The instant that I can switch my thoughts
to something that makes me laugh, I can
feel my energy shift. Sure enough, if I am
frustrated with something, then my computer
doesn’t work, and I burn my dinner and I
accidently hit myself on a shelf... and on
it goes. Then the words ‘nothing is going
right’ come out of my mouth. No, I created
all of that. The key is to recognise when my
thoughts are changing to negative ones, and
to find a way to shift them. This doesn’t stop
me from losing my temper sometimes: that
still happens, but when it does, I notice and
actively shift the energy rather than wallow
in it and exacerbate the problem. Journaling
definitely helps with this. Yes, we have bad
things happen, but most of us also have a
heck of a lot of good in our lives.
3. Read and listen to things that
feed my mind
This is like nutrition for the brain. Being
around people who have lower energy,
listening to the news, reading the paper,
or even reading a rant on social media is
like junk food. A little bit once in a while is
OK, but it should not be your daily diet. I
listen to awesome audio books about selfimprovement,
listen to CD’s in my car about
personal development and spend some time
every day reading a book that will help me
grow. The only junk food I feed my mind
is some TV, and even then I try to choose
shows that will relax rather than agitate me.
I consciously ignore rants on social media:
they really are only people’s opinions (to
which they are entitled), and I don’t have to
buy into them or agree.
4. Counselling
I attend a counselling session every two
weeks. Oddly, sharing with your family and
close friends is not always healthy because
they will give you an answer that serves them. It is natural – we all
do it. Counselling is different because you are sitting in front of
someone who has no personal vested interest in you, and who has
been trained to listen and ask questions that make you really think
and see things differently.
It is not the counsellor’s job to provide you with answers: you
come up with your own solutions, but you need to be guided. It is like
a group fitness instructor or personal trainer: someone who has more
knowledge and experience in the field can guide you to a mental
shift. Talking about personal ‘stuff’ in front of someone who is paid
to listen is very different to bombarding a friend, who has their own
stuff going on too. I always used to feel guilty about dumping my
problems on acquaintances, because even though it might have felt
good to get things off my chest in the moment, it never did later on.
My counsellor is someone I trust and who has helped me navigate
through some tricky times with authenticity, integrity and honesty.
These four key behaviours have trained me to recognise thoughts
as being just that – thoughts. If I focus on them long enough, they
become beliefs and then my life follows what I believe. I have written
down what I would like my life to be – happy. I have also written down
what happy looks and feels like. I can now say, having suffered from
depression and eating disorders for most of my life, that I am happy,
even now in these testing times. But it took training – lots and lots
of training. This isn’t to say that you can’t start reaping the benefits
sooner though: although it didn’t happen overnight, I experienced a
positive change after just one week of meditation.
All of this has trained my mental resilience. When a crisis hits, I
can fall off the rails for a little bit, but then I see opportunities. They
usually come to me during my meditations. And then there is the
wow moment. Holy Cow! This is such a great opportunity to… and
away I go.
Marietta Mehanni
Marietta is a multi-award-winning presenter with over 30
years’ teaching experience in both land and water-based
group fitness. She is also an instructor mentor, World
Master Trainer and education coordinator for Gymstick
International, co-founder of MyGroupMove and co-creator
of mSwing Education.
NETWORK WINTER 2020 | 43