Mind the Gap: Reframe Your Thoughts!

 Published on Medium

Mind the Gap!

Life is hard. We must transform difficult moments into beauty, knowing it’s possible, with mindfulness and consistent positive action.

Two years ago, I fell, sustaining what seemed at first to be a simple concussion. Most concussions heal fairly quickly, and patients usually recover, returning to life as usual. But mine did not. Days stretched to weeks, stretched to months, and the symptoms got weirder; evidence of sustained damage appeared in the EEGs and brain MRI. Life never returned to what it once was. But I learned two powerful things in this experience: Healing happens in the present, and small, consistent, positive actions, repeatedly done day after day, add up to real progress.

We all go through ups and downs. Make a bet that in the last two years, either you or someone you know has also experienced a significant life change: job change, marriage, divorce, birth, death, move, illness, loss, gain, or something that required a transition. And in those moments, we have to look at ourselves to decide what to do, who we intend to be, and where we will go from here.

We are all part of society’s collective whole. Our Individual well-being feeds into society’s well-being. By improving our mental health and ability to navigate difficulties, our lives have ripple effects on those around us. We learn from each other, uplift each other. Together we rise, hopefully.

But it starts with caring for ourselves in times of difficulty. “Put the air mask on yourself first if the plane is going down,” they always say — Because you can’t help other people if you aren’t ok yourself. So how do we do this in real time, in our own lives, when everything seems to be falling apart? We do this with mindfulness and consistent positive daily actions

The oxygen mask is mindfulness. Mindfulness is any practice that brings your attention back to the present moment. Some people practice mindfulness through meditation, deep breathing, journaling, art therapy, gratitude, and sensory grounding. movement, or guided thought processes. It’s been shown to reduce workplace stress, ease grieving-related depression, and even support recovery in patients with mild traumatic brain injury like me.

We repeatedly redefine ourselves in life through our beliefs, choices, actions, and behavior patterns. Reaching our goals starts with remembering what we CAN do, what IS in our control. I may not have complete control over all aspects of my recovery, but I do have control over my focus, beliefs, and effort I give toward my progress. Taking small daily steps and charting my progress has done wonders to demonstrate that I actually have made progress.

“But it’s not that easy”, you say! You’re right! It is a daily battle to hold fast against negativity. I don’t pretend to be an expert in psychology, but I can testify to the fact that my regular use of mindfulness techniques helps me notice my negative feelings with grace, reframe them with compassion, and release them without catastrophizing.

Here’s an example of how mindfulness can be used to reframe negative thinking:

Thought: “This is too hard. I can’t do it.”

Notice: “It’s a challenging task. It’s ok to feel intimidated.”

Reframe and Release: “I’ve done hard things before, and I will do hard things again. If I don’t know how to do something, I can ask someone for help or look it up online. If I need to improve, I can practice. I can train, learn, grow. I can break down big problems into micro-tasks and knock them off one by one. I can do this. It won’t be easy, but I can do this.”

I am not a professional. I share this information because it has helped me and our society. is interconnected.

The well-being of each of us affects those around us. Life is full of ups and downs. No matter what has happened to us, or what will happen to us, we can choose to see our own power, to face our fears, and move towards our goals with grace and love. If you are interested in learning more about these mindfulness techniques, you can find more information here, here, and here.