Sunday Mental Health Check-In - October 26, 2025

The Secret Power of Your Attitude (It Changes Everything)

Hey lovely people,

Let's talk about something we all know, but maybe don't always act on: the incredible power of our attitude. You know that saying, "Your attitude influences your experience"? It's not just a catchy phrase; it's a profound truth, especially when it comes to our mental health.

Think about it. Two people can face the exact same challenge, the exact same setback, or even be in the exact same room, and yet have completely different experiences of it. What's the differentiator? Often, it's their attitude.

The "Glass Half Empty/Half Full" isn't Just a Cliché

It's a daily reality. Let's say you wake up late.

• Attitude A (Negative): "Ugh, great. My day is already ruined. I'm going to be behind all day, everything will go wrong, why does this always happen to me?" Result: You feel stressed, defeated, and probably carry that dark cloud with you, making everything else feel heavier.

• Attitude B (Positive/Neutral): "Okay, I woke up late. It happens. What's the quickest way to get back on track? I'll skip one non-essential task this morning or adjust my schedule slightly." Result: You might still feel a tiny rush, but you tackle it with problem-solving energy, not despair. The rest of your day isn't 'ruined.'

It's not about ignoring problems or being blindly optimistic all the time. That’s not realistic or healthy. It's about how we frame those problems, how we approach them, and what meaning we assign to them.

Why This Matters for Mental Health

Our attitude isn't just about fleeting moments of annoyance or joy. Over time, the sum total of our daily attitudes profoundly shapes our overall mental landscape.

• Stress Management: A flexible, positive attitude can help you bounce back from stress rather than getting stuck in it.

• Resilience: When things get tough, a "can-do" or "I'll figure it out" attitude is like a superpower. It allows us to learn from failures instead of being crushed by them.

• Relationships: Our attitude impacts how we interact with others. A generous, open attitude fosters better connections than a cynical, closed-off one.

• Personal Growth: If you approach new challenges with curiosity instead of fear, you open yourself up to new skills, perspectives, and opportunities.

So, How Do We Cultivate a Better Attitude?

It's a practice, not a switch.

1. Awareness: Catch yourself when your thoughts spiral negatively. Just noticing is the first step.

2. Reframe: Can you look at the situation from another angle? Is there a lesson here? A tiny silver lining?

3. Gratitude: Regularly practicing gratitude can shift your focus from what's lacking to what's abundant.

4. Mindfulness: Being present helps prevent your mind from dwelling on past regrets or future anxieties.

5. Choose Your Inputs: The media you consume, the people you spend time with – they all influence your attitude. Choose wisely.

Remember, you have more control over your internal world than you often realize. While we can't always control what happens to us, we almost always have a say in how we respond to it. And that response, that attitude, is the canvas on which our experience is painted.

What's one small shift in attitude you could try making today? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Black Magic Woman

Black Magic Woman

The air in the bayou didn't just hang; it weighed. It was thick with the scent of damp earth, over-sweet magnolia, and something ancient and coppery. Locals from the dry-earth towns called this place the "Hissing Heart," a part of the swamp where the water was black as ink and the fireflies danced with unnatural purpose.

They said she lived there.

They said she was born from the mud itself, a woman who charmed the vipers and whispered secrets to the night. They called her a witch, a sorceress, a name to frighten children. But for those who were desperate, who had lost everything to drought or sickness or bad luck, she was a last, dangerous hope.

Tonight, a man named Thomas was that desperate. He poled his skiff through the cypress knees, the only sound the plop of his pole in the brackish water and the rising chorus of unseen reptiles.

He found her in a clearing, not by sight, but by the sudden, absolute silence.

She sat as if on a throne of woven reeds, bathed in the glow of a thousand yellow-green fireflies. She was beautiful, terrifyingly so, with skin that seemed to drink the moonlight and hair like a nebula, a wild tangle of dark purple curls held by cuffs of dull gold. Her dress was the color of a twilight sky, and her smile was slow and knowing.

And then there were the snakes.

They were her court, her armor, her companions. They coiled around her arms like living bracelets, wound through the grass at her feet, and rose from the shadows behind her. They were massive, emerald-green, their heads alert, their tongues flicking. They were a part of her, and she a part of them. One lay its head on her shoulder, and she stroked it idly, her dark eyes never leaving Thomas.

"You are a long way from home, dry-lander," she said. Her voice was like honey and smoke.

Thomas’s throat was tight. "They say... they say you have the... the magic."

"They say many things." She tilted her head, and the snakes around her mirrored the movement, a dozen unblinking eyes fixed on him. "They say I curdle the milk. They say I steal the breath from babies. They say I am a black magic woman."

"My daughter is sick," Thomas blurted, the words tumbling out. "The fever won't break. The doctor has done all he can. I'll give you anything."

The woman, Maliya, laughed. The sound was low, and it seemed to vibrate in the water. The snakes hissed in chorus.

"‘Anything’ is a heavy price," she said, leaning forward. The fireflies swirled, illuminating the tattoos on her collarbone. "Men come here promising 'anything,' but they only mean their gold, their crops. They don't understand the swamp. The swamp does not barter, Thomas. It trades."

"What do you want?" he whispered, his knuckles white on the pole.

Maliya smiled, and it was a radiant, dangerous thing. "What I always want. What the night always wants."

She raised her hand. She didn't chant. She didn't throw powders. She simply willed.

From the darkness, the fireflies swarmed, leaving her to spiral around Thomas’s skiff. They spun faster and faster until they weren't individual lights but a vortex of glowing energy. And from her side, the largest of the serpents slid into the water and moved toward him, its head held high, its eyes like polished jade.

Thomas wanted to scream, to flee, but he was frozen—not by fear, but by an awe so profound it hollowed him out.

The snake reached his boat. It did not strike. It simply rose up, its forked tongue tasting his scent, and then gently touched its snout to a small, wooden doll Thomas kept tied to his belt—a charm his daughter had carved.

The snake hissed, a long, low sound, and the doll glowed with the same pale green light as the fireflies. Then, as one, the lights vanished. The snake slipped back into the water and returned to Maliya’s side.

"Go," she said, settling back onto her reedy throne. "The fever will break before the moon is high."

Thomas stared at the doll, now dark. "What... what did you take?"

Maliya looked up, her expression unreadable. "Just a memory. She will no longer remember the color of her mother's eyes. A small thing, for a life."

Thomas shuddered. He had his miracle, but the cost was exactly as she’d said—not gold, but a piece of something living.

He poled his skiff backward, never turning his back until the clearing was lost to the cypress. As he fled the Hissing Heart, he could hear it, carried on the thick, wet air: the sound of a woman's low laughter, harmonizing with the sibilant hiss of the swamp.