Stop thinking about boys. Start thinking about yourself

When I read this quote (which I love) and I thought about what I thought about, I realised "bloody hell, my soul is full of thoughts on boys and fictitious future situations, bitching about annoying work stuff and iced buns". I have broken my soul. This is not what it's time on this glorious earth was created for. 




Thinking is a topic that I've - perhaps ironically - been thinking about a lot recently. I believe that thinking is a skill set that I haven't exercised properly and I thought too much on the wrong things and not enough on the right things. If I asked you to think on your previous thoughts and reflections and proportioned it to:

1. Other people or a situation and how it / they vexed or saddened you (boys, colleagues, the shop assistant)
2. Yourself. Your weaknesses and failings
3. Other people or a situation and how it / they bring joy (boys, colleagues, the shop assistant)
4. Yourself. Your strengths, your dreams, your thoughts on how to be better

What do you think you would say? I would probably have said a lot on number 1 and 2 and not enough on number 3 and 4. 

I've had feedback at work that I tend to over complicate things and can over manage situations. So I overthink about a paragraph from a press release that I think it's the most awful thing I've read and needs a total overhaul but I don't think enough about what I can do to be a better person.

There are ways we can combat this. Despite previously extolling the virtues of mindfulness, I found it hard to follow the app or the YouTube videos but I know it works for others. So I gave Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) a read into. It's the same principle; in a rational and reasoned way, when you're thinking a thought that makes you annoyed, angry or stressed, reflect upon the thought, think about why it makes you feel this way and then reason your way back into logic that essentially shuts down on your initial dramatic response. And for me this approach seems to work more for me than mindfulness.

I'm noticing my thoughts a lot more and how I react to it and I'm looking at it in a reasoned and measured way. I still can't help immediately flying off the handle about something but the next time you do get mad and annoyed about something, I really would encourage you to ask yourself "is it really necessary to react like this?". I'm not saying that you're not entitled to feel it...but is it worth thinking over and over again. Is it doing you any good or is it just making you more mad or sad.

Journalling is something I have done nearly my whole life but definitely not as much recently and it's something that I want to get more into. Because I love writing and it's a natural action for me, I find it is a great way to get my soul's thoughts onto a page and really see what's going on. Sometimes I use it to vent but by the end of it, come to a happy conclusion or sometimes I use it as a way to force myself to think about myself and life in a bigger way. To not bitch about the small stuff or things you can't control.

For me, when I read that quote, I really wanted to do my soul justice and I really want to use my thoughts to think about the bigger picture and how to make an impact on this earth and not allowing myself to get stressed out about the small stuff. Right? *woman shrugging emoji* 

Have you tried mindfulness or CBT? Has it worked?