the most important step I took to live well - ending the negative cycle

✨🌿My Etsy shop 🥰 🌸Join my Patreon for livestreams, bonus content, and meditation sessions: (I did a livestream on how to make these floral lanterns on my Patreon, but you can also find instructions online by typing in ‘how to make paper lanterns with glue and balloons’ and find something similar) ❤️No obligation whatsoever, but if you would like to donate to support this channel $8 will get a thank you postcard (my own art) from me in the mail (please note: you must include address in your note so I can send it!). It is much appreciated: (Now and then a postcard has been returned to me or lost in the mail. If you have not received a postcard e-mail me at endymionmerrill@! I send them out once a month, so definitely don’t be too worried if it has been a couple weeks but do contact me if you have any concerns. ) Thank you! When I was trying to recover from severe anxiety I found a lot of wonderful support online, but also - naturally - a lot of negativity as well. I noticed a trend of ‘acceptance’, of people claiming that mental health was something that couldn’t be improved, and that I just had to accept my situation. Now, perhaps this is true for some people, I really don’t know, but I found that believing this hindered my personal journey, stealing my ability to find courage and confidence in myself; to believe I can change and grow. Our belief in our ability to do hard things is so crucial. I simply wanted to encourage all of you to believe in yourself when faced with challenges ❤️ The root of my anxiety has always been quite negative: negative thinking patterns, despairing thoughts, worrying about the future, assuming the worst will happen, doom-scrolling, believing I am powerless. These are common feelings. As a human population spanning centuries, we seem to often fall into negative patterns and seek out negativity, to find reasons to judge and criticize. And again, I am not saying this is necessarily bad. Maybe being negative doesn’t affect you at all - but in my personal case, I’ve found it to be unhelpful. I need to balance this way of thinking with positive beliefs. How I negatively or positively I react to my external world directly reflects how I feel within. I hope this reflection today encourages you to simply consider whether or not your beliefs about yourself and the world around you are aiding in your growth or not ❤️ and honestly, I can only speak from my experience, so perhaps none of this applies to you, I don’t know, but I’m glad we can connect and share insights. Sending much love and light. lot of wonderful support online, but also - naturally - a lot of negativity as well. I noticed a trend of ‘acceptance’, of people claiming that mental health was something that couldn’t be improved, and that I just had to accept my situation. Now, perhaps this is true for some people, I really don’t know, but I found that believing this hindered my personal journey, stealing my ability to find courage and confidence in myself; to believe I can change and grow. Our belief in our ability to do hard things is so crucial. I simply wanted to encourage all of you to believe in yourself when faced with challenges ❤️ The root of my anxiety has always been quite negative: negative thinking patterns, despairing thoughts, worrying about the future, assuming the worst will happen, doom-scrolling, believing I am powerless. These are common feelings. As a human population spanning centuries, we seem to often fall into negative patterns and seek out negativity, to find reasons to judge and criticize. And again, I am not saying this is necessarily bad. Maybe being negative doesn’t affect you at all - but in my personal case, I’ve found it to be unhelpful. I need to balance this way of thinking with positive beliefs. How I negatively or positively I react to my external world directly reflects how I feel within. I hope this reflection today encourages you to simply consider whether or not your beliefs about yourself and the world around you are aiding in your growth or not ❤️ and honestly, I can only speak from my experience, so perhaps none of this applies to you, I don’t know, but I’m glad we can connect and share insights. Sending much love and light. My Book - The Cottage Fairy Companion 🌿 Amazon: Also available at my local bookstore, Trail’s End Books: Other purchase options (including international) available on my linktree: Information and conservation efforts in the beautiful Okanogan County: Additional music found at @ (Get a month free with my referral code)