Tag: #positive mindset

You Are Powerful

by Ana-Alicia

You are powerful. You are the creator of your reality. Your dominant thoughts cultivate what you see. If you believe something to be true, it is true. If you believe it is false, it is false. There are no facts, just thoughts. When you realize this being triggered becomes reduced. You are able to live the life you want. Your thoughts no longer keep you trapped. Believe in yourself. Believe you can change. Believe your life can change. Your circumstances can change. Be persistent. Stay consistent in what you want. It isn’t always quick, but it will come. Be in the present moment, but remember the present doesn’t have to be your future. Life is a progression of present moments. Your life story can always change. What is your dominant story? Do you like it? If not, let’s change it.

Self-Pity

by Ana-Alicia

Self-pity is an emotion in which one feels self-centered sorrow and pity toward the self in regards to one’s own internal and external experiences of suffering.

Self-pity can be completely internalized whereby you view it as part of your identity to be continually unfortunate, incapable and sad.

When self-pity is made into a habit, it not only stunts our self-worth, but it also creates self-destructive cycles of self-sabotage.

I found myself spiraling into a space of negativity today. I am mentally exhausted, and I have to work 12 hours today. It made me think of self -pity, and how I am doing it to myself at the moment. I don’t like it. I do not like feeling sorry for myself, it does me no good, so I decided to switch the script.

As a believer, that you create your reality, or that one can shift their brain’s focus. I did not want to focus on negativity. I decided to work on my positive affirmations. Telling myself, “You got this.” “You are strong!” “You are not tired.” I am tricking my brain to focus on the more positive aspects, or to look into my strengths.

Instead of telling myself, “it will be a long day, it will be rough.” I am telling myself, “Today will go by fast, it won’t be that bad.” I just don’t want to go into the loop of negativity, it just makes things worse. The only way I can get through it better is to lift myself up, instead of pitying myself. I could be in a much worse situation. I know a lot of people don’t like hearing that, but that is the Ego talking. It likes to be self-centered. Believe me things could be worse. If you think of how things could be worse this also help alleviate your sadness or need for self-pity. We are strong and resilient creatures.

We have gone through lots of trials in our lives. I have seen worse days, and I will most likely see worse days after this. This change of perspective has really helped lift my spirits up. This shows that you really do create your reality. This situation is there, but how you perceive it is what matters. This situation also helped inspire me to write something, since I have been trying to figure out what to write next, but my brain has been foggy, but this all just hit me, and I felt an urge to write about it, and share this message with you. There is always a light at the end of a tunnel if you are willing to go through it.

Create Moments/Experience Life

by Ana-Alicia

I revisited this old post I made of Create Moments/engage with the world. Today I do not feel like going to this concert. It will be very cold, and I just want to stay in my warm home. But as I reflected on it, I felt it was important for me to go, and create a moment/make an experience.

Mundane days and normal routine days are not memorable, there aren’t lessons learned. There is no room to grow. But getting out of your comfort zone and experiencing life is what sticks to your memory. Going to the concert and spending time with loved ones is a great experience. It is something fun to look back on. The cold weather is unfortunate, but I can bare through it. Being a bit uncomfortable is part of life, and we should walk into it, rather than avoid it. We should step outside the confines of our normal lives and live a little.

If I try to look back on my daily work week routine. I won’t remember much. Although comfort is nice. It is a bit boring and forgettable. These moments outside your normal routine are what sticks. I like to look back at more moments that stick. Monday through Thursday will be days I will forget, but this Friday will be a day to remember. What will happen? An adventure, a challenge, a fun experience? Who knows, but it will be an experience. It is cold, and I like to make any excuse to stay home, but I won’t. I like to live and experience life.

Toxic Productivity

by Ana-Alicia

I made a post about productivity a couple of posts ago. Although, being productive is great for us, it can also get to the point of toxicity if we do too much. Like I mentioned before, balance is key, too much of anything can be toxic.

