Rewiring Your Mind

How many of us have found ourselves saying, “If it’s not one thing, it’s another,” or “It’s always something”?
I know I have — more times than I can count. I’m not proud of it; that was simply how I was conditioned to think. Many of us were never taught how important our thoughts are, or how they can shape our lives for better or worse.

Lately, I’ve made a conscious decision to pay attention to my thinking. And with that small shift, I’ve noticed how the tone of my thoughts sets the tone for my day. It made me wonder: Imagine what this could do for my whole life.

When you start becoming aware of the seeds you plant in your mind, you might hear yourself saying things like, “No, I’m not thinking about that today,” or you start learning the difference between truth and the lies you’ve believed. It’s hard — I won’t pretend it isn’t — but it’s worth it. We have to keep planting seeds of hope, faith, and strength to make it through, even if that means one day at a time. And if one day feels like too much, then take it one hour at a time.

I used to have no idea how powerful my mind really was. I never understood why I felt the way I did. What confused me the most was this: why was it so easy to think negatively? Why were my first thoughts negative instead of positive? It wasn’t like I was trying to believe the worst… or maybe, in a way, I was. I needed answers. I knew positive thinking was possible — but learning how to get there felt overwhelming. Still, I knew my thoughts were ruining my life, and something had to change.

But being who I am, I refused to stay that way. I wanted freedom from the thoughts that kept holding me hostage.
So I started small.

First, I acknowledged my thoughts. I reminded myself: Just because I’m having this thought doesn’t mean I have to sit in it. That’s where my power came in. If I chose to stay there, then I was choosing that thought pattern.

Second, I learned to change the subject — literally. In the same way, I would shift a conversation that was heading toward an argument; I switched the conversation in my mind.

Third, if changing the subject didn’t work — because sometimes we’re tired and don’t feel like fighting back — I moved my body. I took walks, I cleaned, rearranged something in my house… anything to keep myself from staying stuck.

And then came the biggest breakthrough:

I figured out my triggers.
I only discovered them because I started acknowledging my thoughts. I realised that being unproductive triggered negative thinking. That led me to another question: What about when I rest? I wrestled with whether I would be thinking negatively then. Rest should not come with intrusive thoughts — it should be a place of peace, not guilt, fear, or the feeling that something is wrong.

That’s when it hit me: this was a lifestyle change, not a quick fix.

Once I started acknowledging my thoughts, changing the subject when needed, and identifying my triggers — which was feeling unproductive — I realised that by the time my rest came, my mind was too full of peace to worry. Finally, I was on my way to rewiring my mind.