
A few years ago, I was formally diagnosed with a depressive disorder and a generalized anxiety disorder. I was a mess. I could hardly function; barely keeping it together. I thought “This is just who I am.” At one point I even considered taking my own life, because I believed that my struggles were my destiny.
I won’t share all the details of my transformation here, but I am not that person today.
Psychoanalysis is helpful, because we need to know why we do what we do. If my emotions are simply reactions triggered by past experiences, it’s important to pull those things into the light so I can release them. The last part is the real trick. Release them!
We get stuck, because we are focusing on the problem. It’s like being in a dark room and not even reaching for the light switch. Perpetually analyzing the darkness will not make it go away.
I stopped saying “I’m depressed.” Or “That’s just my anxiety, again.” I stopped owning the disorder.
Our words have power. We are who we say we are.
We say things like:
I HAVE social anxiety.
I HAVE ptsd.
I HAVE ocd.
I HAVE an addiction.
I HAVE depression.
I HAVE anger issues.
I am not dismissing these things. They are very real, but is it carved in stone somewhere that you have to be like that forever? Your issue is not who you are.
When you use words like “I HAVE anxiety.”, you are claiming ownership of that condition. The longer you go on owning the problem, the longer it will stick around.
Why not practice saying “I am dealing with anxiety.” Or better yet, “I am coming out of anxiety.” “I am being healed.”
Your ego is offended by this idea, because it needs labels. Your ego wants to secure your own special identity. It will tell you that if you let go of your labels, you won’t know who you are.
Here is the truth. You are a being of light. You were created from love. You are energy and the stuff of miracles. You were created for a divine purpose. In fact, the thing you struggle with today, may turn out to be the miraculous story you were meant to give to the world.
Whatever disorder you struggle with today, can be temporary. You have what you need inside you to heal. You just need to return to your factory settings, so to speak. It is possible to return to your original, perfect state of being.
Those are not just pretty words. I have done it.
When you catch yourself being triggered or having thoughts that don’t serve you, make a conscious effort to think higher. Say something like “I can choose something better.”, “I am getting better, every day.”, or my personal favorite
“This is not who I am.”
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