How to silence the voices of your “demons”:

It takes incredible strength, discipline, and courage to wake up daily and confront your demons. These demons take many forms. They might be the mental illness you are dealing with, your grief, or your traumas.

Some days, these demons are monstrous and enormous, crowding you wherever you go. They become impossible to ignore, and their stench surrounds you, infiltrating every activity. Sometimes, they are small and easier to hide in the background. You only notice them when you look directly at them or pause long enough to hear their harassment.

These demons are attention seekers. They try to distract you from your day, whispering negative thoughts in your ear. “You can’t do that. You are such a failure. Your life is a mess. You will never get better.”

As you climb out of bed in the morning, they will remind you how stressful your day is. They will try to convince you that you have too much to do. Their goal is to drag you down to their level, sowing doubt and negativity. They are masters of deception.

Your interactions with family members become wrought with guilt and uncertainty when you are told you aren’t worthy of joy and fun. Your work becomes a battleground of insecurity as you are told you are inadequate and unsuccessful. Your relationships become a struggle because you are told you are a failure, and nobody cares about you.

They want you to continue feeding them. To give them more energy. To allow them to monopolize your life.

They want you to give in.

However, they have a secret, a deeply rooted fear. They know their weakness, and they fight to hide it. They know their power hinges on containing you in self-doubt, and they fear you taking positive action.

Every time you ignore their taunts, you add to your reservoir of strength and will. Every time you stand up despite your self-doubt, you demonstrate your tenacity. Every time you act despite the feelings of defeat, anxiety, and depression, you are giving yourself proof that you are more than your demons.

Like disruptive children in a classroom, these demons are looking for attention. As you ignore them, their shouts and insults eventually turn to whispers. Selective attention is a skill, a fluency you can develop to silence your demons.

They might always be there, but they don’t define you. You are standing where you are today because you have the strength and courage to go toe to toe with your demons every single moment of every day.

The more you do this, the stronger you become. You learn how to keep them at bay. You become a beacon for others who are battling demons of their own.

You might feel alone in your battle, but everyone battles their demons. They finish their fight, put on a brave face, and tackle their day, showing no signs of struggle. Sharing your journey builds connection and weakens your demons’ hold over you.

Remember that doubt whispers and action roars: taking positive action will always speak louder than your demons.