The Power of Our Thoughts

The power of our thoughts can lift your spirits or drag them down.  So, my question for you, is your glass half empty or half full?  Your answer to this question will reflect the attitudes that you hold, your outlook on life, and how you view yourself.  Did you also know that your answer could also affect your health?

Amazingly, studies have been done that prove that being an optimistic or a pessimistic person can affect your health both physically and mentally.  Pessimistic people tend to have negative outlook on life while optimistic people have a positive outlook.

I don’t know about you, but years ago I would have considered myself a pessimistic person.  My attitude, my self image, and overall outlook on life was very poor.  I was living an absolutely miserable life.  I did not understand the power of our thoughts.  Thankfully I was taught about the power of my thoughts and how to use them for good.  It was a game changer for me.

The Impact of Negative Thinking

Unfortunately, I know all too well that negative thoughts, anxieties, and fear can be all consuming.  I felt like I was trapped inside my own head.  Most of the time those thoughts made their way out of my mouth and I developed the bad habit of negative self talk.

The negative affirmations I spoke dis-empowered me and kept me from moving forward in life.  To make things worse, every time I spoke those negative affirmations out loud they became embedded in my mind.

Year after year those negative affirmations became my reality.  I wish I knew then what I know now about the powerful impact our words have on our mind and soul.  This is why I started this blog so that others can benefit from what I have discovered on my path to wholeness.

Health and Emotional Impact

My physical and emotional well being suffered greatly from my unhealthy thinking patterns.  I was being help captive in my own mind by my thoughts.  Little did I know, I was severely damaging my body, mind, and soul by this bad habit.

Here is a list of some of the physical symptoms caused by negative thinking:

• Headaches
• Stomach issues
• Muscle aches and pains
• Fatigue
• Sleeping issues
• Chest pain
• Back pain
• Adrenal issues
• Loss of appetite

Here is a list of some of the emotional symptoms caused by negative thinking:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Self guilt
• Mood swings
• Isolation
• Low self esteem

I had all of these symptoms and more when I poisoned my mind with negative thinking.  How about you?  Do you suffer from any of these symptoms?

The Proof is in the Research – Power of our thoughts

Psychologist Edmund J. Bourne, Ph.D, defines anxious self-talk and how it works against you:

• It is so automatic and subtle you don’t notice it or the effect it has on your moods and feelings.
• It appears in telegraphic form- one short word or image (“Oh no!) contains a whole series of thoughts, memories, or associations.
• Anxious self-talk is typically irrational but almost always sounds like the truth.
• Negative self-talk perpetuates avoidance.
• Self-talk can initiate or aggravate a panic attack.
• Negative self-talk is a series of negative bad habits. You have to reprogram your brain to say helpful uplifting confident talk to remove the negative thoughts.
• Women with anxiety are especially prone to anxious self-talk and negative thoughts about themselves.

You can get a copy of his book here.

Click on the book if you are interested in previewing or purchasing his book.  The books listed are affiliated links.  If you purchase the book I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you.  That commission is what keeps this blog going.  Thanks in advance!

 The Power of Our Thoughts On Health

Here is an excellent video about the importance of our thoughts.

– How Your Thoughts Affect Your Health– Link

This video is from Joyce Meyer and it is about 2 min. long.  She shares the importance of our thoughts in connection to our physical and emotional health.

Negative Thoughts Produces Depression

I had struggled with depression since I was a teenager (which of course was only a FEW years ago).  It seemed that no matter what I tried to do to alleviate it, depression just wouldn’t leave me alone.  I tried to be super involved in sports, school activities, work, church activities, and spending time with others.  I even turned to alcohol to try to numb the pain of depression.  But to no avail…it had it’s grip on me and wasn’t letting go.

During those years I made a lot of poor lifestyle choices.  A lot of my decisions were made out of the pain from the depression.  One of those choices was to end my life.

The Decision that Could Have Been Fateful

The enemy of my soul, Satan, convinced me that the only way for my inner pain and suffering to go away was for me to go away.  I tried to commit suicide 2 times and 2 times my Jesus saved me.

Both times I knew that it was by the power of grace that I was saved.  After I failed at ending my life the 2nd time I declared, “God, I do not know how and I don’t know when but someway….. somehow I believe you are going to pull me out of this pit I am in.”

I wish I could tell you that my life got better after that but it didn’t.  I just knew that suicide was no longer an option.  My theory now is that people who contemplate suicide or even try to commit suicide really don’t want to die…. they just want the pain and suffering to end.

If that describes you my precious friend please know you DO NOT need to go away for for inner pain and suffering to go away.  I am PROOF of that.  My life is an example of amazing grace.

How I found Hope

My hope was and is found in my relationship with Jesus.  Studying the Word of God also filled me with hope. I studied who I was in Christ and quoted those scripture out loud.  There is power in speaking the Word of God.  When we speak in agreement with the Word of God our spirit comes alive.

I also read a lot of other books to help me overcome my negativism and to guide me to wholeness of body, mind, and soul.  I have a list of those books on my Books That Changed My Life page.  If you click on the book it will take you directly to Amazon.com.

I Discovered What I Needed

If it were not for my personal relationship with Jesus, I know that I would not be sitting here at my computer sharing this with you.  I am not talking about being religious….I am talking about relationship.  There is a difference between the two – religion and relationship.  One is full of rules and the other is full of unconditional love.

There is nothing wrong with being religious.  People would consider me to be a religious person.  The issue at heart is….do you have a personal relationship with Jesus to go along with it?  Because that, my precious friend, is what makes all the difference.  If want to know more about what it is to have a personal relationship you can go to my Let Faith Rise page.       

There is Hope and Healing for You

If you struggle with negative thinking, it’s important for you to come to grips with the fact that your life won’t change until your thinking does.  Not only does your negative thought life damage you but it also damages your relationships with family, friends, and loved ones.

Please do not allow condemnation overwhelm you if you are struggling with negative thoughts.  That is exactly where the enemy of your soul wants for you…. feeling bad about yourself.  You have already taken the first step in overcoming negativism by becoming informed.  I encourage you to take the next step to choose not to let negative thoughts and negative self talk consume your life.

The Secret Power

One of the verses I quoted out loud when I was struggling with consuming negative thoughts was, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)  With Christ strength you too can overcome negativism.  I believe you are worth the change. so choose to believe it for yourself.

How about you… how do you deal with negative thoughts?  Could you take a moment to leave a comment?  It just might be helpful for others.  I would love to hear from you!

Did you find this post helpful?  Share the love.

Gracefully yours,

A book that you may find very helpful in understanding why you struggle with negative thoughts is called Captivating.  This is the book that really helped me break free from the negative thought patterns.

I have given hundreds of them away to women.  That is how strongly I believe in this book.  Click on the book if you want to preview it or purchase it.