No, I am not referring to a scene from The Walking Dead, I’m referring to food for your brain. You see, when we eat, we typically do so for two reasons: for nutrition and to quench hunger. We may even ask ourselves, ‘is this good for me?’, before we take that bite. But how many times do we ask if that piece of food is good for our brain? 
No, this is not a nutrition blog. Well, maybe a little, but humor me. I think you will appreciate the point I am going to make. Many of us know that just as there are foods like fruit and vegetables, that are good for us. There are other foods, like cake and ice cream, that are not so good for us. We know that the nutrients in carrots are good for our eyes. The nutrients in beets build the blood and are very good for several internal organs. The nutrients in tomatoes are good for our skin! Who knew? Well, the list goes on. Bottom line, fruits and vegetables are good for our bodies, our brains! You know that old saying, ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’.–Benjamin Franklin. It really is true.
But I would like to add to the list, a different type of brain food. This food should be pretty easy to ingest, but unfortunately for many, it is a process. This is because there are things that can block this food from getting in. It’s almost like you have to fight to get the food in! But I would suggest you fight. What is this brain food you ask? Well different people call this food different things, but it’s the same food. Here are a few of the different names this food goes by: positive self-reinforcement, daily self-affirmations, positive self-speak.
You see, we all know there is a big bad world out there. There are mean, hurt, difficult, people out there.
You’ve heard the saying, ‘hurt people hurt people.’ Unfortunately, some of these mean people exist right in our homes! Some people must fight against difficulty and hurtful words the moment their eyes pop open in the morning. In fact, some people even sleep with their eyes open! From the time some of us are very young, we have to fight against the words family members tell us. Words such as ‘you will never amount to anything’, or ‘you are stupid like your father’, or ‘you are not smart enough to go to college’.
But no matter what negative word has been spoken to or over you, you still have a choice. It does not matter how young or how old you are, you can make this choice. When you make the choice, there is nothing the perpetrator(s) can do about it. The choice? Create your own brain food. We should eat the natural brain food I mentioned earlier, as much as possible. But when we create our own brain food, we can eat as much of it as we want, day and night. There are no calories, and we receive tons of positive self-reinforcement. And the wonderful thing is, the perpetrators do not need to know you are consuming this food!
So here is how it works. If we find ourselves in a situation where we are being punched and pummeled with negative words from family or from strangers, we must have something good to say to ourselves. It’s that simple! But you have to be ready. You have to practice these positive words and phrases.
When you hear ‘you will never amount to anything’, say to yourself, ‘I am a child of God. I know I’m somebody, because God does not make junk.’ If you hear ‘you are stupid like your father’, say to yourself, ‘that’s not true. I am smart and getting smarter every day!’ If you hear ‘you are ugly’. Say to yourself, ‘I am beautiful because I was created in God’s image.’ Get the idea? Always be ready with something positive to say to and about yourself. And please know, it is not vanity to speak positively to yourself. You, we, are created by God. No one has a right to mistreat us or call us names.
Unfortunately, people do and say ugly things because those things were done to them. Maybe you are beautiful inside and out, so they are jealous. Maybe people love your personality, but theirs not so much. There are many reasons human beings mistreat each other. But that is not your problem. Maintain a good attitude about yourself and others. Say positive things to yourself daily. Every good thing you say to and about yourself, builds you up. Our brains are the most awesome machines on earth. Did you know that? 
Did you know that I create lists of affirmations and positive self-speak for people? Email me at www.civilla@civillamorgan.com, or inbox me on Facebook or Twitter for details. In the meantime, remember, no matter what anyone says, you are awesome! You are handsome! You are beautiful!
