Our minds are powerful things, I would argue they are the most powerful thing we will ever have to face in our lives. They are going non-stop. I want you to sit back for a second and reflect on what you have thought about for even just the past 15 minutes. Pretty incredible, right?

 

There are pros and cons to our minds, it can create a great life for us but it can also destroy us and everything around us. That’s the power of the mind.

 

I’m in recovery from drugs and alcohol, I’ve been sober for nearly 5 years. My mind has put me through the wringer and lead me to some unbelievably negative places. I spent day and night in active addiction completely destroying myself. When you really look at it all of my actions stemmed from my mind. It was a deadly cycle, when I look back at it I can’t believe I rationalized it all at the time.

 

My mind told me everything was okay as my life was completely falling apart in every possible way around me.

 

Thankfully as I said, I found a way out of my addiction after some inpatient treatment. It wasn’t easy, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. My thought would take me back out into addiction over and over again for about 5 years. I would swear off drugs, never wanting to take anything ever again, then my mind would tell me otherwise and I would obey.

 

So here I am several years sober, and my mind is better but still has it’s moments where it likes to completely put me down. I can be sitting at my work desk then unprovoked my mind will go on a rampage about my character. I always say to people, think of the worst things you tell yourself, would you even say those things to your worst enemy? Usually, the answer is no. That space in our heads can cripple us when we least expect it.

 

I had always heard about positive affirmations but always crossed it off as something dumb and ineffective. About a year ago I found myself in a dark place in my sobriety and figured why not give this affirmation thing a try. The effects were remarkable.

 

Every morning after my shower I would sit and tell myself simple but powerful things like:

 

• “You’re doing great”
• “You’re a good friend”
• “You’re a good person”
• “I’m so proud of myself”
• “I love my life”
• “I love myself”

 

Those are very simple statements, I bet even as you read them you felt something good inside you while reading them. Statements like the ones I just mentioned do not come naturally to me, it’s like I’m going against the grain of my mind when I say them and it creates such a great energy to start out my day.

 

I added some other great practices to my mornings and they have done great things for me. They include:

 

• Meditation – Find some time that is suitable for you to quiet down your mind, relax and identify the root of your issues. Take deep breaths, focus on your breathing and try your best to clear your mind (it’s hard). Just a few minutes a day can have a powerful impact.

 

• Practicing Gratitude- Gratitude is an action. Do something nice for someone else, even if it means just reaching out to someone and letting them know how much it means to have them in your life. This is a favorite thing of mine to do. Incredible results.

 

• Visualizing – Think of what you want in your life then picture yourself actually doing it. If there is something you want to obtain, literally picture yourself doing it. There is a mysterious power to this that has worked for me amazingly.

 

 

Life is hard enough already without all the noise going on in our heads. While it is impossible to completely tune out, we can throw a monkey wrench into our thoughts and increase the positivity. Start your day out with being positive to yourself, you’re doing your best and that’s good enough.

 

Daniel is a writer in recovery from South Florida, he truly believes anyone can get sober provided they are ready to take action.