You Are Not Alone
Our purpose is to help people of all ages navigate life. As a mother and son team, Debbie and Greg come together to talk about the realities and struggles all of us face in today’s world. They cover a wide array of topics from mental health to current events to teaching on topics that help us do life. As Christians, they know there is one thing that brings peace, hope, and encouragement to anything life throws at us, and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Come along on the ride to learn what this means and how to get it. Your heart and life will be changed forever!
You Are Not Alone
Living a Healthier Lifestyle Series: Embracing Positivity for a Brighter Future
Could negative thinking be the silent saboteur of your happiness? Discover how stress, overwhelming responsibilities, and self-criticism can anchor you in a negative mindset, and more importantly, learn the strategies to break free. Join Debbie and Greg as they unpack the pernicious effects of negative self-talk and emphasize the importance of focusing on your strengths and positive attributes. Drawing from Psalm 139:14, they remind us that everyone is fearfully and wonderfully made, encouraging listeners to shed the weight of past failures and embrace a hopeful future. They also discuss how world events and media can amplify negativity and offer tips to stay vigilant against these influences.
Negativity from close relationships can often shape one's outlook on life more than we realize. Debbie and Greg delve into the impact of spending time with negative people and how their attitudes can transform us. Through self-awareness and conscious effort, they show how to foster a more positive mindset and improve overall quality of life. Reflecting on Proverbs 4:23, they emphasize the importance of guarding one’s heart and nurturing positive attributes. Stay tuned to hear an exciting announcement about their upcoming vacation, and don’t miss the heartfelt gratitude they share for their listeners' unwavering support. This episode is a beacon of hope, encouragement, and a reminder that you are not alone in your journey.
Hello and welcome to another episode of the you Are Not Alone podcast. My name is Debbie Gold and I'm here with my co-host and son, greg, and we are so glad that you're here with us. Each week on this show, we will talk about informative issues, issues that will make you think and help you grow. It is our wish that you will find hope, encouragement and a little bit of Jesus in every episode. Find hope, encouragement and a little bit of Jesus in every episode. Hello, welcome to another episode of the you Are Not Alone podcast.
Speaker 2:This is Debbie. I'm Greg.
Speaker 1:And we are finishing up our series on healthy living, and today we're going to be talking about negative thinking. So it's come up in our, it's been brought to our attention in many ways recently and we're like we need to podcast about that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're all like talking with people in the current state of the world just so many different things. Right now it's like we've got to touch on this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so here we are, All right, so we're going to get started on that in just a minute. Just want to remind you of a few things. We have our website up now and you can go to that at debbie, d-e-b-b-i-e and greggoldcom. Also, if you have comments about today's show or some things that you would like to hear us speak to maybe something you're struggling with yourself or have questions about you can go to the show notes and there's a little button there, a place to click. It says send us a text message, so you can send us a message there. Um, also, we're really excited and we talked, we mentioned this last week, but we are now on our. Our podcast episodes are now on.
Speaker 1:YouTube, and so you can find us there as well. So let's get started, greg.
Speaker 2:Let's do it.
Speaker 1:All right. Negative thinking yeah, how do we get into that Negative thinking?
Speaker 2:I think you put I don't know. I think it's a combination of things like sometimes stress, you know you can just think negative or too many things going on in your life. I think there's a bunch of different reasons.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I see that you know, when there's so much going on in my life, or maybe my day, man, I can just go down that.
Speaker 2:Or when nothing seems to be like going right. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I can be so like. This is horrible. I'm never going to get through all this. Why me?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, negative self-talk, right yeah.
Speaker 1:So there's a lot of that going on in my head when I have days like that. Yeah, so that's just the reality of it all.
Speaker 2:And I'm sure y'all can relate to that. Yeah, that is true. Um, I mean, think about it. You're seeing, when you point out the negative, you're pointing out like weaknesses, failures, stuff that like wasn't good enough, or just the opposite of the positive, basically, and it just drags you down.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So when we look at ourselves, basically yeah. Yeah, if we focus so much on our like you said weaknesses, our failures are um, all that, yeah, that's not good, that's not healthy. Those are important things to know about yourself, I think, uh, and cause you want to work on those Right, but I think we we really need to put that emphasis on good things about ourselves, like you know, make a list. If you can't name a couple things off right now on the top of your head, sit down and make.
Speaker 2:Make a list, because there are definitely positive things also like realizing why you're like catching yourself when you're saying negative things. You know because sometimes you can say stuff without even knowing it yeah so you just get caught up in it, paying attention to your thinking and what you're telling yourself the negative self-talk.
Speaker 1:I think we did. Didn't we do an episode on negative self-talk?
Speaker 2:we did. Yeah, I think we did.
