Our thoughts can lie to us.

But when we pause, question them, and look with kindness… healing begins.

When we are in the middle of a dark night of the soul, whether from grief, physical pain, or massive change, the light is just around the bend. The hard part is we can’t always see it while we’re in it. We forget that we don’t have the big picture. A grander version of ourselves is waiting to be born, and this passage is preparing us for that.

I don’t know about you, but every time I’ve gone through a dark night, when the light finally returns it feels exhilarating, freeing, even grand. And almost always, it brings big changes for the better. Remember, without the darkness we would never truly appreciate the light.

One tool that helps is learning to question our thoughts. David D. Burns, author of Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy and many other books, is an expert in this.

Here’s an example: If the thought says, “I am a failure,” that’s distorted. The truth might be something like, “I care deeply about what I do and what I bring to the world. That makes me responsible and caring.” See the shift?

When I wrote down my own thoughts and feelings, then replaced the distortions with new truths, I literally felt a cloud lift. The light that had always been there began to shine through.

This practice leads to more and more positive thinking, which then creates a new reality. That doesn’t mean we skip our emotions – no. We feel them fully until they’re complete, so they don’t sit in our bodies festering.

💜 So let me ask you: What thoughts are swirling through your mind these days? Are they distorted? And if so, which truths could you choose instead? You get to decide which thoughts.