Hello friends,
It's time for our daily affirmation,
Inspiration,
And mindful journaling prompt.
Today we are on inspiration 343.
I exercise restraint over my emotions during difficult situations.
You know that reacting impulsively can often make things worse,
So you step back and approach each situation with a clear and focused mind.
Take the time to breathe deeply and center yourself,
Allowing yourself to become fully present in the moment.
You know that your emotions do not define you and that you have the power to choose how to respond to any given situation.
You approach each challenge with a sense of calm and composure.
You know that you are capable of finding a solution.
You are in control of your thoughts and feelings and know that you have the power to create positive change in your life.
With each passing day,
You become more skilled at managing your emotions and you feel more empowered and competent.
You are a master of your own mind and nothing can shake your inner peace and strength.
This is interesting because for a long time I felt like I could very easily manage my emotions,
Especially in a working environment,
In a professional environment.
Even in personal relationships,
I felt the same way for many,
Many,
Many years.
Then I married a narcissist.
I didn't know he was a narcissist when I married him.
Over a number of years,
Slowly I felt more on the edge and he was telling me that I was too sensitive and that I was too emotional and I couldn't control myself.
Whereas up to that point in my life,
40 years,
I had been able to do so.
This constant,
Oh no,
You're not managing your emotions and you are irrational,
Made me believe that that was true.
In a professional setting,
I still felt very much in control of my emotions but in a personal setting,
I was a hot mess.
When my marriage came to an end,
11 years later,
And I realized that I had been manipulated and emotionally and mentally and sexually abused,
I was looking for anything and everything that I could do to heal myself.
I was desperate.
I felt really at my lowest point and I was desperate.
I was trying everything and I started going back to some of the other mindfulness techniques that I had used in the past but had let go because I was told they were too woo-woo.
I started my mindful journaling again.
I started meditating and in the past I hadn't been able to meditate and then I finally figured out what the magic key was for me is that I needed guided meditations.
Sitting in a silent meditation wasn't working for me because my brain would never stop.
The guided meditation,
The guide will bring you back to where you're at.
Then I discovered that that's actually the essence of mindfulness is knowing that your brain,
That your mind is going to wander and that bringing it back is the key.
I did that,
I discovered Insight Timer and Insight Timer taught me how to find peace and to be able to respond to situations in my personal life with grace and compassion again.
That's always something that I have wanted.
I have always wanted to be graceful.
I wanted to be like my grandmother because she was the epitome of grace.
Adding that compassion piece was important and understanding that you can be graceful but have no compassion and you can be compassionate and have no grace but having grace and compassion is a magical combination.
When you find yourself in a situation and your emotions are getting wound up,
You're getting wound up and you're ready to just let it fly,
As I say here,
Take a deep breath and that becomes easier the more you practice that.
I know because I experienced that myself.
The more you practice mindfulness methods,
Whether it be mindful journaling or meditation or anything else because there are thousands of ways to practice mindfulness,
You will become better at it.
When those moments come up and somebody is expecting you to respond poorly,
You will respond with grace and compassion.
Your mindful journaling prompt today is,
How can I respond to challenges with grace and compassion?
I will see you tomorrow.
