Fighting Bad Thoughts

.... and no, I'm not talking about bad, dirty thoughts. I have my share of bad thoughts, discouraging, worrisome, fearful thoughts. It's pretty tormenting. But I have good reason to be hopeful and stay strong, and, especially, push through when things get really bad and clouds of doubt cover my skies. There is a fight. It's not the fight you think about when you think of the word "fighting" - the fight against bad thoughts and it takes place in the mind - and it's perhaps, at least I think from how I experience it, even more painful than physical battles.

There is definitely help and good reason to be hopeful; here's what has gotten me through the toughest of times:

1. Logic. Even the fundamental process of analyzing the cause and effect of what has happended, would happen, will happen if you do something is such a strong, powerful tool to fight the ever-lingering, characteristically human questions about uncertainty, which is the fundamental basis for all bad thoughts.

2. Beauty. Stay in the light of beauty, keep your sights, ears, minds, and hearts open to beautiful things. Don't underestimate the environment you put yourself in. Keeping close to what you think are beautiful things shows us glimpses into the contents of the human heart, how it feels, how it registers influence on our brains and our thoughts. Cosider yourself lucky, blessed even, to be able to hear, see, feel beautiful things and don't take them for granted. In the depths of all gradations of depressions, are the workings of ugly, dark things where you might start to actually think the content of your heart is as those when in reality, your heart is at its core the foundation of all beautiful things.

3. Company. It's true that there is strength in numbers, especially when you are fighting bad thoughts. Being in the company of others who you love and like to be around helps us feel the pervasive pain in all other human beings - unfortunately, we are all hurting in some way, shape, or form and we are all fighting our own battles. Knowing this and being in the company of others helps us grasp the sense of unity we all need to foster and make stronger - we are all experiencing the human condition, and it's better for us to not experience it alone.

4. Faith. Everything happens for a reason: to help us grow into better people. A product of this thought is the difference of someone either becoming bitter after a bad, unpleasant, and unwanted experience, or becoming more understanding despite the bad experience of all our pains and becomming more compassionate. Not accepting and beliving this thought is the small black hole that will swallow up even the largest galaxies and constellations over time .

Don't lose your faith. Don't give up the good fight. Do your best and the rest is out of your control. Let go and live. Trust and have faith.

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. ~ Albert Einstein

Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow. ~Mary Anne Radmacher