If you’re reading this, you’ve made it through more than most people know, and I want to say this first: I’m glad you’re here...

We all carry thoughts that wear us down. Some of them we’ve picked up from other people. Some we've whispered to ourselves in quiet despair. Over time, they start to feel like facts, like furniture in our minds. But they’re not truths... They’re just old echoes and you don’t have to live by them anymore.

What follows is a gentle invitation to notice what’s no longer helping you. Not to shame or scold, but to offer something softer. A little more space. A little more kindness toward yourself.

These are the thoughts we all wrestle with, sometimes daily. You’re not broken for having them. You don’t need to fix everything at once. Just start where you are. Take what helps. Leave what doesn’t.

You won't be the first, you won't be last...

Our emotions? Great servants, terrible masters. They shape our world, but most of us don’t even notice when our thoughts turn toxic, sneaking in like bad habits disguised as “normal.” Here are 12 common toxic mind-traps you’ll want to ditch if you’re serious about living better:

1. Playing the Victim.
   Stop blaming everyone and everything for your problems. Hate where you are? Fine. But only you hold the map to your escape. Own your power, or be stuck in the same story forever.
2. Thinking You Can Change Others.
   News flash: You can’t. Change happens inside people, or it doesn’t. Your job? Decide who deserves your time, and who doesn’t.
3. Fighting Reality.
   Some things bend to your will, your habits, your passions, your choices. Others? They’re just reality’s cold, hard facts. Stop wrestling with the unchangeable and save your strength for what you can shift.
4. Believing the Grass is Greener.
   Spoiler Alert! It’s not. Appreciate the patch you’re standing on. Water it, love it, Care for it, own it...
5. Expecting Others to Meet Your Standards.
   Expectations are happiness’s sneaky assassins. Just because you expect something, doesn’t mean it’s theirs to deliver. Let go, accept or walk away...
6. Needing a Partner to Complete You.
   If you’re not whole solo, no soulmate will fix that. Happiness is your solo gig, not a duet.
7. Needing to Be Right.
   Why fight to prove you’re right? Maybe it’s fear, fear of looking weak or wrong. Real strength is in saying; “I was wrong,” and still standing tall.
8. Worrying About What Others Think.
   Guess what? They’re busy worrying about themselves. So do you. Do what lights you up and shrug off the noise.
9. One Right, One Wrong.
   Truth is personal, shaped by perspective. Your “right” may be someone else’s “wrong.” Welcome to the messy, colourful world of subjectivity.
10. Worrying About the Future Because You Feel Unprepared.
    Worry is praying for what you don’t want. Focus on the now, the only thing you can really hold. The future? It’ll show up when it does.
11. Equating Money with Happiness.
    Money talks but it rarely sings. True joy? Comes from inside, not your bank account.
12. Believing Your Past Defines Your Future.
    Your past is a story, but it’s not the final draft. Change your narrative, and you change your life.

Has this lit up any toxic thoughts hiding in your head?

Catch them, question them and let the light in.

Accent the positive.

Delete the negative.

Write your life with a lighter, brighter tone... ;)