How to replace negative thinking with God's word

Mostly everyone has struggled with negative thoughts including myself. Some common examples of negative thoughts are "I can't do this ", " Nothing good ever happens for me " or me for example "Why can't I ever lose this weight". I will never forget the time I was at my aunt's restaurant in Puerto Rico, and I was complaining about how ugly my swimsuit looked while I ate a large plate of "camarones con tostones", in English (shrimps and fried plantains ) of course with a Pina Colada and a dessert. Honestly, we can surely be our own enemy without even realizing.

I then realized that my thoughts were very powerful. If I kept thinking and saying I looked ugly and fat my mind was gonna do everything to keep me that way. Whatever we think, we get the fruit of those thoughts whether they are bad or good. Proverbs 18: 20-21 says A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; And with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

In order to change our lives we must first change our mind, the way we think, feel or say. Positive thinking doesn't mean that you ignore unpleasant situations, which are part of life but approach unpleasantness in a positive way. The best way to replace negative thinking is with God’s words, his the maker of the Universe and everything in it. Here are some verses that have helped me overcome negative self-talk. 

Philippians 4:11–13 I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. 

Meaning you can fulfill any desire you set your mind to in Christ, this is honestly one of my favorite bible verses because it teaches us to be strong in any circumstance. 

Psalm 139:14 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that fully well.

Reminding us that we are perfectly made by our creator. We are beautiful, we are enough , and we are valuable, whenever our mind tells us otherwise remember this verse. 

Romans 15:13 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In every situation, trust in God and have faith that everything will work out. God says we are valuable, we can do anything through him and we are wonderfully made. Start thinking and seeing yourself the way God sees you.

A letter to my younger self

 Dear younger me,

There's so many things I want to tell you, but I first want to tell you thank you. Thank you for being so strong. I honestly don't know where to start  because your life has been a roller coaster. 

Isabelita, you are worth so much more than you think. I'm sorry that your mom left you when you were only 9 months and you had to figure out self love yourself and struggled so much. It wasn't easy, you are now just learning your self worth but you're getting there and I love you for that. You are more than enough in God's eyes so stop looking to find your worth, in relationships, or other people's approval. The only approval you need is the approval of God and yourself. 

Don't let your fears get in the way, follow your dreams. You have struggled with fear all your life, but I understand, you put a wall to everything because you're afraid to be rejected or left. Which is what has happened to you your whole life since you were born. With your parents leaving, all your relationships not working, you getting cheated on constantly and feeling so hurt and broken. There was a time when you even left yourself, you're true you, a beautiful gracious little girl that was always happy no matter how much pain she had in her heart. I  just want to remind you that you choose faith over fear, and God promised you to never leave you as long as you trust him. Trust God and his plans not yours, he has the best way for you.

Don't let the past failure and obstacles hunt you, learn to let go and forgive the people that have wronged you. That is the only way to grow. Learn from your pain and use it for good, don't do what was done to you never not even to your worst enemy. Instead bless the people that have hurt you and pray for them.

Love yourself unconditionally, with your flaws and all. You're so beautiful just the way you are. Skinny, fat, long or short hair, with makeup on or without makeup. You have accomplished so much all by yourself. Give yourself some credit. You're amazing, stop being so hard on yourself you're imperfectly beautiful.

Also don't chase love babygirl, the person that truly loves you will never leave. You're not gonna have to chase them or beg them to stay, you're not going to beg the person to take you out for dinner, or travel with you or just simply be  with you. What for you will never leave you alone! always remember that. 

Younger me, be grateful for all you have, always. You are truly blessed. Remember when you worked at LA Fitness making $11 an hour cleaning a gym? Look at how far you have come, you have your own house, your dream car, you always dreamed of having a white Mercedes Benz and look, that's the car you're driving now! You're blessed with a handsome son that's healthy and is very smart. 

Be thankful for the people that love you and support you and always give the same love and support you want to receive from others.

