The Stories We Tell Ourselves and How to Begin to Break the Cycle

The stories we tell ourself hold weight and power over us. They dictate our choices, our patterns, and even create excuses as to why something we craved so deeply didn't work out. We often think our stories create who we are, but we are in fact the story tellers - the ones that perpetuate and retell the stories. 

Here are some examples of stories I told myself for years: 

*I can't cook.

*I will kill any plant that enters my home. 

*I can't take photographs of flowers, because that is not true photography.

*I can't afford to do xxxx.

*I am not athletic, because I am so weak. 

Here are some ways I broke those stories:

*I am willing to learn how to cook, and if I make a mistake, I will just try again. I food recipe apps and books that I loved. I googled how to make ____________ for beginners a million times. I created a manageable goal of trying two new recipes a week. 

*I would like to be able to care for plants. Found a local plant shop that I adore (Folia Collective). Asked for the least dramatic plants they had, and asked lots of questions. In the last 5 years, most of my plants survived, and the ones that didn't - I chose not to blame myself. Some had to be rehomed due to Bianca - and that's okay too. Oh, and I gave them all names, because trust me it helps! Fun tip - You can use a crystal pendulum to talk to your plants.

*I am going to take photographs of flowers that bring me joy and create artisitc ways of sharing how much I love them. It doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks about it. Also - worked a lot around Imposter Syndrome. 

*How can I prioritze x? Is it something I can save up? Is it something that will bring me a lot of joy? Realistically, how and when can I make this happen?

*I acknowledge I might be behind others in strength, but all that means is that I have to do beginner exercises for longer or create modifications until I get strong enough. Regardless, I am going to stick with it!

Here are some ways to create new stories:

*Treat Yourself Like a Beginner 

*Show Yourself Love, Kindness, and Compassion

*Ask your guides to send you people who can support you in this shift 

*Go to Youtube - seriously - Can't cook - watch beginner youtube videos, etc. 

*Give yourself patience and time to learn.

*Every time you find yourself repeating an old story to yourself - call yourself out - acknowledge that old story is in fact a lie.

Journal Prompt

*Write down 3 lies that you tell yourself.

*Is it rooted in truth? (For Example, as a kid you killed a plant) It's okay if you do not have an answer.

*Ask yourself what is one baby step that you could take to shift this lie.