Misery

We must avoid the deliberate manufacture of misery. –  Anon.

Nothing is more miserable than self pity. Can I get an amen?  All you can think about is you and how miserable you are. And then you’re  in this miserable bubble.  And no one sets out to be in a miserable bubble. It’s not like anyone wakes up and says, “I know what I’m gonna do today. I’m going to be miserable. Yay. Fun.”

No. Self pity is a habit rooted in selfishness.  It’s really just a habit. But habits can be hard to break. I’ve been trying to break the sweets habit for years.

A person only has so much energy.  We can foolishly burn it up by thinking about our little selves and our terrible, awful, no-good, very bad position that we are in. Or we can use that same energy thinking to build ourselves up.

When I find myself stuck in the rut of “poor me” I can take action.  I can:

• Call a friend
• Talk to God
• Go for a walk
• Read some encouraging words
• Journal
• Exercise
• Help someone

It really doesn’t matter if I FEEL like taking action. I just do it.  Even if my self pity thinks that it won’t work for me (just everyone else but not me), I do it anyway.

Just for Today

Today, as soon as I notice that I am manufacturing my own misery, I will take action to get out of it.

Prayer

God, help me to recognize when I’m wrapped up in my negative self talk. Give me another line of thinking and grant me the power to take action to loosen its grip on my mind.   Remind me that you have my back and want me to be happy and free of self induced misery.