Love, Claritza 

- Future self,  you're going to be a successful business woman just like you always dreamed, you're gonna live a life of abundance, buy your dream house and accomplish all of your dreams In the name of Jesus. You will find that white, loyal handsome man you always dreamed of. He will love you unconditionally regardless of all that you have been through and he will never let you go ☺

My favorite self care activities

Living a healthy life isn’t just about your physical health, what’s on your dinner plate or what you do at the gym. True wellness focuses on your mental, social, and emotional health, too. Here are some of my favorite self care activities.
1. Reading 

I have always been a reader. I can read easily 1-2 books a week and not get bored. I was  reading an article last week and I learned that Reading is good for you because it improves your focus, memory, empathy, and communication skills. Even though I'm not the best communicator,lol, reading also  reduces stress, improves your mental health. Reading also allows you to learn new things to help you succeed in your work and relationships. 

2. Exercising

Honestly I am not a go hard gym woman, but I can say that going to the gym 2-3 times a week for at least 1 hour has changed the way I feel. Especially since I work from home and I have to sit for long hours at my desk. Being physically active can improve your brain health, help manage weight, reduce the risk of disease, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve your ability to do everyday activities.

3. Soaking myself in a bubble bath 

There's nothing better than a hot shower with bubbles after a very stressful day at work. I don't know about you but I added Rose paddles and put on some relaxing music. I love it, bubble baths are my favorites.

4.Getting my hair and nails done

You may not notice but getting my hair done and nails done do wonders to my confidence. Especially now that I no longer wear hair extensions I feel so confident with my short Bob and . Getting a manicure and pedicure regularly also helps me to relax and  enjoy my soft, smooth and polished hands and feet. 

5. Listening to relaxing Christian or Country music 

There's something about Christian songs that makes me feel more optimistic and positive about life. When i’m finished work that's the first thing I do  “ Alexa put Christian worship songs “ music reduces my stress 100 percent 

6. Connecting with Nature 

Research shows that people who are more connected with nature are usually happier in life and more likely to report that their lives are worthwhile. Nature can generate many positive emotions, such as calmness, joy, and creativity and can facilitate concentration and I agree because, every time I take a walk or even take care of my plants I feel so much better and positive.

Try one of these self care activities at least once a month, you'll feel so much better!

Tips on how to overcome depression

 Depression is serious, it’s definitely not something I would wish on anybody. There was a time in my life that I thought I would never get out of feeling like this. I felt hopeless, unmotivated, overwhelmed, and anxious . For me depression was like a disease that I have to cure or else it was gonna kill me.. If you ever feel this depressed. I encourage you to seriously get help, because there's no easy way out, only God could deliver you and if you're going through it I pray that in the name of Jesus you overcome it. I'm gonna be sharing with you some ways I overcame depression. It wasn't easy but with the help of God everything is possible.

First of all get help. It could be from a family member, a therapist, or church. Trust me asking for help is a sign of strength not weakness and what helped me was getting closer to God and going to church. I prayed everyday for deliverance, because I really didn't want to feel depressed anymore. I started visiting church, listening to encouraging messages. Joel Osteen's messages helped me sooo much, I listened to his podcast and youtube videos and read some of his books. I declare from Joel Osteen is a really good Declaration book. Here's the link https://amzn.to/3IaKdtt if you ever want to purchase it.

Change your mindset. Believe it or not your mind is very powerful, and what we think we become. If you keep telling yourself you're not going to get out of this, most likely you're not. Affirm to yourself everyday that you are healed, say "I am healed" " I am free" I am strong and courageous"
Exercise and change the way you eat. Exercising helps tremendously to overcome depression, even if it's 30 mins three times a week it helps. Working out helped me so much, and also changed the way I ate. I stopped eating junk food, and started a healthier eating habit. 

Pray/Meditate. Praying or meditating helps me sooo much.  I start praying 5 minutes a day and reading at least one bible verse daily. I include gratitude '' Father thank you because I am healed from this depression in the name of Jesus, thank you for my breakthrough and deliverance and I pray that if someone is going through the same face I'm going through you deliver them for your glory".  Shortly with time I started feeling so much better and healed.

Journal. I think this is what helps the most, when you write down how you feel. This is exactly the reason why I started blogging in the first place because I've been journaling everyday for the last 5 years. Journaling helps you speak what you have in mind, I have issues expressing myself to others and I found journaling very helpful.

