Even if you’re the mentally healthiest human on earth, you’ll still have negative thoughts from time to time.

If you’re depressed or anxious, you can bet your house on it.

Unfortunately, our minds aren’t always our mates. They’ll happily tell us we’re too fat, thin, hairy, bald, stupid, smelly, lazy, ugly or whatever.

As for applying for that promotion or asking that cute person in accounts out for a drink, don ‘t even think about it! You’re just setting yourself up for a major disappointment – you’re just not good enough.

And here’s the tricky part: because it’s our mind telling us these things, we believe it. I mean, why would our minds lie to us? Why would they sabotage our wellbeing?

It’s a good question to which I don’t have an answer. But I do have a suggestion as to how to deal with it.

If you catch your mind telling you crap, imagine it’s another person standing beside you – your very own Mini-Me, and they are the ones telling you these things. Now if someone else started telling you you’re too fat, thin, hairy bald or whatever … you wouldn’t take it.

You wouldn’t blindly accept everything this painful little person was telling you. You’d defend yourself.  You’d be more objective.

By doing so, you might even reach the conclusion that you might just get that promotion. Or that cute person in accounts might just happen to want to go out with you.

So the next time your mind starts getting down on you, just remember who’s the one in charge. And it’s not that lousy little Mini-Me.