5 Daily Practices to Positively Shift Your Mindset
Posted by Natul Middlebrook on
Last week, I got to do an Instagram Live with my friend, Health and Wellness coach, Melissa Stewart.
The reason I invited her to my IG Live?
THIS post:
This spoke to me SO MUCH because these last two years, I’ve been working on identifying the yucky feelings that bubble up through various parts of my day.
You know what I’m talking about, right?
It’s like a sourness that takes hold of a little corner of your mind. It’s there while you're grocery shopping, in car-rider line, in front of your computer…..nagging you throughout your day.
It’s like yeast (I have batches of bread yeast growing in my house) that expands and bubbles and takes over the jar it’s in.
That is…...until you do something with it.
Name it to tame it!!!! That’s what I’ve been trying to do with my negative thoughts!
Seeing Melissa’s words in this post validated my deliberate, yet not always successful efforts to get RID of the nagging sourness that takes over my day.
I wanted to learn more!
Here are the 5 Key Practices that I walked away from our Insta-Live last week. I hope they help you in some small, but meaningful way. Like Melissa said in our convo….
DAILY PRACTICE #1 -- Identify Your Negative Mindset
2 Corinthians 10:5 says that we are to demolish arguments and every pretense that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we are to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
I believe Melissa used this scripture because as women, we easily allow negative thoughts to get inside our hearts based on beliefs and assumptions we have about ourselves, our work, our calling, etc. For instance, I spent my 20s and early 30s trying to compete with a made up version of myself. This version was raised in a good home with a father who didn’t abuse her. I didn’t realize how negatively I viewed myself until someone lovingly asked me one day what I was trying to prove.
I began to recognize how much peace I was lacking in my life based on the assumption that I had something to prove to my husband and his family. I had to learn to call out those thoughts as they came and eventually was able to get to a place where I stopped believing the lies (well...mostly).
We must become diligent about identifying negative thoughts that are against the knowledge of God and His good purpose for you. If you know what those thoughts are--call them out. Identify what is causing you to sour through your day and say it aloud.
As Melissa suggested, we draw the thought out of our mind when we are able to call it out.
DAILY PRACTICE #2 -- Move your body to a new location, if possible
Sometimes, allowing other senses to infiltrate your mind allow the negative thoughts you are having to dissipate. Some suggestions we talked about were diffusing essential oils in your bedroom, taking a walk outside, turning on your favorite worship song, taking down a bottle of wine (oh wait--that was MY suggestion and most likely a turn in the wrong direction) but just making sure you are reading this :)) The point is--physically directing your body to do something positive gives your mind permission to take a break.
DAILY PRACTICE #3 -- Get to a Source of Truth
Nothing fights off lies and negativity like the Word of God. We all know that in our minds but some of us find it a little difficult to practice because we don’t know exactly WHAT to read. So here are a few verses that I found may help you break up the negativity blues that we sometimes feel attack us.
CLICK HERE for a great list of verses curated to encourage and empower women.
Other sources of Truth may be:
- A trusted godly friend that loves you and will speak truth over you
- Sticky notes that you’ve written out to remind you of God’s love for you
- Smart phone reminders you created to incorporate these habits into your schedule
DAILY PRACTICE #4 -- Memorize Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.
If we are not constantly steeping our mind on sources of Truth, then our minds tend to conform to the patterns of this world which bring grief, dissatisfaction and what Melissa called, “ego-sensitive” desires which may work out for a little while, but there is no enduring value in the things that make our egos feel good. Two great resources that have helped Melissa to renew her mind are:
Jennie Allen’sbook, Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts
Jennie is a bible teacher, author and Founder and Visionary of If: Gathering.
Brendon is a #1 New York Times bestselling author whose books include High Performance Habits, The Motivation Manifesto, The Charge, and Life's Golden Ticket.
DAILY PRACTICE #5 -- Find a Role Model
Scripture emphasizes the importance of spiritual mentors in the lives of Christians. Having someone you trust and look up to is important but having a safe, judgement-free space with listening ears can really help us overcome some of the long-standing negative thoughts we battle. One of Satan’s greatest tools is to isolate us and make us feel like we are the only one struggling with a particular thought or sin. Having a role model combats this isolation in a very powerful way. Imagine if more of us confessed to one another and locked arms against negative thoughts?
Melissa will be launching a brand new podcast--yay-and I suspect that she will be sharing with us more ways for us to Come to our Senses and Reset!!!
Any of these practices speak to you? I’d love to hear from you!