NEGATIVE MINDSET IN PRISON.
As a prisoner, I find myself dwelling on the negative aspects of my current situation. I will admit being here is no walk in the park. (Club Fed is not an accurate depiction). As a result, I now look for the negative as opposed to the positive in many situations.
To me, this is a completely inappropriate way to live my life. Before arriving at prison, I would tell myself that the glass was half full, and now I tell myself that the glass is half empty. I do not like living with this state of mind. How did I get here? The majority of prisoners around me seem a bit unhappy and enjoy complaining about almost everything. It can be easy to slip into the same negative thought patterns if the folks surrounding you are engaging in such behavior. I am sure that part of my negative thoughts come from living in survival mode in prison. I need to examine everything that comes my way to make sure it is not a threat to my physical or mental health.
I spend a great deal of time giving myself positive self talk to combat negativity. It is bad enough to be here, you do not have to make it any worse by putting a negative spin on it.
I thought about this for over an hour yesterday (plenty of time to think in prison). I was watching the news and viewed several negative political advertisements where the presidential candidates were bashing each other; “Crooked Hillary” and ” “Do you want your children to watch a President (Trump) who makes fun of handicapped individuals?” After viewing the political commercials, I thought about how depressing the negative route really is. Face it, either Trump or Clinton will be our next President. Regardless of who wins, by the time He or she claims the prize, they will have been portrayed as a miserable, execrable human being. Not a positive picture.
Looking for some positive things in Pensacola.
Ken Flaska