Speaker 1:Maybe that's another thing to go back and reference for for our listeners.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, so I think, uh, you know what we were saying is putting the emphasis on good things. The Bible says I love this. In the Bible, psalm, chapter 139, verse 14, says I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, so God's made you how you are right, and you know he's always got a plan for us. And so I think that we have to really, you know, focus on where you're at, focus on the positive focus on what God has created you to be. And I really want to add in here that your history does not define who you are.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's good. I agree and God defines who you're going to become there you go.
Speaker 1:So if you get anything from this message today, please take that with you, because that is so important, because we all have a past and we all have some ugly and we all have things that we're not proud of. Um, but guess what? That doesn't define who we are today Nobody's perfect, nobody's perfect. Absolutely. We were not created that way.
Speaker 2:I think another thing I want to say about like negativities, like we see it so often in our current world. I mean, you turn on the news. What's it going to be about? The war? Uh, the border cry, the border crisis, just different things like that. It's never on the positive. I don't even know the last time I turned on the news network and saw something positive. Yeah, like some breaking news or something like that.
Speaker 1:You've got me thinking and I'm going, oh wow.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean today even just the Hamas leader, the whole thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the Hamas leader and all that. It's just they're talking about retaliation and the possibility of another. It's just like almost fear mongering. So, yeah, just dragging you down. My dad always used to say that too. He's like you always look at the negative and you never look at the positive, and that is really true, so it's a really uh important way to think about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think too. Looking at news and I don't know politics I suppose Media, yeah, media, I don't know Just all of it. It's kind of global. It feels like there's so much with the election coming up in November for a new president. There's so much political bashing going on right now. Well, I think there has been, ever since Trump came into office, back you know what? Two term, a term ago or two terms ago, however you want to look at it. But, um, you know, I feel like everyone is just they're.
Speaker 2:They're at each other's yes and they're so negative toward one another because, politics is a sensitive topic and that's where people put their feelings into, and you know it is that's where people put their feelings into. It is that's where people attack people from both sides, and all that.
Speaker 1:Right, but here's a couple things. Both sides are guilty of this. They accuse the other side of doing things that really they're not true, or they put slants on things.
Speaker 2:Or labels, yeah.
Speaker 1:And I know last week we talked about, you know, respecting others' differences and opinions. You don't have to agree with them, but you have to respect them.
Speaker 2:As a human being. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So, gosh, who do we talk to? Yeah, I would so love to see less of that kind of stuff that goes on in the media.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it's all in the negative. Now I've noticed Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:So what else I know? Oh gosh, a couple of things are hitting home with me right now. Um, growing up in a negative environment, there you go. I'm not sure I would say my environment was negative, but I know people that did come from a negative environment and that has an effect. I mean it. It can't. I mean knowing what I know about. You know my social work, my social work background and stuff that you know. Our environment, you know we're a product of what we are.
Speaker 2:It determines when we came.
Speaker 1:It has an effect on us. It does so, but that doesn't mean it has to define you like we were talking about. It means that you may have this. Because of that, you may be negative, because that's what you've heard in your family a lot.
Speaker 2:That's where you came from, or whatever.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but you have the ability to change that. Yes, absolutely Absolutely, and that's why we're here to help you, you know, think about those things and think about what you might be able to do differently.
Speaker 2:That is so true. Yeah, like negative people can have such an influence. Like, let's say, parents are super negative and the kids are growing up um your kids around a negative parent the entire time that kid's gonna grow up to be a negative nancy basically, and just negative nancy not appreciate stuff and just look at did you make that up?
Speaker 1:I've heard it before sometime, a long time ago. Yeah, oh, negative, nelly is what I is that that it?
Speaker 2:Yeah? Well, there you go.
Speaker 1:You know, just got to be an N word, Sorry if you're a Nancy or Nelly, yeah, yeah. I think the other thing I've experienced personally is I've hung out with negative people.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:And I got negative.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it kind of spreads. I got negative. Yeah, it kinda spreads.
Speaker 1:I got sucked into that and that wasn't a good thing, because I was a pretty happy person and positive.
Speaker 2:And then that it just was an influence. What was like the change that you started to notice?
Speaker 1:Well, I started complaining and griping like they did. It wasn't. It was like you know, like going well, complaining about little stuff. Just like. Well, right, so my order got wrong. You know my order came to me wrong. It never works. Let's just fix it. You know it's not a big deal and you know going from that to bashing the place because they screwed up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, you see that difference there. Yeah, yeah, Like it was like.
Speaker 2:oh well, it goes from being understanding to putting blame on someone to putting blame on someone. Yeah exactly, I can see that yeah.
Speaker 1:And that's just a little example and I don't even know if that was really something I experienced, but I'm just trying to come up with something to illustrate it makes sense yeah.
Speaker 2:But you just, you find someone to blame or something or you're in that negative environment or headspace.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, because that's where you're at.