I slightly fell into this trap last Sunday. I have been on a productivity kick last month, but there comes a time you are just not feeling it, or are too burned out mentally to be productive.

I spent most of my Sunday working on my course, and doing my personality analysis. After 6, my brain couldn’t do anymore. I wanted to do the last two analysis, but knew I couldn’t do more, so called it a day. I decided to watch some entertaining Youtube videos to relax.

About an hour of watching. I did start to feel some guilt. I thought I should be more mindful and productive. After a conversation with myself( I do this to work through my emotions/thoughts). I realized after my hard work. I deserved a break to entertain myself. I get into the headspace of having to be productive and mindful all the time. Equating distractions to being a bad thing. We need to entertain ourselves to relax. Being passive to recharge. I can’t always be on, especially after doing so much mental work.

The problem is consuming too much, but on the other side, a problem is being to productive, which can create burnout, and the ability to lose your creative juice. We shouldn’t have too much of anything, even if that thing is good for us. Balance is key. I think it is important to write this, because no one can be mindful/productive at all times, even if people make it seem that way. People may sell that story, but it isn’t reality.

Comparisons/Jealousy

by Ana-Alicia

This tends to hit us when we focus on just the positives of others lives, and focus on the things they have that we are missing. We want that part of their lives we don’t have. We see the grass greener on their side. But is it really?

We forget that others have their drawbacks as well. Everything in life has its pros and cons. All of us as individuals are blessed with things others don’t have. If you dig deeper. You realize you have something they don’t have. You recognize that their life isn’t all that great as a whole. It is just that aspect of comparison/jealousy that seems better. Things in life isn’t all great or all bad. There are good and bad aspects.

Reflect and appreciate what you do have. Learn from the things you don’t have, and if you really want it, work for it, don’t dwell, and make a change. Your life has just as much value as any other individual. You just got to believe it, and take action. We all have value. We all have positive aspects to our lives. We also all have downfalls and drawbacks. Rather than just focusing on yours and making comparisons. Remember that other people’s lives isn’t as perfect as you think, and that they have drawbacks and insecurities as well. Remind yourself that you have things to be proud of, and appreciative of as well.

Finding Joy On My Days Off/Setting Me Up For the Work Week

by Ana-Alicia

There are lots of people out of work at my job, so work has been more exhausting and overwhelming, than it has been. The pandemic has made our work situations a bit tough all around. There is a lot of work, but not enough people. The thing that has been keeping my spirits up is the ability to enjoy my days off as much as I can.

I try to use my days off to explore, connect and learn. I think these things help keep me at peace, it allows me to live, it sparks joy and excitement, and it keeps me in a happier place. I enjoy spending my days off connecting with friends. I don’t have many, but the few I do have, I truly enjoy their company. I enjoy talking about my life, hearing about their lives. I always learn something new talking to my friends. Quality over quantity for me. I enjoy being around others who make me feel better after connecting. It can be going for a walk or hike together, or just having a meal together. A nice time connecting with loved ones definitely helps lift my spirits. It is important to have positive people in your life that sparks joy and laughter.

The weather is starting to get warmer, so I spend my days outdoors on my favorite trails. I am trying to discover new trails as well, just to get a new experience to bring some excitement, but I also enjoy going to my favorite ones as well. I also started running again. Getting a good exercise can help rejuvenate my body and soul. I always feel a sense of peace going for my walks. It definitely helps put me in a better mood. I feel more at peace. Listening to my music, or the birds chirping, viewing the scenery, and smelling the fresh air. Ah what a wonderful time to get yourself right from the stresses of the week.

I tried this weekend to be a little creative as well. I bought stickers for my plant vases. I thought I brighten them up a bit. I also bought some more color pencils for my butterfly frame picture(almost done with it). Having the opportunity to be creative and mindful can help me feel accomplished and proud. It feels great to do things with your hands, and create your own version of something.

