Positive Thinking

I was diagnosed with depression in 2007, anxiety in 2011, body dysmorphia in 2014, and an eating disorder in 2015 along with borderline personality disorder, ADD, and PTSD. Getting through the days was a challenge, to say the least.

BAM! Was that heavy enough for ya? I had to catch your attention somehow, right? Well, now that you’re in it for the long haul, let’s get to it.

When I was trapped in my disorders, I tried really hard to find little things that could bring me joy while also encouraging a healthier mind. Doctors and peers suggested lots of things, but the most common (and vastly unrealistic, for me) was meditation. Ugh, I’m sorry, but when I try to focus on my breathing, my anxiety decides to get all crazy and I go into panic attacks. So that was not an option for me. I was also told to try peer groups (ew), motivational self-talk (not my thing), and even MORE therapy (are you kidding me?). None of these suggestions appealed to me. I didn’t want to sit with a group of people and talk more about my problems, and speaking to myself out loud has always made me feel uncomfortable.

In 2015, my mom surprised me with a day trip to the beach, just the two of us. We drove to Seaside, OR and went to a small book store. As we left, my mom handed me a small bag and smiled. “Maybe this will help.”

The Language of Positive Thinking: A Blue Mountain Arts Collection. I remember my first reaction was thinking how cute the book was. On the drive home, I decided to crack it open. The first page read, “Positive thinking… is the key which unlocks the doors of the world. – Samuel McChord Crothers.” It was short and simple, and as I continued to flip through the book, I realized it was all like that. There were a few longer pieces, but none were longer than about one small page.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love to read. But when it comes to inspirational and mental health business, it’s much easier for me to engage when I don’t feel like I’m reading a textbook. This book is filled with short snippets, poems, sonnets, etc. that appeal to one’s mental health. The pieces are inspirational, motivational, and heartfelt.

My favorite one is by Samuel Smiles and it reads, “Hope is like the sun which, as we journey towards it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.” This quote saved me on some of my darkest days in the two years following. Whenever I started to feel defeated and wanted to give up, I would open up this book and just start reading. The words written by Samuel always seemed to speak to me most, but all of the pieces are amazing.

There are over 50 different authors with short pieces in the book, and all of them have a way with words that I find fascinating. I now have this book on display in my home where any and all of my guests can take a peek whenever they please. You can also find it for sale on Amazon here, for extremely cheap! I highly recommend it for anyone who has suffered from mental illness, hopelessness, or even just a lack of motivation.

I want to end this post with one of the longer poems that also speaks to me. It is another one of my favorite pieces from the book, and I hope that it speaks to you as well. It is titled “Difficult Times Don’t Last Forever” by Geri Danks…