Water yourself

Our minds are only as efficient as our input, case in point if you were to care for a plant's upkeep, you weeded, you watered where it most needs it then it would thrive. If you kept the plant in an environment that stunted its growth you would seek to give it the nourishment it needs. 

We do not garden our minds, because we do not see the plant withering, we have been with ourselves so long that we ignore the vital signals our body calls out for. Self-care is often neglected, we continue to feed our mind toxic thoughts and expect the output to be one of positivity and abundance. 

How much work are you putting into sustaining your own ecosystem? 

A quote that stays with me in my client work is 'the grass is greener where you water it' - have you let your spirit wilt? 

Fear was necessary for our cavemen ancestors to survive, fear told us when to fight, and when to flee. This fight and flight survival mechanism today, however, is outdated, think of it as an out-of-date app on your computer. Instead of it notifying you when you receive a message it notifies you of everything all of the time, there is an excess of input, of data that your brain is trying to process. 

The mind conjures worst-case scenarios in order to 'protect' us. Our self-preservation instinct determined which of our ancestors survived and who were eaten by a saber tooth tiger. This is why when we experience an event we overthink it we can alter our entire perception of that experience, relationship, event, or something we've co-created, our thoughts spiral like a snowball all it needs is just one negative thought. Which flips our switch into fight or flight. 

Fundamentally, what matters here is that we have power over our thoughts through well-practiced mindfulness training and self-discipline. Neuroplasticity is a beautiful thing. There is a saying that says 'neurons that fire together wire together' when we repeat an action we are re-wiring the neural pathways in our brain, to create new responses, new synapses, new outlooks, new revelations.  

I like to refer to negative situations in our lives as the manure for our growth, they are there to test our strength and our capacity to adapt. Emotions are signals, it could be a wake-up call for us to make some changes in our lives to better ourselves and those around us. 

What we choose to surround ourselves with our environment, the people around us, the resources we have access to; what we read, and what we watch can have an impact upon how we perceive the world. It is essential that we bring as many positive inputs into our lives as possible. 

how are you watering your spirit? your soul? your heart? your relationships? 

No matter how difficult or unbearable you feel life may get, how lost you feel, how much grief you have in your heart. You are a strong person, build yourself up and those around you will sparkle. Become the best version of yourself that you can, not just for others but for your own sake, don't just have dreams, make them happen, don't just go through the daily motions and monotony of life. Live. Learn something new, take up a new hobby, stretch yourself, surround yourself with positive people and commit to watering yourself. 

Do not stagnate. Don't allow your fears or thought processes to prevent you from unlocking your potential. No matter what is that you think is holding you back: health reasons, relationship issues, family issues, career issues, mental health, internal battles and so forth - let these experiences build you into a stronger person. [In instead of why is this happening to me - ask yourself what can I learn from this? how can I grow from this? ] 

Ask yourself, is this thought causing me happiness or unhappiness? 

if it's the latter then is there anything you can do about this thought to change it? 

if it can't be changed accept it and let it go focus on what you can do. 

Don't water seeds of unhappiness, as more unhappiness will grow.

Regain control over your thoughts and slay that negativity. 

It has no place in your body, it has no place in your mind. 

You are the gardener of your mind, you can choose which seeds to plant, which to water, and which to weed out. 

'A society grows great when you plant trees under whose shade they know they shall never sit in.'