Dear Giselle, do you have any tips on how to think lovely thoughts? I find my mind ridden with sad, anxious thoughts that make me feel ugly. I think that if I could only imagine nicer things, I would feel sweeter and happier. Thank you 🌹
dear rose... your words strike quite a wistful chord with me; forgive me if my answer isn’t as lucid as perhaps another’s might be... I hope you find these tips a comfort, however, as they do often for me~ 🕊☆
♡ find your dreamscape~ I think there is a key for everyone to another world, a dream world to escape into in your mind and dwell for a while and gain some peace. perhaps you could think of a land or a story from a fairy tale or childhood book or beloved film or memory, and build from it- a castle, a mythical country, a seaside cavern or woodland with dryads and deer... imagine yourself physically going there when these anxious thoughts appear (and concentrate on all the details; your beautiful robes, the kind of flower in your hair, the scents)...
♡ meditation and mindfulness~ if you would permit me to slightly outline how I approach these practices (otherwise, you might like to look up a video of a guided meditation)... it is not quite about forcing the anxious thoughts from your mind, rather not interacting with them and letting them drift from your consciousness. I like to sit comfortably, close my eyes, and breathe slowly and deeply... sometimes I imagine roots growing from my feet and into the earth’s core, bringing up white light energy through my body to cleanse it (doing this carefully, focusing on every inch of my body as the light moves). sometimes I take myself to one of my dreamscapes and breathe in time with the gently lapping waves. when an anxious thought appears, I objectify it, imagine it as a little boat or leaf in the breeze, rather than considering it a part of myself. I watch the thought drift gently by. I don’t mind if I end up engaging with it- I just remind myself that it is not the time for thoughts, and bring myself back to breathing, back to the light, back to the waves... here, I like to play some peaceful white noise (such as birdsong or rain) in the background...
♡ find beautiful things in everything~ the colour of a cloudy sky is completely ethereal, if you look at it in a particular way (a white sky, especially, seems to be a gateway to the heavens). rain is cleansing; I can feel it washing away my griefs and unburdening my soul. I don’t like my face at times, but I can look at it and see that my eyes are a curious, quite lovely green colour, and I know that I like my dark hair against my pale skin (especially when lounging about in my underwear). if you have had a lonely day, try to write down at least three things that you enjoyed; perhaps the sight of a pretty blossom, or listening to a song you love... find fragments of gratitude where you can for the very act of living. I hope it doesn’t sound sentimental, but I feel that one can practice altering one’s perceptions of the world- to see it all from another angle...
if your mind and thoughts feel too dark and oppressive for these approaches, please remember above all to try to be kind to yourself, to be forgiving, to be patient. feeling sweeter and happier one day and melancholic the next does not mean you have failed; healing is a process... treat yourself as you would a close friend: with respect and unconditional love. ♡
please also do not feel shy if you would ever like to talk to me personally; I receive private messages often and would love to do anything I can to help. wishing you luck my love... yours with sympathy, giselle🌹♡