Surround yourself with the messages you want to receive

We grow up receiving messages from our parents, our friends, TV shows, media and literally from EVERYTHING in our lives, that shape the way we think about ourselves and how we perceive the world around us.

Sometimes, we are lucky, and grow up receiving mostly positive, loving and constructive messages. But this is not always the case. Sometimes the messages we receive are harmful and can affect our sense of self-worth and self-esteem.

So it’s up to you to decide what messages you want to surround yourself with. I know we can’t always get rid of the sources of the harImful messages or control what other people say or do, but wherever possible, try to limit the negative messages.  If you want to make changes in how you perceive yourself or to change your core beliefs, keep in mind that change takes time. It doesn’t all come at once. Just like it took years of harmful feedback for those core beliefs to form, it can take a long time to change that around too.

Here are some good ways for you to start achieving change, one day at a time:

• I know I already said this above, but it’s really important, so I’m going to say it again. Don’t overwhelm yourself – real change takes time. Expect it to take time and be proud of small steps.
• Download apps that send you daily notifications with positive messages or quotes that help you to improve your self-confidence or make changes, one day at a time. These are a good way to change your mind-set about something, before you are ready to make actionable changes. For example, I use “My Diet Coach” app to send daily motivational reminders to my phone about fitness and healthy eating. You don’t have to use a diet or fitness app. But the idea here is that I got positive daily messages about something I wanted to work towards, even months before I actually made the decision to start a fitness plan. It’s about surrounding yourself with the messages you want to receive, believe and base your life on.
• Start journaling! Write down your goals, dreams and things your want to change. You can use the mindyourmind Life Journal to get you started if you’re unsure of what to write about.
• In your journal, write down every time you you receive a negative message or have a harmful thought that you want to change. For each one, write down three things that counter it or show why it’s false.
• Check out Quote Bloom or Tree of Lights for some inspirational quotes!
• Take good care of yourself by selecting a topic and trying one tip every day from the Wellness section.