I have also been reading these interesting books to help keep me mindful and entertained. This one mindful book helps keep me in the moment by having a bunch of activities in it. They are quite fun to do. One activity I really like is their Beautiful moments notecard activity. I write down an interesting or fun moment in my life on these notecards, and I put them in a cup. It is a great way to reflect and look back on the good moments in my life, and it helps me to feel more appreciative of my life. It keeps me positive.

As I mentioned, my weekends are the best time for me to tend to my plants. I love having that time to do plant maintenance. It really makes me feel good taking care of my plants, and doing what I can to keep them alive. It makes me proud seeing my improvements as a plant parent. Keeping them alive makes me feel proud and accomplished.

I truly like to make the best out of my weekends, and live life to the fullest I can. The work week can drain me, and bring me down, so my days off are a way to lift me back up, and bring me back to a positive place. I have been pretty good at staying as positive as I can, because if my weekends are full of joy, that helps buffer the stressors of work, during the week. I try to focus on the positives, but also recognize the difficulties of the situation at the time, but in the end the work will get done, and I will go home.

Your days off are there for you to enjoy. To do whatever you like to do, whatever that may be. Have fun, relax, connect, and find joys. Doing this can make your work week go much smoother, and make one less cranky throughout the week. Anything you can do to make things easier for oneself, and bring more peace to your life. Below are pictures of some of the things I have discussed that spark joy.

These are the Beautiful Moment notecards
This is my Money Tree(Pachira aquatica) getting big
This is my butterfly coloring frame(almost done!)
A nice scenic shot of my walk Sunday on my favorite trail
These are the books I am reading for this month. I definitely recommend for some entertainment and perspective on living mindfully.

My Mindful Week

by Ana-Alicia

I wanted to create this post to discuss the mindfulness practices I implemented this week. I will start with my self-care routine I have been doing before work. I usually tend to scroll online before work, but this week I decided to change this up. I really want to read more books this year, so I decided to use my time before work to do some reading. It really helps me spark up my imagination and creativity. It also inspires me for my daily life, and my work. I learn a lot from reading. Reading allows you to think as well. I get enjoyment from reading. It gives me the opportunity to be present with my full attention.

I also like writing in my journal, during this time as well. Getting my thoughts out on paper is very therapeutic. It also helps me problem-solve, and brings clarity to the situations in my life. This time has also allowed me to mediate more. I sometimes just sit on my bed, doing nothing, but listening to my thoughts flow. One day it was sunny out, and it was nice staring at my plants with the reflection of the sun. It was nice being in the moment staring at the beauty before me. It was really relaxing just sitting there.

Going back to my thoughts. I realize thoughts do affect your emotions. It is interesting when you are aware of your thoughts, and what they do to you physically and emotionally. I was feeling down, because my thoughts were on a situation that happened at work the day prior. I was overwhelmed with work, and I was tired of being overworked, so I let out my frustration at my bosses. The confrontation left me stress, exhausted, and frustrated. All these thoughts brought me down.

I did end up feeling better at the end of the day, because I realized I had power. I realized I was overworking myself. I was doing more than I can handle. I wasn’t forced to do all that. Being angry at my job for all the work won’t help me, but recognizing I have the power to reduce the amount of work I do is quite powerful. I decided to dial it down at work the next, and felt much relief from doing so. The job didn’t overwhelm me. My high expectations of myself did. I did too much. This distinction is so important for your piece of mind.

I feel a bit embarrassed that I let out my frustrations the way I did, but it had to be done. I could not continue to hold it in. I don’t regret it. Due to my talk with them. They were able to come to a solution that can help me out, which I liked, so sometimes you gotta let people know how you feel, so something gets done. You gotta do what is best for you. I am not saying to complain all day, everyday, but there are times when you got to express your discontent with a situation.

