of”. Well, let me tell you, that was a lie. I clearly heard the Spirit say, “Yes, you do.” And as I tuned back into what the man was saying, he mentioned to look at where you are, how you go there, and where you want to go. He talked about looking at your accounts and your spending and saving habits.
Well, when you explain it that way, I can see how I may have some limiting beliefs. He said to take some time and to really think about it. I did. There were instructions to write them out, examine them, and to tear them up as a physical sign to get rid of them. I wrote them down but I have not torn them apart because I want to examine them. I’ll get rid of them in a few days. I’ve been afraid of success and shared that. I thought I’d gotten rid of it but, it’s still showing up. I also found out or was reminding in this class that the old paradigm, way of thinking, programming, is very difficult to get rid of and it can only be rid by repetition and the planting of new thoughts. Did I mention this course has many spiritual elements?
Here are SOME of my limiting beliefs about money, success, or wealth. I am not ashamed to let you know. Maybe I should be but, I am going to share anyway!
Deep down inside, I fear it’s too late to talk about retirement savings because I am in my late 40’s. I didn’t prepare.
If only I had gone after my true dream and not let my parent stop me. I would be happy, successful, and living my dream.
I’m single. I don’t have a husband to financially support me as I go after my dreams and goals.
I am afraid that if I become wealthy, I will lose it. Something will happen and all of my money will be gone. Somehow, I will lose it all. (This is the root cause of fear of success for me and others. This thought of the inability to maintain wealth or status)
I’ve missed my time
Now, these are some of the thoughts, old paradigms, programming that pop up in my mind and cause friction between me getting to where I want to be financially. However, I am committed to my goals and dreams. Here are some of my new thoughts, programming, paradigm. You are in control of your thoughts. You can change what you think. Change your thinking, change your life.
Age is nothing but a number. It’s never too late to become a millionaire or to save, invest, or all three
No one is stopping me now. I can dream new dreams and set new goals. I have. I will.
I have no husband? God is my provider. I’ve been providing for myself and my daughter. What am I talking about here? Such a flaky excuse.
If I can become wealthy, I can hire the right accountant to help me manage my money. I will not lose my money. I have grown so much and become much more financially conscious. My habits are changing.
What about you? Do you have limiting beliefs? Maybe you, too, are unaware of them. I hope you can take them and replace them with new thoughts and beliefs. This way you can begin to form new habits and patterns to help you financially…and spiritually.
Be honest with yourself. Have you fallen into a lull? Are you going through the motions, not realizing that you are sleepwalking through what has the potential to be your best and most fruitful years with God? Think long and hard about it. Are you going through the motions? Are you wasting time? Are you in the routine and rut of life? Have you grown complacent? Complacency will SUCK THE LIFE OUT OF YOU! There is a huge difference between complacency and contentment. Complacency means this will work for me forever or I have given up. It is what it is. But contentment means, I am satisfied for now BUT, I need something else. Something better. It is what it is but, there is greater ahead. There will be greater after this. Haggai 2:9 says this other house will greater than the former! And in this place I will give you peace!
Maybe you don’t realize you are sleepwalking through what could be the BEST and MOST fruitful time in your life!!!!! It aint over! It aint over! Your work, your life, is incomplete! You are not finished being a mother, a father, a sister, a brother, a friend, a spouse, you are not finished!!! You’ve got more life left in you! You’ve got more to give! Wake up!
You’ve got to wake up. You can’t stay mad too long. You can’t stay sad too long. You can’t stay nonchalant too long. You’ve got to grow. You’ve got to move on. I know it’s difficult. I know it’s scary. I know it’s not fair but you must, we must wake up and see what’s going on. We must open our eyes and deal with the reality and tragedies that are going on. God is asking you to care about the church. God is asking you to care about yourself!
Believe it or not, God really does care about you. God cares about your success, progress, your hopes and dreams. God cares about your disappointments, heart breaks, and let downs. God cares. And I am mighty glad that he cares, and he is working things out for you! But you’ve got to get back in the game of life! You can’t win sitting on the bench!
Scarf made from leftovers, the remnants @theconfettishopbynikki on FB and @theconfettishopnikki on Insta
When Nehemiah heard about the ruined wall of Jerusalem, he wept. (pause) I just want to let that sit there. He cried. It’s okay to cry!
Yet, he rebuilt the walls of the city by using the remnants of the wall he had left and by strengthening those who remained (Neh 1:3-4, 2:17-20).
He took what was left, the remnants, the leftovers, and by strengthening those who survived, they rebuilt the wall. I know, I know, some of us have been destroyed. Our hearts have been broken. We have taken some big hits. Things from out of nowhere. After you weep. You have got to strengthen what remains of your heart, your money, your life, the church, and rebuild.
What do you do when you’ve suffered a great loss? When you’ve lost sight of your purpose? When your joy or your faith isn’t what it used to be?
You wake up from your slumber, arise to the voice of God, turn your attention to what you have left, and begin the faith process of strengthening that which remains.
When Nehemiah heard about the ruined wall of Jerusalem, he wept. (pause) I just want to let that sit there. He cried.It’s okay to cry!
Yet, he rebuilt the walls of the city by using the remnants of the wall he had left and by strengthening those who remained (Neh 1:3-4, 2:17-20).
