My Attitude "Do"s and "Don't"s



Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net


This is the page that I will use to keep track of how my attitude effects me. It's more for my benefit than anything else, but maybe it will give you a place to start looking if you're trying to identify your attitude "do"s and "don't"s. The lists will fluctuate over time, I'm sure. I'll try to keep it as up-to-date as possible.
  

I have split this page into 2 categories: Attitudes that Hurt and Attitudes that Help to make it easier to find specific items at a glance.  Attitudes that Hurt will be any frame of mind/mental activity/situation/habit that makes me tired, changes my mood negatively, gives me IBS-type symptoms/ nausea (yes, that can happen), etc.  Attitudes that Help will be any frame of mind/mental activity/situation/habit that improves my mood, gives me energy, improves my health, etc.

{Note: I am not a doctor.  This page is just intended to share my personal experience.  Any decision you make to change your lifestyle should not be made based on this information alone.  Please discuss any lifestyle changes with your doctor before you try them!  If you are facing depression or having any concerning thoughts or engaging in dangerous or illegal activities, please consider speaking with your doctor or your pastor.  They are there to help!}

Attitudes that Hurt

1. Dwelling on the negative. If I fester and stew over something, it makes me a million times worse in terms of mentally as well as physically, sometimes even giving me an upset stomach as well as making me more susceptible to viruses and infections.  Sounds crazy, but it's true.
     
2. Not taking time-out when I need it. Sometimes I just need to walk away, either actually or mentally, and breathe, pray and refocus or I end up overwhelmed and saying and doing things I don't mean which make things so much worse and can lead to physical exhaustion and pain or illness.
     
3. Being a perfectionist or obsessive.  Trying to make everything perfect or worrying that it's not or stressing myself out about this or that by obsessing about it is a HUGE problem.  I have literally made myself ill because of this, not to mention the depression that can come from it.  This is one of my biggest no-nos.
     
4. Feeling like I'm owed something or like life isn't fair.  This may or may not be true, but the thought is so dangerous.  Life is not fair, and it never claimed to be.  Everyone experiences ups and downs - that's just reality.  I may indeed be owed money or something like that, but is it really all that important?  I need to just give it to God and let Him handle the details.  When I don't, I'm angry, tired, frustrated and that leads to pain.

Attitudes that Help

1. Making time to pray and read the Bible.  Doing this keeps my focus where it should be: on God, not on myself.  It reminds me that He is there and will help me through if I just ask Him, too.  It improves my mood tremendously which, in turn, gives me more energy and helps me feel better physically.
     
2. Staying positive.  Giving people the benefit of the doubt, looking for the silver lining, etc. help keep me upbeat, which gives me energy and helps me feel better physically.
     
3. Taking time to enjoy.  This may sound easy, but not for me sometimes.  It's easy to just go, go, go and forget to see the memories in the moments that pass and stop to enjoy them.  If I do, the pain seems to disappear for that space in time, my mind is clear, and there is joy without fatigue.  It's a beautiful thing.
     
4. Being thankful.  Realizing the world doesn't owe you anything is very humbling, but can be liberating.  If I do this, I start seeing everything as a gift, not a right, and that makes life more sweet.