Emotional Wellbeing

Question #1. Have you ever been in a situation where your perception has been affected by possible low brain function caused by stress? Describe how you felt during this situation and what steps you took to destress.

After graduating college, I experienced depression. My dreams of becoming a nun or a missionary were not coming to fruition and I felt lost. I was in a dark place where I lacked sleep and proper nutrition. Fortunately, I found help in psych. professionals, my family, and proper exercise.

Question #2. How have you overcome negative thoughts or pessimism?

Pessimism is a form of a cognitive distortion–a trick or lie of the mind influenced by past experience. To combat these lies, it is important to speak about them out loud. Often times, irrational thoughts are destroyed by speaking about them frequently with a compassionate person. Another important weapon against pessimism is replacing pessimistic thoughts with optimistic ones. It could help to post inspirational quotes in places you will often see them, or to write about the positive things you are experiencing in addition to the negative ones.

Question #3. How can you be more present and intentional in your everyday decision making and activities?
I am happy to say that this is not something I struggle with currently, but there is always room for improvement. To be more present to what is happening in my life, it would be good to get more sleep. This would make my perception clearer and allow me to be more refreshed.