He took what was left, the remnants, the leftovers, and by strengthening those who survived, they rebuilt the wall. I know, I know, some of us have been destroyed. Our hearts have been broken. We have taken some big hits. Things from out of nowhere. After you weep, you must strengthen what remains of your heart, your money, your life, the church, and rebuild.
What do you do when you’ve suffered a great loss? When you have lost sight of your purpose? When your joy or your faith isn’t what it used to be?
You wake up from your slumber, arise to the voice of God, turn your attention to what you have left, and begin the faith process of strengthening that which remains.
I’ve been musing this week about meeting a guy that is on my level. When you hear, “on my level” do you think of someone that thinks they are better than others? Smarter? More financially stable? More spiritual or intellectual? I think of all of those things. I don’t think I am more of anything in a way that makes me “better” than someone else but, I do think I want someone that I don’t have to “carry” when it comes to maturity.
I think you do need someone that you can “vibe” with on different levels. It exhausts me if I don’t match up with a guy intellectually or spiritually. We don’t have to be on the same level but in the same flow. How about reading from the same book? I could take that. In order to be in a relationship with someone you have to be able to match in areas that are important to both of you.
I’ve had too many unbalanced, out of synch relationships and I am not accepting applications for more. Yet, I seem to attract people that are where I have already been and it feels like a weight. I would have to slow my pace to be with them and I don’t want to do that. I’m on a roll here lol! It would be great if they could pick up the pace instead.
In the meantime, I’ll continue to practice patience and perhaps, while on my journey I will meet someone going the same way.
One of the major keys to dealing with anxiety and depression is to get ahold of it before it spirals out of control. But exactly how is that done? Also, having a plan for when it does spiral out of control is necessary to expedite your recovery to mental and emotional stability. Therapy, scriptures, and affirmations are three major tools that have helped me. Also, having someone you trust when you can’t talk to your therapist and having a SOURCE, which I call God/Creator/Divine/Source when you have no one to talk to is major. For me, Source is always available but, I know there are things I can do on my own to help myself. And this is encouraged by Source.
I think you should really get to know who you are and how things affect you. The only way to do that is to be totally honest with yourself. I am sensitive as I found most creative people are. It allows us to channel our emotions into what we are creating. I have a tendency to take things more personally, overthink, and overanalyze. I have learned how to back out of those things and become an observer for the most part. I also know that it takes me time to move past things. Over the years it has become easier to move past things. I think that comes with wisdom and not age.
Here are some of the things I do to help me to get ahold of anxiety and depression:
I acknowledge what I am feeling and then I ask myself why I am feeling it. What happened? Who said it? Consider the source from which it came from and are they credible? No one is more credible than God for me. If it’s coming from a person I don’t know, a person that is negative, a person that doesn’t like me, why would I feed into their opinion? Exactly. Unless, deep down inside I feel that way about myself and I am honest if I do! If they say, “You are ugly” and lately I have been ripping myself apart I’m going to feel bad. BUT YOU have the power to change what you feel by changing what you think and speak.
I use affirmations for anxiety and depression. If I feel afraid to sleep, I say to myself over and over, I am safe in my body. I am safe in my home.
I use scripture pertaining to whatever I am feeling or scriptures to contrary. If I feel weak, I say I am strong. If I feel afraid, I say God has not given me a spirit of fear but of power and love.
I pray.
I say, “Oh. I am feeling some anxiety today. I can fold my clothes. I can do some work as I work through this. I can do some exercise.”
If I have persistent thoughts or episodes, I make an appointment with my therapist (currently searching for a new one).
I talk to a friend I trust.
I cry. Crying is a release.
I pamper myself. I take hot showers. I oil and lotion up. I give myself a pedi/mani or go get one. I soak in a lavender Epsom salt and pink Himalayan salt mix. I schedule a massage session.
I go to my bathroom and read my yearly marching orders or my affirmations to reset my brain.
Now, what about when anxiety is CODE RED or depression is CODE BLUE!
My plan is to shut things down for a day or two this can include social media and putting phone calls on hold.
I call my therapist.
I rely on all the things above.
I immerse myself in Netflix, a blanket, and the couch.
I allow myself to sleep.
I lose myself in a hobby.
BUT the maximum I give myself is TWO DAYS and then I MUST come out of it. Anything longer than that can set me up for darker and deeper holes that are difficult and require help to come out of. I come out of it by pushing, forcing, and dragging myself to get back to a routine. A little at a time. And during this time, I make sure personal hygiene stays on top. If you don’t wash your face, brush your teeth, change clothes, shower, YOU WILL FEEL EVEN MORE LIKE CRAP. People tend to let themselves go in bouts of anxiety and deep dark times of depression.
During this time, I stay hydrated. I do allow myself some treats but I also make sure I eat as healthily as possible. Too much sugar or salt will make you feel worse. I add one of those packs of Vitamin C to my water. I sit on the porch. I go for a walk. I do 10 minutes of yoga if I don’t feel like doing 30. I do tai chi because it is slow movement. I may just stretch every two hours.
I hope this helps someone. Recently in Memphis, this week, we went through so many tragedies many of us are feeling things we can’t explain and some of us know exactly what we are feeling.
Nikki's Confetti Life 