Change your mindset, change your life!

Have you ever received so many signs from life that you weren't supposed to go in that direction? I once did and it hit me in the form of a freight train grinding me to a total standstill. It was clearly the biggest and clearest sign that I would ever receive that I wasn't doing what was right for me, by any means.

See, I've always been a bubbly person who just kind of appeared to 'float' through life, taking things in her stride and having almost a free-spirited attitude about where life would take me. That was until I realised I was ignoring and suppressing a great deal of real pain.

In fact, my experience emerging from complex pstsd (cptsd) after a few too many traumatic experiences taught me such a great deal about life and my own power and limitless ability to live a great life. A life I love and look forward to every day. But it's not always been that way, as you will see..

There's something to be said about struggling with your mental health. I've come to learning that it feels like you're being internally chewed up and spat out of the proverbial struggle. But what if instead of that, we look at it more like a rebirth? That's what I did. Realising that I wasn't supposed to stay there. Learning that the way we used to do things fed into this narrative and were designed to show us that doesn't work for us anymore? This is how I learnt having the biggest breakdown in my life was sent to teach me, not destroy me. It happened to change my relationship I had with myself.

The deep, never-ending darkness was presented to help me learn how unstoppable I am. In fact, if I were to put another way, that burning light inside of me dimmed so much it was merely an ember...but then I realised it was still there! I still had that fire inside of me that wasn't quite out yet. So I dug deep, pushed on through every day and made every day the best it could possibly be. Here I am now, a few years later and how I now describe as being 'an unstoppable force of light'. I developed a much more loving, compassionate and understanding relationship with myself and realised all of the areas that I was previously giving my power away.

This empowered me to make decisions that were best for me and protecting this mental fortress that I have developed. I chose to focus on maintaining inner peace and not allowing external factors to have any bearing on my inner equilibrium. 'Why react when I can just choose to not be effected?' was my approach. Circumstances change, people come and go and ultimately what really matters is how you respond to these events. What is meant to be will fall into place. In the meantime, choose peace, choose happiness and choose moving forward. Surround yourself with good people and do your best to add positivity into the lives of others. You will reap what you sow!

This mentality has enabled me to make a great deal of difference. In my own life and the lives of others. It's all about swimming with the tide rather than against it. If you look at life with a sense of wonder and 'I wonder where it's going to take me next', you begin to see the opportunities and enjoyment in the journey. You develop a greater sense of resilience and understanding for the events that get you to where you are now. Struggles become more of a chapter than the whole book. A snippet in time rather than a life sentence. You begin to realise that they are designed to help you grow rather than become a victim to the hardships.

As much as I look back on the old me, she was learning. She was growing and growth pains can be painful, but they are all designed to help develop us into the person we become and give us a sense of 'bring it on, I am curious to see where life takes me next'. All I can really finish on is try to live your life with a childlike curiosity, learn as you go and be grateful for the experiences that you have which all turn you into the person you become.