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Rebooting My Spirit

To say that I am impressionable would be to put it mildly. And when I say impressionable, I mean prone to take on the circumstances and anxieties of things around me. Here’s an example: I watched the movie “Castaway,” and for the next seven nights in a row, dreamt that I was drowning.

I’m a giant sponge. I absorb whatever I allow myself to be exposed to. That’s great when those things are inspiring and encouraging. Of course, I can’t always control my surroundings and life situations to avoid anything negative, but due to a big wake-up call recently. I’ve allowed myself to become overly saturated with the cares of the world and the prophets of doom (and gloom). It’s time to reboot my spirit.

Here are the five things I will be doing on a daily basis over the coming 30 days:

1. Turn off the TV

I rarely sit and watch TV. But I am one to have it on in the background, all the time. I’m drawn to news and talk shows and you know what that means―all of the troubles of the world playing over and over again. I am taking a 30-day break

2. Leave Wall Street

I am not going to check any stock market figures, follow any economic forecasts or look at my own investments. It’s easy for me to become obsessive about things like that. When I load up on too much economic prophecy, I become weighed down with “what could happen,” feeling as though it already has.

3. Spend time with God

Rarely am I all alone, in solitude. I am a multi-tasker and do many things at the same time. For 30 days I am going to make time for being alone. I will pray, write in my journal and just listen.

4. Go to bed at a set time

I hate to even go into this one because it is so unwise. I see nighttime as the extra hours I need in my daytime. I often work through the night, or fall into bed at 3 am just to have the alarm go off at 6 am. I know this is terrible for my mental acuity, my health, and my family. I am committed to going to bed at 11:30 pm every night, no exceptions.

5. Guard my mind

Even with items 1 through 4 above in play, I have one of those minds that can come up with all kinds of thoughts and worries on its own. But guess what? I can control my mind. I can choose what I will think about. So this month I am making a concerted effort to make sure the thoughts on which I dwell are positive, empowering, and enabling of good things in my life.

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  1. Cally says:

    It’s nice to know others are struggling with the same things! God will reward your faithfulness, those who earnestly seek Him will find! Bless you.

    Reply
  2. Tiana says:

    If you have a broadband connection and a smart TV, why not log onto YouTube through it? I have created different playlists on YouTube (Christian/Inspirational, Feel Good Songs, Workout Music, etc.) … when I am at home and want “noise” while I work, I put on YouTube and go. Technically, this could work with #3, Spending Time with God. There are some great Christian motivational speakers as well as uplifting sermons, etc. that can help you learn more about God and feel closer to him. I am not one to write in a journal but when I put on inspirational music or listen to an uplifting sermon, it helps me feel closer to God and my spirit refreshed.

    Reply
  3. Birgit Nicolaisen says:

    I think you need to add “reading for pleasure”……it’s always a good thing for the mind and spirit! Good luck! My alarm goes off at 5am, so staying up to 11:30pm is way past my bed time of 9-9:30. LOL

    Reply
  4. Ruth says:

    Dear Mary, you are a Christian, and you should be asking God to guard your mind. We can’t always control our thoughts, but God can! Give your thoughts and worries to God, instead of trying to control them yourself! Love and hugs from Ruth

    Reply
  5. Shawn says:

    Spot on! I love your website and have been a faithful follower since you started. This has to be one of my favorites. We must have healthy balances in our lives. Nothing is more important than spending time with our Creator!

    Reply
  6. cherie says:

    Oh I want to give you a hug. I have the same sort of problem – I call it having a boundary issue – where out there stops vs in here. For that reason I really don’t ever watch the news – if something is big enough if filters through in other ways and I can go look at THAT for myself. And I haven’t voluntarily watched television [I have three kids who like to share a movie with mom sometimes] in years when there wasn’t laundry to be folded – even then I watch a movie.
    I hope this all gives you some peace! It also helps me to meditate each day, and sometimes I listen to visualizations from trusted places as I fall asleep – prevents the chatter in my brain from affecting any visualization *I* might come up with!

    Reply
  7. Penni says:

    Excellent ideas! The enemy is always trying to fill out time with busyness, so we have no time left for God and what He may want to say to us. In this current age of technology, it seems most are unable to put down their phones, tablets, etc for even a minute and listen for His promptings or just bask in His presence.

    Reply
  8. Doris Moore says:

    These thoughts come to me at a good time. Our church Bible study is suspended for the summer, but still so important to spend time with God ALWAYS. And a great reminder that we are all bombarded with the sad, distressing state of the world’s news these days, so a ‘fast’ from TV and other negative news is really OK. We don’t have to be up on the latest events. Just wish we could establish a ‘good news center’ that would share the many good deeds and ‘pay it forward acts’ that are done each day. Because it does happen – just rarely makes the TV, newspaper reports.

    Reply
  9. Chris says:

    Regarding your last point about guarding your mind – I do the same thing. I will lay in bed and conjure up all kinds of scenarios and keep myself from falling asleep. I have taken to telling myself to think of one specific thing only and that usually clears my mind and helps me to relax and fall asleep. Usually I will think about something coming up that I am really looking forward to, like a trip, or a special day with family. It really does work!

    Reply
  10. Marie Keefe says:

    These are all wonderful ideas. I think I’ll try some of them myself. I hope you will follow up after the 30 days and let us know how it worked for you.

    Reply
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