How about my negative self talk about others around me?

[LyndaLu]

YogaYoga:
Thanks for sharing !
I have found that using kind, gentle and compassionate self talk is of great help in times of need.
We always forget to take care of ourselves and our own emotional health.
Hope you are finding the right balance in your life.
Lynda

[YogaYoga]

Lynda Lu

Yes It's funny that we forget ourselves... well maybe not forget myself for me it's like I was once again trying to manage my anxiety by getting my external world to become less anxiety producing.

It's like I was trying to steer my life by taking my hands off the steering wheel and onto the rearview mirror and wondering WHY the hell I was crashing everyday. DUH!!!! ;/

I successfully cancelled many over commitments, put into practice 30 minutes of meditation daily, exercise 3 times weekly and realized that my hands were off the steering wheel. And within 2 days I had reconnected with my inner guide and came up with solutions that are actually worked for me and the solutions were so simple I skipped over them...

[LyndaLu]

YogaYoga

Great to hear about your recent successes ! Keep up the great work.
Stay strong and God Bless.

Lynda

[YogaYoga]

Thanks Lynda

[annief]

I am trying hard to be a positive person. I had planned to do something fun tomorrow, but it is going to rain like hell. Summer is almost over and I hate winter. I get so depressed. I am going to try to make the most of my time left. Negativity is something that comes so natural to me so this is going to be a challenge. I journal every day and I'm not sure that it is helping. Is anyone else having trouble with session 3 ?

[allenae9]

I have trouble with this too. I've noticed that my anxiety level increases A LOT when i'm interacting with the people I think are ignorant, lazy, mean, or just plain obnoxious. I'm starting to realize that they aren't stressing me its all the thoughts I have about them. So i'm trying to change those thoughts but they come so quickly its hard to even ignore them. This makes me feel so guilty. I don't want to hate people within moments of seeing them. I'm hoping if I change the thought I will be able to see people differently. Thanks for posting i'm happy to hear i'm not alone and your post help me better understand my challenges.

Thanks,
Abbie

[LyndaLu]

I am trying hard to be a positive person. I had planned to do something fun tomorrow, but it is going to rain like hell. Summer is almost over and I hate winter. I get so depressed. I am going to try to make the most of my time left. Negativity is something that comes so natural to me so this is going to be a challenge. I journal every day and I'm not sure that it is helping. Is anyone else having trouble with session 3 ?

I am also a very negative thinker so I know what you are going through.
One of the things that I have recently experienced is that being around
more positive people really helps me get back on the right track.
I have recently started to attend church again on a very regular
basis and I have met SO many nice ladies at the church that I have
been attending. They don't REALLY know me, but they are so kind
to me and always welcome me with open arms. I never knew until
recently that there were kind people out there like that. I have
been spending time with these ladies every Sunday at the bible
class and at brunch. It has become an eye opener for me to spend
time with some very positive folks on a weekly basis.
Are they perfect, no. Are they always right, no.
Is their life free of worries or problems, no.
But spending time with them gives me the chance, at least
for a few hours each Sunday, to see life in a different light.
And just feeling good and positive for a few hours one day
a week can lead to feeling good and positive for a few
hours during the coming week as well. So, try to spend some
time with some people that can offer you a more
positive take on life and spend less time with those
people that really bringing you down.

Session Three is a tough one, but very very important !
Take your time and you will get through it.
This program really can make a difference in your life.

PS: I live in Arizona and the summers are SO hot that
a person can almost not even tolerate the temperature outside. The weather
CAN have such an influence on how we feel. I have
to deal with the intense heat of the summer, but I
don't have to deal with the long dark days of winter
like a lot of folks do.

God Bless and Stay Strong,
Lynda Lu

[LyndaLu]

I have trouble with this too. I've noticed that my anxiety level increases A LOT when i'm interacting with the people I think are ignorant, lazy, mean, or just plain obnoxious. I'm starting to realize that they aren't stressing me its all the thoughts I have about them. So i'm trying to change those thoughts but they come so quickly its hard to even ignore them. This makes me feel so guilty. I don't want to hate people within moments of seeing them. I'm hoping if I change the thought I will be able to see people differently. Thanks for posting i'm happy to hear i'm not alone and your post help me better understand my challenges.

Thanks,
Abbie

I used to have SUCH a big problem interacting with my elderly mother and spending time with her
because I would get SO irritated. Most of this has changed for me because I have changed the
way I think. I used to get irritated at the tiniest things she said or the smallest things she did.
Now when I am visiting her, I just go with the flow. I don't let the little things bother me.
After all, I won't have my mother around forever and I should cherish the time that I DO spend with her now.
I now try to spend time with her by listening to her and what SHE has to say. I try to
focus on HER and not myself. She is almost a shut-in and has very few people to talk to.
I listen to her and I am genuinely concerned and interested in what she has to say.
So many times after a parent has passed away do we wish that we could have had more
time to spend with them, more time to talk to them.

So when you meet new people have some empathy and sympathy for them.
Try to understand that they are people, just like you, with worries and problems of their own.
Listen to them and hold back for a while before judging them.
I used to let people irritate me like that, but now I don't because I have been
through a lot of hard times in my life the last few years and I can feel what
they feel. Compassion for yourself and for others is the best road to take.
Lynda

[allenae9]

Lynda thank you so much for your story. I recently did an exercise from session three where I observed peoples negative thoughts. I found that when they had these negative thoughts I was more negative towards them. Seems so simple when I write it here but that had never occurred to me before. I have noticed, like you said, focusing on them helps a lot. I feel so good helping them through their negative thoughts and changing their attitude that I feel great. Still a very difficult struggle holding back the anxiety so that my mind is clear and can tackle the steps I've been practicing.
Thank you again,
Abbie

[LyndaLu]

Lynda thank you so much for your story. I recently did an exercise from session three where I observed peoples negative thoughts. I found that when they had these negative thoughts I was more negative towards them. Seems so simple when I write it here but that had never occurred to me before. I have noticed, like you said, focusing on them helps a lot. I feel so good helping them through their negative thoughts and changing their attitude that I feel great. Still a very difficult struggle holding back the anxiety so that my mind is clear and can tackle the steps I've been practicing.
Thank you again,
Abbie

Hello Abbie:
I think one of the things that we must understand is that we will ALWAYS have some sort
of anxiety in our lives. EVERYONE has anxiety. WE just need to learn the skills to help us
get through those anxieties in a more successful manner. There are going to be anxious times
in all of our lives at one time or another, and that is just a part of life. How we REACT to
that anxiety is the key. A few years ago I used to have panic attacks all of the time.
Of course at that time I had NO IDEA what a panic attack WAS ! Now I can recognize when
an anxiety attack / panic attack is coming on/ happening and I can deal with it more effectively. This program
has taught me a lot of things. Keep up the great work and we hope to hear from
you as you progress with each Session.
Lynda Lu