Everyone is the sum total of their experiences, be they positive, negative, or even neutral.

They not only have the power to alter us in the moment, but also have the potential to shape everything that comes after them whether we realize it or not. Regardless of what it seems like in the moment, your story is both traumatic and sad as much as it is positive and transformational. Your story makes up the core of who you are and determines how you present yourself to the world at large.Whether you realize it or not, you are also telling your story each and every day, both to yourself and those you meet. Each conversation that you have, in some way, reflects some aspect of your story, of your past experiences. Likewise, your internal dialog is suffused with memories of days gone by and you are likely always moving towards or away from some version of your past with every thought. The various meanings that you find in your personal experience are then the threads that come together to create the tapestry of your story as a whole. Thus, when you interpret your story through a negative filter you end up creating new limiting beliefs about yourself that will ultimately hold you back in the future. These limiting beliefs could manifest themselves in a wide variety of ways including thoughts such as: I am not special enough to deserve to be happyNo matter what I do it is never enoughI'm so stupidI'm not capable of doing thatI'll never be good enoughAs a result of limiting beliefs like these, suffering, pain and fear are much more likely to move to the forefront of your awareness, making it much more difficult for positive emotions to break through. This will likely leave you actively avoiding anything an anyone that could cause you to revisit those negative emotions, preventing any true healing from taking place in the process. This guide will focus on the following: What is Cognitive Behavior Therapy?How CBT WorksWhat Are the Effects of Depression?Recognizing Negative EmotionTwo Different Anxiety Therapy ApproachesJournalingHow to Use CBT to Treat Panic AttacksHow Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Improve Daily Life?CBT and Mood DisordersCBT And OCDCognitive Restructuring... AND MORE Keep in mind that everyone's story is full of hardship, the only thing that makes your story different from anyone else's is the way you define it.