by Fr. Wilfredo Samson, SJ
1. GARBAGE OUT – Some people have lots of emotional baggags in their hearts. They are in pain, frustrated, wounded, and some even hate their lives. And they don’t like to see happy, peaceful, and stable people. Misery loves company. And so, they will throw their emotional baggage to us. Don’t accept them. Don’t be affected. They can hurt you, but don’t allow them to destroy your inner peace. Their garbage is not your garbage. Don’t accept them.
2. PRAISES IN – Don’t reject praises and good words from others. If people say good words and praises for you, humbly accept them. It’s not pride. These positive feedbacks are validations that you are doing well. We need to love ourselves by accepting these positive words. Just say, “Thank you. It’s my joy to serve others.”
3. BREATH IN AND BREATH OUT – When your mind is tensed, tired, and anxious, pause for a while, and do some breathing exercises. Close your eyes for a few seconds, breath out all your negatives, and breath-in slowly the love of God floating in the air.
4. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS – When we are anxious, we tend to forget our life’s blessings. Start counting your blessings. There is wisdom in counting our graces, it reminds us that God knows our needs. If God guides, He provides.
5. BE POSITIVELY HOPEFUL – Positive hopeful thoughts generate a positive ambience to our hearts and minds. They make our tense mind more relaxed. They disposed ourselves to be more spontaneous, creative, and happy. Our minds seem to shrink when we are so pessimistic. Remember, positive attitude attracts positive opportunities and positive people. It disposes us to see the light and the good road to take.
6. A DAILY DOSE OF POCKETS OF PRAYERS – A daily minutes of silence and prayer will help us a lot. Pockets of prayers are better than not praying at all. God loves to hear a quick “Hello, God” and “Lord, what’s next?” than wait for your annual retreat when you’re not busy anymore. Sad to say, we are busy 365 days a year.
7. A TAP ON OTHER’S SHOULDER – It’s good to know that doing something for others bring more blessings. We feel good and blessed when caring becomes part of our habit. Our kindness begets kindness from others.
8. REGULARLY TAKE YOUR BIBLE CAPSULES – Reciting prayerfully our favourite Bible verses can create ripples in our hearts. Prayerfully repeat them many times. Allow God’s Word to touch your inner core. It is an antidote to our anxious mind and weak spirit. What’s your favourite verse? What about this one … “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. (Psalm 23:1)”
9. MINIMIZE AND MAXIMIZE – Be good to yourself. Love yourself. If you cannot love yourself, you cannot love others genuinely. Minimize condemning and blaming yourself. Don’t be harsh to yourself. Be patient. Forgive yourself if you made a mistake or failed. There is always a bad hair day. Instead, magnify God’s unconditional love, patience, and understanding. Be good to yourself, you’re a good person.
10. DON’T KEEP ROTTEN EGGS – Make sure you don’t keep in your hearts those feelings of resentment, anger, envy, and hate. How to handle them? First, accept they are there. Then, slowly let go of them. Cast out all these negative feelings from your system. Beg the Holy Spirit to cleanse your heart from these rotten thoughts.
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