Family and friends are everything. The support we receive from those around us is irreplaceable. They are there in times of triumph, and there when you are in doubt. They provide you with soothing advice, especially when you can’t find a solution within yourself. The people you trust in your life are there to lift you up when you begin to doubt yourself. They have the ability to bring you back to reality when your mind takes you to far away places. It’s almost like they have magic powers.

Speaking of Halloween coming up, I’d like to discuss the topic of monsters. These “monsters” are not the ones that live under your bed, and not in your closet either. The ones I am talking about live inside your head. They come in different forms, shapes, and sizes, all wreaking havoc on different corners of your mind. They can haunt your dreams and exist in your daily routine. For some people, their “monsters” can create a barrier between themselves and the people around them because they surround themselves with negative thoughts and actions.

I don’t know where they come from and how they get there, but once they implant themselves inside of your head, and you don’t deal with it immediately, it may feel like they have become permanent fixtures. There are so many different things that can lure the “monsters” in: traumatic events, low self-esteem, genetics, addiction, you name it, and they come in the form of anxiety, depression, self-loathing, self-doubt, and the need to receive approval from those around you or whom you look up to.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a terrible place. We allow the bad thoughts — the “monsters” — to take the reigns on our thoughts and, ultimately, our actions. We trick ourselves into believing that our current state of being may never change, and therefore, don’t ever try to think of the positive alternatives. So the question becomes, how do we listen to the advice we are given externally by others, and translate it internally to change our lives by changing our ways of thinking?

Though I know I don’t have the correct answer to the question in front of me, I know I can take a guess at what it might be related to. We are the thinkers of our own thoughts. We create our own realities by allowing and restricting the things going on around us to affect our thoughts. We have the power to choose the way our lives will turn out. For many of us, it will not be easy to do. The change wouldn’t be immediate either. Finding yourself is a process within itself. It may even take a lifetime for some to be able to feel “complete” within their lives and how they look at themselves. For others, it also may never truly feel complete (which isn’t such a bad thing either).

As we go through life, we are constantly changing and growing. Certain things that we go through may help to speed up the process, but we are influenced by life experiences. The key to finding true happiness and comfort within ourselves is by allowing both the good and the bad thoughts in, and deciphering how they should be handled. There is no saying that some days will be much harder than others. There will be days when you will feel like you are back to square one. The “monsters” will return. They will intrude into your mind and try to coerce you into going back into the darkness, but once you allow yourself to experience the “light” you will attain the tools you need to quickly snap out of it.

There is so much more to life than worry, fear, and angst. Everyone deserves to be happy, and there are ways to maintain a healthy mental balance. I am learning each day with each new experience I encounter. I receive advice from my family, but the only way I, or anyone else in my position, will truly feel “whole” is when we open ourselves to the idea that we have the reigns over our thoughts and most importantly, our lives both present and future. Take it from me, it is never too late to be happy within yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally. Life is far too short to dwell on what is out of your control, just put your all into today, and work on yourself a little further with each new day.

“Think Happy Thoughts.”