Questions from a self help book. (Yes, one of those.)

How do you define negative self-talk?

Something that cripples me from achieving my goals and living my life to the fullest.

What factors play the greatest role in causing negative self-talk for you?

Going back to things that happened in the past plays a pretty big role in my negative self-talk; it is as if I am not able to forgive myself of some of my failures sometimes. Especially because of a relationship that went sour that meant the whole world to me. I have not been the same since.

How important is positive self-talk to the body of Christ?

It is extremely important. Negativity kills the soul and positivity awakens the soul. And Jesus himself even mentions this; To be kind to one another. I could use examples from the Bible but this not that type of blog. It is just a reflection to help me get through this funkiness I am feeling.

Why is it important to question negative thoughts?

You will never recover if you don't. We all experience these thoughts from time to time. Some of us are more sensitive than others. I am an extremely sensitive person and find it hard to cope at times. Maybe I have a mental illness. I feel like I have my ups and downs; like I am playing "tug of war" with myself.

What distracts you from your daily Christian walk?

Everything. My home environment. My doubts. My self-pity. I am just an extreme case of negativity sometimes that makes people not want to be around me.

How do you overcome distractions? 

I just try to get up every morning and tell myself "Today is a new day." Sometimes getting up for me, is a huge step.

Have you ever taken your eyes off God's promises and start sinking? How did you recover?

All the time... who doesn't? As human beings, we all do this. I recover one day at a time and thank God for another day of hope. That is all we can do sometimes.

What kind of damage can be caused by an uncontrolled tongue?

An uncontrolled tongue may hurt someone you did not mean to. Also, with the age of technology, sometimes an uncontrolled hand and mind can cause serious damage through email or texting. It is helpful to vent sometimes, but also be careful what you send someone. Try to stay positive the best way you can and keep the venting to yourself. This is not an easy thing to do. I know I am a culprit of letting my emotions get the best of me, but I find typing out your anger and then deleting it and sending positive words to someone always helps.