One last thing, I got this mindfulness book for Christmas. I absolutely love it. It has reminded me that I need to live moment by moment. We do one task, thinking about what to do next, then we go to that task, thinking what we should do next. We rush from one task to another. We forget to actually live in the moments. I became aware I do this a lot, especially when I do mundane everyday tasks, like brushing my teeth, or washing dishes. I am trying to live in moments. It can be hard, during those times, and when I am at work. I do realize that even though these tasks aren’t fun. They are still part of living, and I should put my attention to it when I am in the moment. It isn’t easy, but it can be done.

I was even doing this, while I was on a walk today. Focusing on what I will do after this walk. I realized what I was doing, and put my focus on the beauty around me. I told myself, ‘I am walking, I am looking at the trees and sky. I am listening to music.’ I did this, so my mind can be in the moment, rather than having thoughts of the future, or the past. It allowed me to enjoy my walk, even more. Life is about living moment to moment. The good, the bad, the boring, they are all part of living. You got to live in the moments to fully live.

Random Post(Reframing My Mindset)

by Ana-Alicia

Hello my lovely followers<333 I wanted to post something that happened to me last night that is relevant to what I blog about. I thought it would be something interesting to share, and helpful to share as well.

Last night I was having my mindful time. I was journaling, letting my thoughts out. I began thinking about my frustration and anger about having to go to work tomorrow. I was upset that work will be overwhelming, that I will have to work an area I don’t enjoy doing, but needs to be done, since no one else wants to do it. I also thought about how we get work near the end of our shift, making us work 12 hours. I was upset thinking about why we didn’t get work earlier, and how we have no work earlier, but get it at the end of the day. I was growing frustrated how disorganized the place can be. The cycle of negativity just kept spiraling and could keep going. I felt frustrated, tense, annoyed and angry. The thing with negativity, you find one thing, and then keep finding another thing after the other. You continue to dig deeper into the negativity hole.

I then realized what was happening and asked myself, what is this doing? Is this really helping me in any way? I didn’t want to keep spiraling into negativity, so I decided to switch things up, and look at the pros, the joys, the positives, and things I am grateful for in life. I thought about the fun plans I made with friends the next two weekends. That is something joyful to look forward to. I thought about all the lovely gifts I was able to buy this year, due to getting a better paying job. I absolutely love buying gifts!, so this is exciting for me. I also appreciate that this job gave me more financial security. I also realized that a part of me did want to get back to work, because of the movement and exercise I get from it. I also like routine and keeping busy, so getting back to work is important. After, looking at more of the pros. I started feeling more at ease and at peace.

The point of this post is being able to become aware of your thoughts, and where they are taking you is very important to understand, so that you can get to a better place mentally. The ability to reframe your thoughts to a more positive mindset is a skill that will be useful to bring you to a happier and more peaceful place.

Many people are overwhelmed with work. Many people are overworked. Many people deal with BS at work. I am not special. This awareness was kind of humbling. All this realization put me in a place of peace and calm. It has made the transition back to work much more easier. You don’t always have control of your thoughts that come to you, but you can always become aware, reframe and challenge them. It is not completely out of your control. I am now in a better place this morning, and ready to start the work week. I hope you all have a lovely week. Much love, peace and mindfulness.

A Different Type Of Holidays

by Ana-Alicia

As the covid cases continue to rise. It seems like the holidays will be a bit lonelier this year. My family has made the decision to cancel are Thanksgiving celebration. This is my favorite time of year to get with the family, eat some delicious foods. My favorites are my Aunt’s lasagna. I also enjoy some coquito, but our safety comes first.

I was a bit disappointed that I won’t be celebrating Thanksgiving with the family. I most likely won’t be for Christmas, or going anywhere for New Years as well, since I expect things will still be bad. I am sure many of you are in the same boat.

