I am a mental health clinician and I too have had dark thoughts. Life is precious but I have learned that my mind won’t always recognize this truth.

I have worked in the mental health field for half of my life. I realized, we as humans, are not exempt from adversity at a young age. I have watched friends, family and clients break down from emotional pain time to time and I too have experienced painful moments in life in which I did not see myself getting through… when I no longer desired myself getting through.

I consider myself a very balanced person emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I don’t tend to separate these sides to me but rather view my whole self as these things plus much more, inter-connectedly.

So what I have learned despite the oh so many coping skills I have obtained throughout my life and teach is that the mind will play tricks on you. The mind is powerful. Many thoughts will come through us beyond our sense of control.

We will all experience a lifetime of various thoughts. Some will be joyous and pleasing while others will be anxiety-ridden and pained. That is simply how the brain functions for us at this point in time.

If we can begin to understand this truth, we can learn to be less inclined to believe those thoughts that are disempowering and without hope and start shifting our mindset on to thoughts of love, gratitude and resilience.

Negative thoughts should not shame us as they simply are just thoughts. It is up to us to learn the connection between our thoughts, feelings and behaviors and break the chain of self loathing when it becomes problematic for us.

There is so much help and resources available to those courageous enough to ask for it. We can all rise and help in the aid of healing in others by recognizing these truths.

We are not broken, we are simply human. It is my mission is to remember how precious life really is more easily and remind you of this truth when your mind is playing tricks on you.

There is so much beauty to experience in this thing called life and it begins within our own belief. It is when our thoughts try to taint us that we can allow others in to help us refocus them on to an even greater truth.