The Magic of Mindshift

Day 299. You know what is so great about writing a blog?  You get to share your ideas with the world and help shape it into a better place. Also, inspiration can strike at any time.  Walking the dog, in the car, at school pickup, during a workout. One minute you’re minding your own business and the next you’re rushing home to WRITE before the inspiration passes.

This was the case as I walked our borrowed pup, CJ, through the neighborhood this evening. I was listening to my new girl crush, Sarah Bivens, on her podcast Balanced and Motherhood about how we look at our lives.  How the lens we look though shapes our human experience. This lens is created by our own life experiences and sometimes that lens can be a real bitch. This was powerfully relatable to me and for the first time in a long while, I felt like writing.

I was guilty of the shit mindset for most of my life. The ‘poor me’ mentality was truly where I existed up until recently.  That was, I suppose, until I dove deeper into my being and discovered how in control of my life I really was.  Life is truly what you make of it.  It isn’t about what you have, it’s about making the most of what you’ve got.  Imagine that!

The brain is a tricky place to be.  ‘And that is due to the brain’s “negativity bias”: Your brain is simply built with a greater sensitivity to unpleasant news. … The brain, Cacioppo demonstrated, reacts more strongly to stimuli it deems negative.’ (Psychology Today)  Translation: Unless you take over your mind, it’s going to do you wrong. It’s going to convince you of things that aren’t true.  Your thoughts are dirty little liars.  Have you ever told yourself you’re not smart enough?, that your parents/ partner/ friends don’t love you?, that you sound stupid when you talk about…. whatever?  Yeah, those are fucking lies.  It’s time to take back your brain with the mindshift.

The magical thing about mind shifting is it basically only requires mindfulness and attention. It’s free and can be done anytime and anywhere and it’s hella powerful.  I talk about this on my IGTV episode of ‘Just the Tip’.  I give real life examples of how I changed my life by changing my mind. Check that out over at @soberwitch.

Okay, so now you’re wondering how TF to mindshift. Here is my guide to getting it done. Of course, like any worthwhile work, this is a process.  Mindshifting takes time and will need to be revisited often. Remember, one small step forward is still a step forward.

1. Check yourself

Time for an inventory.  Who are you spending time with? What are you watching on TV? Listening to? Reading?  We are the company we keep, right?  So look around and see what messaging you’re giving yourself and ask yourself how it feels. Can you shift some of that time and energy into mediation practices or something that fuels your soul?

2. Sit your ass down

Meditate.  Shut your mind up and mediate for the love of GOD. For a great resource and a free guided meditation, head to The Dream Navigation.

3. Mantra. Mantra. Mantra.

Since it’s so easy to operate on the low vibe negativity channel, our brains take time to reprogram.  This is where mantras can be super helpful. A mantra is an affirmation to motivate and inspire you to be your best self.  My friend Allie at the Journey Junkie defines it perfectly. She says, ‘by repeating a thought or idea, it gains suggestive strength and energy, it anchors us to the present moment, and gives us a stronger foundation on which to put our physical and mental intentions to’.  You can mantra however and wherever you want.  A few of my faves include putting post its on your mirror- (say your affirmation over and over as you get ready in the morning), journaling (write your intention over and over again) and Mala work (use your mala beads to guide you through saying your affirmations 108 times- the number of beads on a mala).  However you do it, do it DAILY.  Visit my IGTV video (@soberwitch) on this topic to see how I use my mala beads everyday.

4. Wear an energy veil

There will be times when you will have to be around the energy vampires.  Whether it’s your boss, your family or a specific group of friends, you’re going to find yourself in the company of someone who sucks the life out of you. For these situations,  I envision a veil or bubble around me. They’re there, but their energy isn’t touching mine. I am safe in my bubble, even when I am interacting with the most vile humans. Another helpful visual is being a faucet….They’re stuff comes in and flows the heck out.  I also use the support of crystals, smudging and essential oils at these times.  That is why I love having a travel alter with me at all times. When you’re feeling tested, take a break and sniff some oils. We’re addicts, we’re comfortable with snorting shit.

5.  Take care of yourself

Nothing pulls you away from your highest self quite like treating your body, your temple, your vessel like shit. When we do things that don’t feel good, all we can focus on is how crappy we feel.  And when we’re focused on how shitty we feel, we can’t focus on being our true selves and being in our magic. So do your soul a favor and stop ingesting too much sugar, get on your yoga mat or go for a walk.  It’s amazing how good we can feel when we treat ourselves the way we deserve to be treated- like goddesses.