Master your thoughts
It will free you from madness!
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.
Buddha
I conquered my demons with the help of a psychologist who used Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to teach me to be the master of my thoughts. When I was in the black abyss of depression and grief, my mind was in total control of me. Every crazy thought pulled me deeper and deeper and closer to death. I had no control over myself and it scared me. Because of the bad experience I had after my father’s death I was terrified of putting myself at the mercy of others again. One day I woke up and knew I needed help. Someone I knew referred me to a psychologist, which led to the saving of my sanity.
At the beginning of the therapy, I had no faith in it. How could I ever be in control of my thoughts, which always led to the abyss? It took a long time and I am deeply grateful I stuck it out. I realized that I was the creator of my misery. The thoughts I allowed to drive me insane were of my own making. It was like magic! I can choose what I want to think. How amazing is that? It was like one of those light-bulb moments! Here I was thinking that what happened to me was the cause of my depression. When in fact the way I handled the tragedy was the key!
CBT changed my life view completely. It gave me the tools to survive the agony. Simple little mind exercises every day, allowing myself a certain amount of time every day to grieve. It didn’t take the pain away, but it allowed me to go with it for a while. Feeling every agonizing emotion, but stopping my thoughts from taking control of me. I had to remind myself regularly that I am the master of my thoughts and the emotions it leads to. It helped during the grieving but not only that, it also aided me in other situations that had the potential to upset my peace. In the end, the victory was mine, and nothing could take that away from me!
Namaste
CBT is a great one, I’m glad it benefited you!
This is intriguing to me Rea. I cannot say I am familiar. And I cannot even say I can offer a great comment now, other than thank you for giving me room to think about something new.