Self Empowering Mondays: Happy Thoughts Meditation

This is a meditation I wrote myself. Feel free to make changes to it to fit the way you meditate.

This meditation is not meant to focus on the deeper issues of your negative thoughts, because there are always deeper issues, you don't just come into this world thinking people were out to get you, etc. This meditation kind of plays off last week's post and focuses only on self destructive/negative thoughts. Later I will have a meditation and a couple exercises to work on deeper issues but please remember I am not a psychiatrist/psychologist, and I am definitely not trained to work with you like a counselor. I will gladly listen to you if you need someone to talk to but if you have deeper issues that need to be discussed with a trained professional PLEASE SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP.

Now, on to the meditation:
Take five to ten deep breaths and relax your entire body. Do not focus on clearing your mind yet, just breathe and try to clear out the sounds from the atmosphere around you.

Now imagine you are in the middle of a forest. The leaves from the trees filter the sunlight which casts a green glow on everything. You are seated on a fallen tree that is overgrown with soft moss. You are safe and comfortable. The outside world is far away. You are free from judgment and ridicule.

Once you have the forest firmly in mind, allow your mind to wander a little bit. Bring back to mind every negative thought you've had about yourself in the past couple of days. For each negative thought, balance it out with a positive one. For example, if you called yourself ugly, think of one part of your body that you like, such as "I have pretty eyes." If you called yourself stupid, think of one thing you know you're good at, such as, "I am a good cook, mother, writer, etc." As you balance these negative thoughts out with positive thoughts imagine that with each positive thought a flower springs up around you.

After examining each negative thought, and replacing it with a positive one, and I do mean every single one from the past couple of days, even if you have to use one of the same positive thoughts more than once, sit in the forest a little while longer, taking comfort from the flowers you have planted with your positive thoughts. Now you don't want those negative thoughts to ruin your flowers like pollution does in the mundane world, so imagine that they float up into the leaves of the trees. The leaves absorb the negativity, neutralize it, and release it back to the earth's energies, ready to be used again. Feel the healing energies of the forest and repeat a positive affirmation to yourself a few times. Once you feel comfortable and you feel ready to leave, count backwards from ten and come back to yourself. For this week use this meditation every other day or every two days. After this week, use it once a week or so, or any time you feel like you are out of balance and need to get rid of negative thoughts.

I wrote this meditation myself, so feel free to rearrange it or rewrite it to suit your needs. I hope you come back next week for more fun! Remember, many people may expect you to be many things, but I want you to be empowered!