Don't isolate yourself. This was the hardest for me because I love being alone, but going out even if it was to the gym or shopping or even traveling helps, but don't isolate yourself from people and ask for help if you need to.Talking to someone about this or asking for help if you're feeling depressed is a sign of streght not weakness.Find a purpose. Find a hobby or a goal  that would make you feel happy and fulfilled. For me I started gardening.When I took care of my plants I felt peace and joy and something to look forward to. I also started reading self help books. .The Power of Positive Thinking helped me a lot Here's the link also if you want to purchase this amazing books https://amzn.to/3IazcIr

Eleven fun facts about me

Everyone is unique in their own way, as I was writing this post I asked myself, ok what should I post about this week, and I said to myself I should write some fun facts about myself... fun facts are always a good way to start writing. Heres some Eleven interesting facts about me.

I was born in the Dominican Republic but everyone thinks I'm American. I was born in La Romana, Dominican Republic, and I’ve been in the U.S I would say no more than 15 years. I love my country, but I feel that in the US there's more opportunity for advancement than in my country. The Dominican Republic is a beautiful island but it is also a very poor country. 

My middle name is Isabel, some of my families and friends in my country used to called me CHAVELITA (Dominican shorting for Isabel lol ) but then they started calling me “Clari” shorting for “Claritza”

I'm adopted. I would say I didn't have a perfect life at all growing up, my mom left me with my Grandmother when I was 9 months old, lived with neighbors that I considered family, then I got adopted thankfully.

I became a mother when I was 20 years old. got married at a very young age ( I don't know what I was thinking lol ) but when I was 19 I found out I was pregnant with my one and only handsome boy name Liam, and I don't regret not a single bit having a child at such a young age. My son is literally my best friend, I can talk to him about anything and he gives me the  best advice ever… I love that Kid!

My dream job is to become a Branch Manager. I have been in Banking since I was 20 years old. I started as a teller, then a Branch Representative and now a Contact Center Specialist which I have been working for the last 7 years, but my dream was always to become a Branch Manager. I always envisioned myself as a successful Branch Manager and telling the customer “ Hello i’m Claritza the Branch Manager how may I assist you 🙂 

I bought my first house at the age of 23. I never even imagined being so successful at such a young age, but really I worked really, really hard to buy my first 2 bedroom  single family house. I worked 2 full time jobs for years, until finally with the help of God my dream came true.

I’m Christian. I grew up Catholic, my grandmother was a very catholic woman, but I had a personal encounter with Jesus when I was like 15 years old. It's been a long road with ups and down, but after many things that had happened in my life I decided to serve the Lord.

I love Mexican food, but I have to say that Italian food is LIFE! I love pasta. Everything that has to do with Italy I love lol 

What do I like to do for fun? I'm an introvert, always by myself, and love doing everything alone. I would say reading, going to the park and taking a walk in nature and taking care of my plants are the things that I do for fun, I also like traveling and learning from other cultures 

What my dream life would look like.I would say that my dream life would be buying a one million dollar house, becoming a successful branch manager, a mother again and marrying  a handsome rich Italian man of God that loves me unconditionally and travels the world with me.

I would love to meet -Pastor Joel Osteen is such an inspiration to me, his messages have helped me in my worst time when I was going through a really bad depression. Because of his encouraging messages I was able to overcome depression and he inspired me to write my very first book and live a life of abundance. I don't care what anyone thinks about him, but  I love this man of God and I would soon visit Lakewood!

Five reasons why I started a blog

To be honest, I didn't  know what a blog really was until I kept searching on the Internet, " reasons why
I feel depressed. Social media is a big deal right now, everyone is posting about how beautiful
and perfect their life is. Not me, social media got the best of me. I used to love to travel, and post pictures
of me clubbing and eating in fancy restaurants. Until I felt a depression that was literally killing me
inside, I mean I looked happy. I've always been a happy girl. Yeah, that's right you can be happy
and be depressed at the same time. Let me explain ... Have you ever seen these prominent actors and
actresses on TV that look radiant, successful, and happy? They have it all, mansions, money, luxury
cars, women's but they still feel empty. That's exactly how I felt, I mean I'm not rich ( yet ) but I work
hard, and I bought my own house all by myself at the age of 23, and I can say I've traveled to lots
of places I dreamed of, but I wasn't happy, in my soul deep I felt like something was missing and
That's exactly why I took some time off just about everything, Instagram, Facebook, even Linkedin lol.
I really wanted to just be by myself and find myself and I did. After a while I discovered blogging, and
These are the reasons why I created a blog.  

