Voices in my Head

Do you have voices in your head-

or is that just me?

I really hope it's not

but if it is that's ok

I'm weird (and a little crazy)

and I own that.

I do have voices though.

When I was a kid they

told me to make quacking noises in science class

while the teacher was talking 

and I got my name on the board.

When I was in Navy bootcamp

they told me to keep my head down

and mouth closed and managed to get me through

relatively unscathed.

When I was in my 20's they told me to go ahead and have another drink...

As a mom they tell me to calm down-

Screaming isn't going to get you anywhere.

I tell my kids the voices in their head 

are God and the Devil talking to them

and that they should pick the one they believe is God and listen to him,

I wish I had taken that advice myself when I was younger.

But there are other voices also.

Ones that tell you about yourself.

What do those voices say?

Do they tell you you are strong?

You are worthy?

You can do it?

Push you to keep going?

Help you make good choices?

or do they tell you

you're a failure?

You  can't do that

Tell you to give up

Call you names or 

tell you you are weak

or unworthy?

I have heard those negative voices.

In fact I struggle with them to the point that

in my early 20's I found myself in the 

deepest darkest kind of place that any human being can find themselves.

But I was pulled out of it with the support and love from a few people

that saw more in me than I saw in myself.

People who told me over and over that those voices were wrong.

But boy were the voices loud and hard to ignore!

After some time I realized that I controlled the voices.

In order to fight them off I just had to change what they were saying.

I started waking up every day and telling myself something positive.

People love me.

I am smart.

I am funny.

I am worthy.

etc

and eventually it worked.

You may read this story

(which by the way I have never shared publicly before)

and think it has nothing to do with you

or that you have never had a battle like this in your head.

But I ask if you have ever looked in the mirror and thought

I am fat

I am ugly

or stood watching someone run by and thought

I could never do that

or seen a person eating a packed lunch 

at a catered conference and thought

I could never have that discipline

Seen someone lifting weights on TV

and told yourself you were not capable of that

Been trapped in the frozen aisle in front of the ice cream and 

thought you might as well just buy both kinds 

since you can't decide which one looks better.

Those are voices you can combat.

They are voices that tell you 

you will fail so you might as well not try

 Voices that say you won't be able to stick with something

and are not going to succeed

Voices that tell you to give up.

Voices that say if you made a bad choice that

it's ok to just keep making them because today is a wash anyway

and you have already failed.

I beg you

DON'T LISTEN TO THEM!

I know it's hard but 

you need to convince yourself 

they are wrong 

and tell yourself 

something positive when you start to hear them 

You can choose what they say.

Pick something that motivates you

and makes you feel invincible.

If you need to,

write it down.

Hang it on the fridge and

your bathroom mirror.

Put one in your car

or in your purse.

Hang it on the door or near your keys

Put positive energy anywhere you think you

will see it and when you look at it 

say it out loud

You feel silly?

I know.

But believe me, you will feel a change once you start doing this

and eventually you will start believing the 

positive statements are true and those other ones 

will get quieter and quieter.

If you need some ideas of positive Statements here are some I like:

Believe you can, and you will.

I am strong.

I can do anything I decide to do.

If I am passionate I will succeed.

I am beautiful, inside and out.

Failure is not an option.

Don't give up on yourself-you can do it

I am worth it

You like lettuce. 

Vegetables are your friend.

Put those cookies down mother-F'er  

(ok seriously if you know the 80's movie this one comes from than

we are soul mates and meant to be best friends-just saying...)

One step at a time is the only way to get there. Keep going.

You get my drift.

Now I'm telling all of you who made it to the end of this.

You ARE worth it.

You Are amazing

You CAN do anything you decide to do.

So get out there and do it!!!

Be Heathy, Be Strong

Be Amazing!

~Patty