What is slowly poisoning you? Whose words have taken root in your mind, and which do you need to let go of?

We are all ingesting other people’s words and opinions. Some go in one ear and out the other, and others take root and spread throughout our mental systems. Today’s post is focused on pointing out the poisonous and problematic deeply-rooted internalized thoughts that have been planted by other people. 

Some of the ways you are thinking about yourself are wrong. That self-view is warped, untrue, and is now tinting the lens through which you view yourself. Someone said something painful to you years ago, or maybe it is still happening, and it is affecting you in ways that are hindering your growth. 

Macro: What mental weeds do you need to uproot? 

To be mentally and spiritually free, you are going to have to face those deeply rooted ways of thinking that came from others and start challenging them and replacing them with a more accurate picture of what you desire to become. 

When I think about this concept, it makes me think about weeds in a garden. Not all weeds are ugly. Take for example the dandelion. I don’t actually think they look all that bad. However, if you leave them in your grass or garden, they will absorb the moisture and nutrients meant for the grass and garden. They don’t look dangerous but they are not helpful. 

Sometimes you might not even recognize the deeply-rooted mindset as problematic or you may have internalized it so much that it is now just a part of the way you view yourself. Which of your problematic mindsets are masking themselves as innocent thought patterns?

Micro: Are you willing to get dirty? 

Uprooting unhealthy internalized ways of thinking about yourself, especially if planted by others you care about or love, is going to take hard work. You are going to have to be willing to get dirty and in the weeds to examine the roots: how deep does it go? What is it now interwoven with? 

Thinking about unraveling knots in a rope: it takes patience, focus, and time to see the loops and to figure out where to tug and pull.

Just like weeds take the nutrients intended for the garden or grass, mental weeds take energy away from the positive thoughts and habits that you should be nurturing. If you feel drained mentally, there are likely some deeply rooted ways of thinking that are zapping your mental energy. 

So, it is time to get to work and to get a little dirty. 

Mindful: What do you need to reflect on?

• Who do you need to stop listening to? 
• What is poisoning you mentally? 
• What is masking itself as a good mental habit but is slowly eroding your self-image? 
• What are the words or narratives other people have tried to place on you that you need to reject?

It is OK to periodically check your mental inventory to see if tidying or cleansing is in order. That is what mirror moments are all about. 

Improving your mental space is well worth the effort. You will make room for a better self-image and leave room for more productive mental thought patterns. 

Pay it forward: 

Do you know someone who needs to let go of internalized negative beliefs or thinking patterns that were planted by someone else? If the answer is yes, then share this post with them as a gentle reminder that doing the hard mental work is worth it because they are worth it.