1. To improve my writting skills - I was always a good reader but never a good writer or speaker, I always
had trouble expressing myself, I would ask anybody to help me express how I feel because I really
didn't know how to, and this is a big problem, for example at work, my manager used to
ask me ' In what ways can we improve this? I used to look at her like she had 5 heads lol.
Even with my relationships I  struggled. What do you want from this relationship?
Ummm Idk sex I guess, I'm not sure... ( don't worry I learned how to love myself a lot more) but yes
Writing is a form of expression and it's working for me.
2. Develop my expertise - I always felt like I had a gift that I wanted to share with the world,
but obviously lack of communication skills always help me back. Now I have an idea of the topics
I would like to talk about and this includes helping other women.
3. Help other women like me - Yes I know I'm only 29 years old but if I only told you all the
things I've been through, that's okay now I see everything as an experience.
Everything against me always turns into good and I feel like there are so many women just like me
that struggled with love, low self-esteem, knowing who she is, etc and from my experience, i think i
can help from what I learned.
4. Personal growth - Again writing is very important to me. I started writing in my notebook for years,
now blogging, and God knows. Personal growth improves habits, behaviors and actions and I want
to continue to self-develop myself more.
5. Just for fun and to get social again - I honestly wanna write my life away haha i love writing and why
not t by blogging, I know a lot of people say you can make money by blogging, but trust me
I don't need another full-time job. I started blogging for fun and maybe to get to know other women
that are maybe going through the same phases I'm going through and we can identify ourselves here,
but if I do get paid, that would be a bonus that I would gladly appreciate for doing what I love to do.
Everyone has a passion for something, it could be writing, reading, a sport, or something.
I always say find a passion because it doesn't feel good doing what you don't like.

I needed a hero so that's what I became - A strong woman

Have you ever asked yourself what a strong woman is? I have asked myself this question so many times because some of my family and friends have told me that “I am a strong woman” so many times but deep down I felt like I did not know what a strong woman was. At times I used to imagine a woman with muscles every time I heard someone tell me how strong I was (laughing) I really did not consider myself strong or weak. Even though I have faced and overcome so many challenges in my life I did not understand what it was until being strong was my only choice.  

I got married incredibly young at the age of 18 and got pregnant when I was 19 years old. I felt accomplished at such an early age. I was working at La fitness working as a janitor making $11 and my then-husband was a painter at the Shipyard making almost $2000 a week. Of course, he was a lot older than me, but I cared for him because he was there when I most needed him. He bought me my first Luxury car, we got our first apartment together, and then I got pregnant and married. Looking back, I must say we lived a good life of course with lots of difficulties in marriage but what marriage is perfect?  
We lived incredibly happy years until one day he got caught drinking and driving and was deported back to Mexico, my whole life changed completely. I did not see myself as a single mom. A million questions were going through my head at that time “What am I going to do”? How am I going to pay these bills? There is no way I can be a single mom, how am I going to take care of our child all by myself? Guess what? I had no other choice and that is when I knew that I am now a strong woman. 
What is a strong woman? I can now confidently say I know exactly who she is! I did not sit around feeling sorry for myself. 

A strong woman is courageous  
I had to face so many challenges, but I learned how to stand up for myself. I refused to give fear the time of day, but I never saw my emotions as a weakness because I understood that it is okay to cry, to feel frustrated, trust me healing is on the way.

 
A strong woman believes in herself
It is funny how a lot of people thought “that was it” for me, but the devil is a liar! I started working 2 full-time jobs at the bank where I was able to pay all my bills, my car, and buy a house at the age of 23. That is because I believed in myself, and I was strong enough to know that it is not about proving nobody wrong but proving myself right! 

A strong woman helps others and builds others up  
A lot of people see kindness as a weakness, but it is not. I remembered when I was a teller and the customers always used to say how lovable and kind I was. One day the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of a different bank which was a customer said that he wants me to work at his company. I agreed and applied; it was the best experience of my life. 

A strong woman is happy no matter what she is going through 
A strong woman understands that happiness comes not from nobody else but herself.  I believe that part of growing and learning is to love and accept yourself with your flaws and all, and sometimes its hard to be completely and totally honest with yourself, but a strong woman must be happy no matter what to really find happiness.

*This is my first blog please excuse any grammar issues😀