Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)
A great way to defeat depression and anxiety is to get out of your head. One common technique for getting out of your head is to talk to the person in the mirror. Yes, that person. You are the person in the mirror.
Okay, what does that mean? It goes like this. In the mirror who do you see? No surprise there. The person talking to the mirror (you again) is either the Evil You or the Best Friend You. The difference is important. Evil You says nasty things about your looks, your abilities, your habits, and especially mistakes you made. Evil You is also the critical voice you hear in your head during the day. People are sensitive to mistakes and how those mistakes make them look. Teens and young adults are the most sensitive about mistakes they make. The Evil You doesn’t want you to forget those mistakes and even more, makes you remember mistakes long past when it has been forgotten by others.
Your Best Friend You is like a best friend. They look at you in the mirror and see the best and they don’t reinforce the worst. They are realistic but encourage mirror you to mistakes. Best Friend You helps to repair problems and build up the person in the mirror.
Every day you get up and decide to be either the Evil You or the Best Friend You to yourself. To get out of your head, decide to be the Best Friend You. Tell them the facts of the mistake but don’t allow Mirror You to fantasize about what people thought or how your life is ruined because of a mistake. People are too busy to think about you and your fantasy about the results of your mistake has a 99 percent chance of being wrong.
What would they say if they were talking to a friend other than the one in the mirror? It is time to help and encourage yourself the same way you try to help and encourage others.
If you decide to look in the mirror and talk to that person as their Best Friend You (BFY), the you in the mirror will have a better day. So, pay more attention to your BFY and much less to the Evil You. If you do, you will be less depressed and anxious.
Promise.
Blessings,
Tom
Hebrews 3:13 — But encourage one another daily (e.g.-your Best Friend You to You as well as others), as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.