A friend contacted me about this blog yesterday and said she is finding it encouraging. That makes the time and discipline of writing everyday so worth the effort. Thank you! This got me reflecting . . . the five-year anniversary of losing nearly everything is coming up soon for me and I have realized that I might just have “something to give” because I’ve learned through the horrible things of life to get to the other side. Generally, with a positive attitude, although I have confessed in an earlier blog that I can be negative, I can even be a bitch. However, that’s “generally” temporary.
One of the things that has helped me come back to myself when going through rough patches is Post-it notes. I know, sounds elementary doesn’t it? I made the first four words of this paragraph in bold because this is only ONE thing but I found it so incredibly helpful. When I discovered the therapeutic use of Post-its I was incredibly grateful. I had thought they were “just for office use” or “a quick shopping list”. Little did I know until learned the practice from Jen Sincero, the writer of “You are a Badass” whom I give credit for saving my life, or at least my sanity during the life-adjustment five years ago.
One of the many things she suggested in this book was to write down sayings, reminders, words and mantras that you will see everywhere. I put Post-its on my bathroom mirror, my microwave, cell phone, laptop –everywhere I could. My poor husband, yes, he puts up with me! Here are some of my (very personal) Post-it reminders:
- When I was a little girl I used to laugh so much that I drove my Mom crazy. She said sometimes she wished I would cry. I will become this person again! I will be filled with laughter & hope to laugh so hard that I pee myself!
- I will be happy, joyful, full of energy, I will smile at others.
- Be what you is cause if you ain’t what you is, you is what you ain’t.
- Your walk walks & your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.
- I will appreciate the little things.
- I will be the kind of friend that I need.
- What is the fun in waking up at 85 realizing “you couldn’t find the time” to have fun
- You can carry a horse over your head!
- I will make a very strong effort to talk about people that I ADMIRE (even if they are dead)
- I will look to work with integrity and choose not to be affected by others hypocrisy.
- I will embrace the beauty:
- I will take walks & rides
- I will look for beauty multiple times during the day & say out loud, “Look at that!”
These, and other sayings were everywhere I was. I would stop and read them. Embrace them. I would have high expectation that I would somehow believe that these simple phrases could change, not the situation, but how I chose to respond to it. Was it easy? Hell No! Were there times that I wanted to throw them all away? Hell YES! Sometimes it’s just natural to wallow in the pain & I’m a natural kind of gal, eh? So, then, I found more sayings, more things that would remind me not only of who I was, but who I wanted to be. Notice most say, “I WILL” because, what I was living at the time was nothing that anyone would want to be!!!!!!
I guess the question is, do you have to go through a miniature HELL for this to work? No. You may simply want to remind yourself to smile, to enjoy life more, to —oh, you fill in the blanks!
If your looking for change in your life, or to embrace positive thoughts and actions in a very negative world, why not try Post-it note therapy? It’s what THIS Doctor ordered!
Enjoying the Adventure! (Even though the adventure has been Hellish at times).
Dr. Dink
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