Weighing the Truth

 

Hello!

Lately I've been thinking about the lies we tell ourselves and how they can sap our joy. 

I'm not into the toxic positivity mindset, so I'm not here to tell you to disregard reality and pretend everything is rosy when it may not be. But there is something to be said about how you talk to yourself.

Lies are like earthworms. They burrow deep under the cover of the soil of your life. You can't see them, but their effects make themselves known. Only instead of nurturing the soil, they poison the soil. The plant of joy doesn't flourish. It shrivels up and dies. 

I wouldn't say I'm either a positive or a negative person. I'm a realistic person teetering on the brink of negativity. It doesn't take much for circumstances in my life to put one drop too much on the negativity scale, plunging me into the blackest of despair. I'm constantly battling to keep the scales balanced.

What are some of the lies you tell yourself? 

One of the most insidious lies that likes to slip into my mental armor is the lie that no matter what I do, I can never make my parents proud of me. So, I'm constantly straining and trying to earn that love. 

But what if I combat that lie with the truth? Would the scales tip in the other direction? What if instead of spiraling down into the depths of "I can never do anything right", I tell myself, "You don't have to be good at everything. That's putting too much weight on yourself. Do you remember, just yesterday mom and dad were so happy and proud of you when they read one of your poems?" (Real life example here.)

Here's a bit of truth for you: Lies are weighty and they are many, but they don't have the power to drag you down with them unless you give them that power. When you speak lies to yourself, you end up believing those lies. 

Instead, speak the truth to yourself, and if you don't have the strength to do so yourself, reach out to a friend and have them speak truth over you. Speak it out loud, if you can. Write the truths down.

Recently, I read this newsletter where the author challenged the reader to battle the lies they believed every morning. His challenge looked like taking a piece of paper and drawing a line down the center. On one side write the lies you are believing. On the other side, write the truth to combat those lies. I've been thinking about this a lot since I read it, and I think it's something that I want to add to my arsenal.

What are some weighty truths that you can speak to yourself in your fight for joy?

Do you have any tips you have added to your arsenal to combat the lies you tell yourself when they show up?

Until next time...

Julia Garcia / Arysta Henry