Is Your Ship Going Down?
July 20, 2009 by Joe Gigantino
“Avoid destructive thinking. Improper negative thoughts sink people. A ship can sail around the world many, many times, but just let enough water get into the ship and it will sink. Just so with the human mind. Let enough negative thoughts or improper thoughts get into the human mind, and the person sinks just like a ship. ~ Alfred A. Montapert
Every time you turn around, you hear about the toxic environment of which we live – the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat. We purchase air and water purifiers, organic food and sometimes even toxic-free personal care products. We take supplements that act as detoxifiers to our bodies, we practice deep breathing and exercise wholeheartedly to do our part to rid ourselves of those deadly toxins. You may be reading this thinking “Yes, that’s me – I am doing my part to live a toxic-free life.”
That’s great – you’re doing better than the majority of people, but what about your relationships?
Webster defines toxic as “Acting or as having the effect of a poison; poisonous.” Are you surrounding yourself with positive people who lift you up, or do you have people in your life who bring you down? Maybe you’ve been with someone for a period of time and when they leave, you feel drained of energy, as if the very life had been sucked out of you. These people are toxic to your life – yes, just like poisonous substances in your body. You may even begin to feel sick and experience physical symptoms like a headache or stomachache. Toxic people are extremely negative, nasty, narcissistic, and miserable.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “Misery loves company.” It’s so true – miserable, toxic people want you to feel as lousy as they do about life!
When you’re around negative, toxic people for any length of time, their thoughts and negative energy start to transfer over to you. The best thing to do when you’re around a toxic person is to walk away. However, this may not always be doable. If that’s the case, then you need to mentally walk away – disengage or detach yourself. It is a mental skill and very necessary to preserve your own mental health.
One way to detach is to begin to repeat positive affirmations over and over to yourself. These affirmations will begin to negate the bad energy that is attempting to overtake you.
When dealing with toxic people, remember that exercise not only works on your physical health, but also on your mental or emotional health. It helps the body by producing healing chemicals that will repair your body, helping you think more clearly. It also encourages the release of endorphins, the chemicals that relieve pain and help you to feel good both mentally and physically.
For all of you who know me personally, you know that negativity has no place in my life. I choose to see the glass half full rather than half empty, and refuse to be brought down to the level of those who find fault in the most common, everyday situations. If your ship is filling with water, and you feel yourself suddenly sinking, surround yourself with positive, supportive, uplifting people. There is strength in numbers, and these like-minded people will become a great defense against the toxic people in your life – soon eliminating negative influences, allowing your ship to rise above the others setting sail for the ride of your life.
What are you waiting for? Get on board and join me!
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Joe, This is a great post. Particularly for a Monday morning. I have found what you say to be true; however, difficult to keep myself detached from this toxicity.
Appreciate your suggestions and especially your postive comments and support here, on Twitter and on FB – it’s very helpful.
Have an awesome day!
Cheryl B.
Hey Cheryl, thanks for the kind words… yes sometimes we can’t break away from those relationships, but the good news is your positive attitude will eventually rub off!
- Joe G.
Can you share me your Wordpress theme which you using? I like your theme. Thank you so much!
Yes, we use the streamline theme