Today during cardio, the instructor said something that stuck with me: “reframe your mindset.” He encouraged us to make lemonade out of the lemons in the workout. To think about the positive outcome of the tough moments and push through.

That, combined with lyrics from a song I heard earlier this week, really got me thinking. Reframing our mindset is a powerful tool for learning and growth. It’s something I’ve been working on for the last few months, and I’m realizing now that it will always be an ongoing process. That realization didn’t hit me fully until this morning. But it felt good to hear, to absorb, and to acknowledge.

Reframing will always be part of the space between steps in life. And that’s okay. It means we’re still growing.

Being alive means we haven’t reached our full potential. It means we have the opportunity to keep becoming, every day, in every moment. If more of us practiced reframing how we think, even just a little, I think we’d move through the world with more compassion, more presence, and a little more peace. 

Think back to a moment of hardship. Really take a moment, even if it’s uncomfortable, and recall how it felt. Now look at it through the lens of where you are today. Could you have shifted your perspective, even slightly, to ease the burden? Could reframing your mindset have brought a better outcome, or simply a calmer heart?

Maybe your plans fell through on a day you really needed them. A canceled get-together. A closed door. An unexpected curveball. These things can feel frustrating, even defeating, but what if they’re simply redirections? What if they’re space being made for something better?

The more we pause and reframe how we think about our situations or negative thoughts, the freer we become. It just takes acknowledgment and a moment of intentional thought to loosen the frame we often trap ourselves in.

Reframing my mindset has also helped me care for my mental health in deeper ways. I still have days when the darkness lingers a little longer or the anxiety gets loud. I still wrestle with racing thoughts or moments where it feels harder to shift. But I’ve started to trust myself more in those moments. I know now that I can pause, breathe, and find a new lens to look through. I don’t always get it right, and that’s okay. What matters is that I’m trying—because even the attempt to reframe is a sign of growth.

It doesn’t make the hard days disappear, but it gives me tools to face them with a little more compassion for myself and a little more clarity for the bright moments.

Below is the song that helped this click into place for me. It’s a dance track built around spoken word, meant to motivate and carry you through whatever might be holding you back. This video is also entertaining. I hope you give it a listen.