Being human is not always easy, but being a mental health consumer can be even harder. We experience a myriad of symptoms, anxiety, racing thoughts, depressed moods, hopelessness, low self esteem and the list goes on and on.

 

 

Every human being experiences patterning and conditioning, meaning that “who we are” as a person is a direct result of the messages we “received” from our parents, families, friends, churches and experiences as we grew up. Sometimes our demographics, race, color or creed also became a part of “who we are”.

 

 

When I was younger, I sought mental health services, I began by seeing a therapist and seeing a psychiatrist for medication management for depression and anxiety. I quickly built a sense of trust with my therapist, and poured out my soul. 

 

 

After several sessions, the therapist said to me “do you know that your thoughts create your world”? When I inquired what this meant, the response was simply that “what you think you are - you are”. I thought, “Is it really that simple”?

It was then that I realized that if I could change my mind, I could bring about positive change in my life, and I did! Ever been told you are stupid, not good enough, a loser, “why aren’t you like everyone else”, or “you never do anything right”? I sure had, and I believed those lies (negative thought seeds) that were put in my mind “growing up”. Those negative experiences root themselves deep in our minds and like weeds; they take over our mind garden!

 

 

So now, picture your mind as a garden. It has been said that the subconscious mind cannot take a joke. This simply means that whatever belief is introduced to it, it takes seriously as an instruction to grow that thought-seed into a full-blown plant--be it a rose or a weed!

 It’s never too late to begin to tend your mind garden. It will take daily work, pulling out the weeds of negative thoughts and experiences that are there and replacing them with positive thought seeds!

 

Be mindful of the company you keep, if you hear good and uplifting words (positive thought seeds) then grab those seeds and get planting! When negative people with negative thoughts come your way, take a look at what they are saying and ask yourself “Is this something I really want to plant in my mind garden”? If not, deny the negativity, don’t plant it and walk away.

 

Be mindful...be skillful in the seeds you plant and how you nurture them. Your life is your gardener; keep the weeds out!  You owe that much to yourself and to those who receive the benefit of the seeds you drop along the way. Always remember that you are the master gardener of your mind garden; you get to choose what you put in it! Happy gardening!

“Your mind is the garden, your thoughts are the seeds, the harvest can either be flowers or weeds”. - W. Wordsworth  

Thomas Fisher is a Service Coordinator and SacPort Advanced Implementer at Human Resources Consultants (HRC) http://hrcrst.org/