Our Thoughts

As two of my first exams get closer and closer, I began to feel a bit anxious and some insecurities came along as well. It’s crazy how our brains can manage to bring in thoughts that make you feel stressed, sad, and insecure when you least expect them. These thoughts just keep coming your way as if they were trying to convince you that they are indeed true. Some would say, “I can’t just pass this exam because that would mean that I will fail the class,” or “this is so much work and so little time to get it done, what if I can’t keep up once I transfer?” “Maybe I’m just doing well because of luck, but in reality, I don’t understand what I’m doing!” These are just a few of the thoughts that have attacked my confidence recently, and I hate it. It really messes with you because those thoughts make you doubt yourself and the decisions you’re making in your life. Whether you’ve experienced this or not, let me tell you, it gets better.

Every time this happens I’m either driving to school or simply taking a break. Either way, I try to keep my mind occupied with something else that immediately brings happiness and joy. I think that what I do when this happens has helped me a lot, so I want to share that with you all.

1. Acknowledgment: As soon as those thoughts come to your mind, acknowledge them. By this, you are taking control of your thoughts and are ready to move past them.
2. Question: Ask yourself what or who has triggered these thoughts and why you think you may be having them. Do you feel like you haven’t prepared enough? Did someone say something to you earlier? What am I listening to at the moment? I find it very important to understand why my brain begins to drift away into negative thoughts so try to do the same and I’m sure you’ll discover the reasons behind them.
3. Remind: Remind yourself of the good things you have accomplished so far. There’s no such thing as a small accomplishment; therefore, remind yourself of that and embrace it. You are smart, you can do this, and nobody nor anything can take that good feeling away.
4. Propose: Propose a solution to whatever is bothering you and remember that there’s always a solution to anything. Even though your solution hasn’t happened yet, it feels good to know that things can change for the better.
5. Carry on: By the time you’ve proposed a solution to your problems, those thoughts that were once there to make you feel insecure have now been turned around to make you even more confident than before. So by now, I hope you’re feeling more calm, less anxious, and less stressed because you’re now ready to move on with your day like a BOSS.

These steps have honestly helped me overcome those nasty thoughts that tend to bring us down and make us doubt. I can’t assure you that these steps will completely help you out, but I know that they will help you somehow and that will be enough for me:) I’ll be happy to read about what you personally do in these situations so please comment below!

Until next time friends,

Meredith