Get Ya Mind Right!

A million times, over the years, we have heard this term: “Get Ya Mind Right!” From individual conversations, to “self help” books, in the lyrics of the music we jam to, and more recently all over social media in numerous funny memes; as well as scattered throughout our television programming from characters engaging in friendly banter or comedic expression, or even on the more serious, reality style focused programming, when real people are examining stuck points in their lives!

But what does this phrase really mean?

What is this idea of “getting our minds right”, and why is this so important? For many, particularly for those of us providing therapy services, when this is stated by clients, this phrase can mean addressing whatever mental health concerns or circumstances that might be taking away from our abilities to enjoy life, experience pleasure, let difficult circumstances or people go, move past a traumatic or difficult event, or simply be present and enjoy the current experiences life is offering. Additionally, in the fields of sports and performance psychology, often this phrase means regaining your focus, blocking out any distracting outside influences, focusing on perfection (or close to it), visualizing a win or a “peak performance” opportunity, etc.

I’d actually like to think that while the phrase may be represented in differing discussions and settings, with differing themes, the point and purpose of the phrase still remains the same! “Getting Ya Mind Right”, no matter the circumstance, still includes this process of understanding what is taking away your ability to meet your goals, engage in the experiences you hope to or want to have, seek and find fulfillment or happiness, and ultimately have the best experiences possible, no matter life’s circumstances, whether that’s at life or at play! Finding support in seeking therapy, or even just education and consultation to understand what may be interfering with your ability to “Get ya mind right” is a wonderful step in the right direction to identify these interfering factors, and also find helpful ways to cope or remove them from your process. I’d like to encourage you today to consider what may be stopping you from “Getting Your Mind Right” or simply living your best life. What ways have you tried to address this in the past? Have they worked? What different options have you considered? Is therapy one of them? If not, why? What will it take to consider therapy as a support tool for you?

Here is an example of the power of therapy that I love to often use…If your leg was broken, and you kept walking on it expecting it to heal, simply because its slightly functional and you are able to keep using it, would that be a realistic way of expecting change, or expecting something positive to happen for your leg to heal? I don’t know about you, but at some point, I’m almost positive that leg would give out! Recognizing and seeking support when our “minds are not right” often represents this same unrealistic challenge. How about trying something new and considering how therapy can potentially be a source of support, or even revisiting therapy as an already tried and proven support that has helped in the past?

There’s no better time than the present to “Get Ya Mind Right”!

Dr. Carolyn