Although, it is a bit disappointing and disheartening. We got to do our best to keep our spirits up. I am now starting to get in the Christmas spirit. I usually wait, until after Thanksgiving, but since that day will just be a regular day for me. I am ready for the Christmas spirit. How I just love the ornaments, lights, music, and feel of Christmas, also the cookies and mint chocolates! You may not be able to spend time with loved ones, but there are still plenty of things to cheer about.

We must remember that safety is most important, and that you can always call, text, or video call your loved ones. Also, you don’t have to worry about the hassle of cooking a big meal, or traveling, so that can be a plus. The holidays will be different, but it doesn’t mean it has to be bad. Making the best out of it, and looking at the positives is important.

Life is always changing. Things don’t always stay the same. We got to learn to take on every challenge that comes our way, and do what it takes to make it work for us. How can you benefit from it? What are the positives? Learn, accept and keep moving. Do whatever you can to bring as much peace and happiness in your life. Things may seem bad, but it is in how you perceive it. Please stay safe out there everyone.

Finding Joy & Peace

by Ana-Alicia

Whatever can spark joy and happiness in your life, however small it is, look for ways to implement them into your daily life. I think it is important to find joy and peace in life however way you possibly can.

As I mention in other posts, work has been a struggle lately. I am exhausted, tired and overwhelmed from work. I don’t always look forward to going, or look forward to the work day weeks. I also don’t want these feelings about work to spill into my everyday life, the times I am away from work. I don’t want negative thoughts and feelings to pervade my life, so I try to find ways to bring some enjoyment to my life.

One thing I enjoy is drinking a cup of Dunkin coffee before work. Coffee gives me energy. It also puts me in a better mood. This helps get me through the work day, and actually makes me look forward to Mondays and Fridays(those are the days I get coffee). It is a nice little treat before work. Any little thing that can bring happiness is all that matters.

I also have been into buying plants. I truly enjoy having them around my room. Just looking at them, brings me joy. I usually go to a plant nursery on Saturdays to pick new ones out. I really enjoy just looking around seeing all the pretty plants around me, and picking the ones that I like. I truly enjoy being surrounded by plants at home. Coming home after an exhausting day to my lovely plants is something that brings life back to me.

One thing that helps keep me at peace is doing meditation before going to work. I try to do a session to calm my mind and body, before I head into the craziness of work. It definitely helps calm me down more. It helps me handle the stressors of work much better. I still get stressed, but not as stressed if I didn’t meditate. It also puts me in a more positive, happier mood going into work. As I mention in my last post, I also try to take deep breaths whenever I feel overwhelmed as well. This also helps.

Some things in life can be stressful and difficult, but not everything in life is that way. There will be times of joy and peace that you can embrace and enjoy when it arrives. It is all about making the time to do so. Be in the moment. We allow our minds to be preoccupied with the bad parts of our lives. We forget to take time to enjoy the good moments.

I work majority of the time. We spend most of our time at work. I get how being at a job you don’t enjoy can be a bummer, but we can’t allow our feelings towards work, or any difficult part in our lives pervade our mind into a negative place. Now I actually don’t dislike my job. It just gets overwhelming. All jobs have stressful parts to it. If you don’t enjoy your work, than it may be time to get out of your comfort zone, and look else where, because as I mentioned, your job makes up most of your life. It can be hard to enjoy life, if you don’t enjoy what you do.

We should try to strive to find joy and peace in life when we can. It is important for our mental health and well-being. It can be something little, something big, or in between. Just find something that can lift you up, and help keep you in the moment. To appreciate and embrace the joys and peaceful moments in life.

Years go by fast, months go by fast, weeks go by fast, and so do days. We are already near the new year. We try to rush by the days(I do this as well), but maybe we can use everyday to find some joy and peace in it. Maybe we can learn from the difficulties of that day as well. We should learn to embrace each day, and take the moments of that day in as much as we can, because sooner, rather than later, the years will have passed by and you truly haven’t lived, or enjoyed life as much as you wanted. Be mindful of the moments in life. Enjoy, find peace, and live as fully as you can.