Just Do the Work

Lately I have been going to therapy. Just about every week I meet with a psychologist, one who specializes in cognitive therapy. This type of therapy is defined as follows:

1. Cognitive behavioral therapy (also known by its abbreviation, CBT) is a short-term, goal-oriented psychotherapy treatment that takes a hands-on, practical approach to problem-solving. Its goal is to change patterns of thinking or behavior that are behind people's difficulties, and so change the way they feel.

So far I feel that I have made a number of "breakthroughs". Part of the therapy is a sort of meditation practice in which you quiet your mind, and make note of the thoughts that flow through you. You identify the patterns, and then determine the actions needed to change the ones that do not serve you. 

One of my patterns stems from my natural tendency to lean toward the "dramatic". As a writer, I color my experiences with descriptive thoughts that tell a story. The story then becomes my reality. I have to be more mindful of the stories that I tell myself, as my reality can go one of two ways; having a negative or positive effect on my overall outlook and mood. 

This is much easier said than done. I have been using this thought pattern my whole life. Changing it will take practice...not only in making the unconscious - conscious but also taking the time out of my day, every single day to meditate on my state of mind. 

It is frustrating to me - to know so much about how to help myself and not be able to have the immediate satisfaction of just being better by default of knowing what needs to be done to fix it. 

My mantra going forward is: JUST DO THE WORK.