Last week after admitting I must need a map also meant I had to get to work on what that map would consist of. I started writing things down I thought would help me, things I need to change. Just one liners like what time to start dinner so we don't eat so late or how many days I will exercise.
I have verbally medicated myself several times to pull myself out of deeply seeded negative thoughts of myself. I have had friends verbally medicate with encouraging words. Last night I was talking with a friend who has his own battles and as we talked I realized we are verbally medicating each other. Giving out doses of encouragement and ideas of what steps we are taking to make changes to better our lives. He is the stronger one as we talk. He has helped people in my situation trying to lose weight and has learned much about looking at things in a different perspective. He is in the process of learning a new language to replace the time he used for drinking: to kick a bad habit and replace it with a good habit. He shared the things that transpired in his life that made him want to change and fix what is broken. We all have things in our lives, sometimes deep seeded that broke us at some point. A life like my cookie cutter blog. It is what we know. I think mine is a collaboration of things. I am always learning and growing and making changes, tweaking what I know.
I have always been strong at verbal medication. When I am down and those negative seeds start getting a grip on me, I know how to verbally dose myself with a positive pill. I am always a great encourager to others, but sometimes when it comes to myself, words sometimes are just words and even though the verbal dose pushes the negatives away for a bit, they seem to resurface again and again, which really means I am not yet fixed or healed. Talking with my friend, he said something along the lines of, when you are healed from those negative seeds they stop surfacing. Whatever triggers those will be healed when you have put something new in its place. Which brought me back to the fact that I need to say goodbye to myself in order for the new self to emerge. The verbal medication is a temporary fix. It keeps me going for a little while, but I need to change in order for it to completely heal me.
I have decided with my mapping that I am taking my verbal medication and making it visual medication. I am a person who learns by seeing and doing, a hands on approach, so maybe I need the visuals to help me stay focused. Writing it down and making goals visible works for many people so why not me. I don't have to think my way through, I can get my medication via visual aid. My map is becoming a real guide. This week I made an encouraging board of words, quotes and of activities I'd like to do.
I made another board reminding me about exercise.
I made some check list charts of the things I had mentioned in my map.
My map is complete for this week, ready to take aim on the path, the climb and as I climb into new territory I will keep looking at the map making adjustments for where I am so that I can continuously move forward.
I read a quote this week " SLOW is always better than NO"
I might be slow, but I have not said no. .
My front porch view inspires, I like when it is clear out as it is a visual reminder of some of my dreams.
Keep visualizing and it will keep you medicated for your dreams!
