The way you think impacts the way you feel. Period. Probably more than anything else.
That’s why, when I went to write a book on Soul Restoring Self-Care, I simply had to address the role of our thoughts. I think that many therapists out there will tell you that they spend a lot of time with clients addressing the way that they think.
Think (ha ha) about it…
If you spend one hour berating yourself for being a bad parent, how will you feel?
If you spend one hour worrying about what will become of you if you don’t get into your choice college, how will you feel?
If you spend one hour despairing about the state of politics, how will you feel?
Now…carry it further. If the better part of most days is spent with you stuck in these kinds of thinking patterns, you will feel awful. So even if you practice self-care by getting a pedicure or watching the game with friends, but resume the difficult thinking patterns once you are finished, then your self-care efforts aren’t really going to change anything.
In Restore My Soul, I teach the skills that can help you address you own thought patterns that may be impacting how you feel day-to-day. And I don’t suggest denial or any sort of surface-level positive thinking. What I do spell out is HOW to go about spending really good, fruitful time thinking about things you care about without tanking your mood. After all, it may be really important for you to evaluate your parenting, or make a back up plan if you don’t get into the college of your choice, or engage the political climate in a way that reflects your values.
There are six distinct skills that you will have in your arsenal after you read the chapters in my book that deal with thoughts. As you learn to apply them, you’ll be able to change course in any given moment or hour so that you can experience better days and weeks. This is the kind of self-care that leads to sustainable living!