“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”

-William James

Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors work in relationship with each other and live in a constant cycle of influence. What we think, impacts how we feel, which impacts how we act. How we act, especially if we “act out”, can change the outcome of what we think and feel. Big feelings can change the way we think and cause us to react in a certain way. And our thoughts–cognitions–can lead us to engage in unhealthy coping behaviors and self-criticism. Changing one part of this equation creates a ripple effect on the other two. To make lasting change, we have to examine this relationship and understand how our common patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving have created our life story.

What is the story of your life? How has it changed over the years? We all have a story that we tell ourselves about ourselves. Sometimes it’s about our day-to-day life, sometimes it’s about things that have already happened, and sometimes it’s about what we think will happen. Inside these stories are our core beliefs about ourselves and the world. Becoming mindful about these stories can allow us to make choices about how we want to show up to life. What stories can you eliminate to make your life better? What are the pros and cons of holding onto a story? What’s the pay-off? Ask yourself, Is this true? Is it helpful? How does it lead to me achieving my goals?

Real freedom comes from consciously
deciding what to think

Some things are in our control, some things are not. Our job is to figure out the difference and then decide what we are going to do. 

You feel what you focus on, both physiologically and emotionally. You can set yourself a feeling goal. How do you want to feel? What do you need to tell yourself to feel that way? What new story will help you achieve your  “feeling” goals? 

Understand the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviors to change old patterns and discover new possibilities.