Are you having difficulty maintaining positive thoughts, or staying motivated to continue working toward your goals?
Many people have shared with me how the past year during the pandemic has taken a toll on them emotionally.
Now, more than ever we need skills to boost our mental health so we can still trickle with joy and delight in this ‘new normal’ way we are expected to live our lives.
One effective way to do this is to focus on things that inspire you each day; things that encourage you to do something creative or that enhance you emotionally.
For example, recalling how you overcame past difficulties can inspire you to get through current and future hardships. Have you ever overcome a breakup of a relationship, or an illness or loss, or an unexpected adversity? Did family or friends support you through it? Did you seek counseling or get advice that allowed you to persevere? Did you incorporate new, healthy habits? What helped you? Remind yourself of what it was so you can be inspired to overcome again and again.
If you are having difficulty maintaining a positive mood, listening to uplifting music can inspire you into a better state of mind. Singing words of encouragement, like, “Your an overcomer,” by Mandisa can drown out negative thinking and stimulate positive thoughts and ideas. Allow music to inspire you into feeling better.
Reading a good book, with practical advice on how to be mentally, physically or spiritually healthy can inspire you to take good care of your mind, body and spirit for optimal health. Learning self-improvement information can be a catalyst to changing your thinking to a healthier perspective and strengthen you with new skills to overcome barriers to success. Allow self-help literature to inspire you towards wellbeing.
Spending time on the beach or looking out at a large body of water can spark inspiration because it puts into perspective how small your problems are in comparison to the vast sea. Water is a cleansing element. Listening to the waves, or the water lap the shore can invite you to renew your mind and wash away your cares of the day. Allow the earths water to inspire you in this way.
Being in nature can inspire you to notice everything that grows from the earth- the trees in different shapes and sizes. The wildflowers clothed in vibrant colors. Vegetation that tries to squeeze from the cracks of rocks to grow its way toward the sky. It proves how much life can thrive on this earth. You also were created to thrive on this earth. Let nature inspire you to grow to your full potential.
Answered prayers bring hope and inspiration because they incite us to believe in the possibility of miracles. God can do things that human beings cannot; make an earth, give us life, make an ocean, create a sun and moon, decorate the sky with colors Crayola cannot produce. Knowing that we can co-create a life with the ultimate Creator can invoke anticipation for a blessed future for those who choose to pray and believe. Let prayer inspire you to believe that something greater than yourself will help you fulfil your destiny.
If you take time to focus on what inspires you each day, it will elevate your thoughts and moods and motivate you to continue living your best life. Maybe you will even say or do something that inspires someone else too!
Written by Elisabeth Davies, MC
Counselor and author of Good Things Emotional Healing Journal: Addiction
