It’s How You Feel About Yourself

In a quiet corner of the restaurant, the brunette stared intently at the menu.  Wine glass in one hand, legs crossed at the ankles, yellow floral dress a deep contrast to her naturally tanned skin.  

Across the table from her sat a dark-haired, clean-shaven man. His khaki pants and green polo shirt set off his green eyes and a slight smile.  He too had a glass of wine in one hand and he too stared intently, but not at the menu.

“You are so beautiful,” he said earnestly.

“My God!” she exclaimed.  “How can you say that? Have you seen my thighs? And the bags under my eyes?  What about the 20 extra pounds I’m carrying around?”

How many times a day do we, consciously or unconsciously, think or say negative thoughts about ourselves and the world around us?  The case of the woman at the table is something that we can all relate to. After all, for most of us, there’s at least one thing we don’t like about ourselves.  

As we’ve been teaching in NLP for quite a long time when it comes to your health, thoughts and feelings play the greatest part in your well being.  “Cold and Flu season”, for example, is a made up concept. There’s no reason why you need to catch a cold or get the flu just because of the time of year.  If a colleague has the sniffles, that doesn’t mean that you will … unless you think you will.

The same is true about any dis-ease or disorder.  There are thousands of reported cases of people curing themselves of cancer through belief and laughter.  Perhaps you’ve known someone who never seems to get sick even though everyone around them is stricken with some illness.  Healthy living? Maybe. More likely, it’s healthy, happy thoughts.

Monitoring your thoughts can seem like a daunting task.  After all, you think about 60,000 thoughts a day; most of them are emotionally neutral.  Fortunately, there’s an easy way.

Your feelings are a great gauge for what you’re thinking.  If you’re feeling great, then you’re likely thinking great thoughts.  When you find yourself feeling down or sour, take a look at what you are thinking.  Was there a “Great. Mary’s sick. Watch I’ll get it too!” Quick! Change that thought to “I’m so grateful that I’m healthy!”

Want to add a “don’t”?  Maybe “I don’t want to get sick.” How about “Better get my flu shot so I don’t get the flu.”  The challenge is that your mind doesn’t know how to process a “don’t”. For example, right now don’t think of a blue tree ….  So, how blue was your tree? You see you need to think of something so you can “not” think it.

Change your “don’ts” and “not’s” to a more positive phrase in the direction you want to head.  Instead of thinking about someone else’s illness, think about their health. You might even say to yourself “I’m so glad that Mary is getting healthier like I am.”

If you find it difficult to change your thoughts when you find yourself in a sour or dour mood, there are tools that can help you.  Some of them require a purchase; others require action and some are just a thought. Here are a few ideas:

Think of a laughing baby.  Visit youtube.com and search for “Laughing Baby”.
Start singing a happy song – for example, “Tomorrow” from the Broadway show “Annie”
Imagine a sunset over the ocean or a happy, peaceful scene.
Make yourself a cup of Chamomile tea.  Chamomile is known to calm and sooth.
Purchase some Bach Flower essences from your local health food store.  Some options are Crab Apple, which helps you accept your physical imperfections and feel better about the way you are; Gentian, which inspires a positive attitude when you feel discouraged or despondent due to setbacks or Gorse, which encourages a brighter, more positive perspective when you feel there is no hope left.  Bach’s Rescue Remedy is a great choice as well.

If you are facing some dis-ease or disorder, the first course of action is to change your mind about it.  Declare your health. Decide that you are a happy, healthy person. You might say “I’m so glad that I’m getting healthier every day.”  Visualize your cells renewing and rejuvenating. Imagine your body healing from the inside out. Spend time every day in quiet meditation about your health.

The second step is to take action.  Often, during your quiet reflection, you’ll get an inspiration.  This is your intuition talking, guiding you, and telling you what your next step should be.  Follow this intuition no matter how silly, foolish or misguided it might be. Whether it’s eating Chicken Soup or reading Chicken Soup for the Soul, follow your intuition.

Finally, believe in your total and complete health.  If you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are a healthy person, your body will make it happen.  If laughter can cure cancer, then your thoughts can make you healthier.

Choose health, choose happiness, and choose life.   You’ll find that you are what you think and feel.

How are you feeling today?

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