Speaker 2:yeah, and then you just go there yeah but, I don't know it's who you hang around with. Sometimes it will people influence us.
Speaker 1:It's like you know, I always said to kids show me your friends and I'll show you your future. I mean that that doesn't just go with friend, I mean with young people that's for all of us, for all yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So young and old.
Speaker 1:That is really true, Well wait, are you calling me old?
Speaker 2:No, everyone that listens, anyone that wants to listen, you got a little squirmy.
Speaker 1:That's funny. Oh good Anyway. So yeah, I don't know. It's not healthy to be negative. I think that's where I'm feeling I need to think about it just really can be a bad scene.
Speaker 2:Being negative throughout life can be harmful, because it can lead to chronic stress which can adversely affect your heart, your immune system, your overall well-being. It impacts your mental health too. It builds anxiety, depression and I don't know. It feels like a crappy quality of life, I guess yeah because ask yourself this why would you want to be?
Speaker 1:down and negative and unhappy versus being uplifting, smiling Bright positive yes. All those things, I mean gosh. That's like a no-brainer, right. So the good news is that, you know, with God's help, or with our focus on knowing that we have an issue with this, we can change it.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, if you realize that you have an issue within the first place, then that's great.
Speaker 1:Because some people are just yeah, that's like the first step for a lot of things. So absolutely yeah, so um also like relationships too.
Speaker 2:If you're negative all the time and you're trying to build up relationships, it's like not fun to be around. So true, it's just it's never like fun. It's always complaining about this, complaining about that, that it wears you out. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Very true.
Speaker 2:It can make it more hard for people to understand you, I guess, or get the point across.
Speaker 1:True yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And you're right. You don't want to be around people like that.
Speaker 2:Mm-mm.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I guess we all have a little bit of that in us, or maybe some more than others, I don't know. Nobody's perfect at all, so I know I can be negative sometimes Me too. Just being real.
Speaker 2:Yeah, me too so.
Speaker 1:But it's not becoming Mm. Hmm, yeah, so Anyway, I don't know. It's really interesting that you're talking about the whole. You know how being negative can affect you, because we really have been talking about.
Speaker 2:It affects your life and it can affect you yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and we have been talking about how are we living. You know to live healthier, and so this really truly does tie in.
Speaker 2:It's the complete opposite of it. Basically, yes, so, because if you're just in a negative environment all the time, nothing good comes out of that. So nothing at all so no, totally agree.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I want to. I think I want to end with. I was doing some reading um study stuff yesterday, I guess, and I know we were going to be talking about this topic and I came across Proverbs 4.23. Sorry, my contacts are dry. Okay, details, I'm not being negative. And that says Proverbs. 4.23 says Above all else, guide your heart, for everything you do flows from it, and I really thought that was a good scripture and a great way to end this episode.
Speaker 1:If we have a good heart and we have a heart that is positive. We're happy, we don't be judgmental.
Speaker 2:Full of love.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's full of love, love for others. We don't gossip, we don't do all those harmful things that sometimes feel like they're just kind of funny and it makes you feel good. Stop it. We can't do that, no more, right? So I think that's what's really important about this verse. You know again, above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it, and I know that personally speaking yeah, it's just changing your heart and well, when you're trying to be better, right so, and when you change your heart, guess what?
Speaker 1:your mind is changed, right? Life starts to change too, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Your life starts to change too.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Your life starts to get a little better. You don't have these issues that you had before. You build stronger connections with people because they realize, oh, this guy used to be all down every single time and now he's up and going, he's all happy, he's got a different outlook on life. Those are fun people to be around.
Speaker 1:They are happy. He's got a different outlook on life. Like. Those are fun people to be around. They are absolutely well, super up and happy ones. Yeah, yeah, so well said. I love that. Yeah, good, good example. Setting an example that way, um, okay, well, uh, is our show for today right, unless you guys something else, I think that's all for me okay, a short and sweet today.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, we do appreciate you guys tuning in and we hope that you found some value in what we talked about today. Uh, call of action for everyone we're going to ask you to stay focused on thinking positively and when you find yourself being negative, correct yourself catch yourself, then correct yourself. Yep, catch and correct. Mm-hmm, I feel like I'm going fishing. Oh yeah, there you go, catch and at least catch and correct. Anyway, we'll see you back here next week.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Greg is taking a little vacation. I'm taking a little vacation, so we'll be back.
Speaker 2:We may be talking about that, so we'll update you for sure, so it'll be fun Absolutely. So yeah, we'll update you for sure, so it'll be fun.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I'm excited for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:All right, so we'll see you back here next week, and thank you, jesus, for this episode and for the scripture that you placed on my heart. Just remember you're not alone. Make it a great day. We'll see you soon.