THE MIND BODY CONNECTION

So I've been trying my darnedest to get to the root of the problem.  Clearly I have hit the wall with my weight-loss efforts.  These last few months have been among my toughest.  The circumstances surrounding my life has made my mind a battlefield and my body the casualty of all this stress and discord. It got me to thinking about alternative methods.  When someone falls ill with a sickness that can't be properly diagnosed, often a battery of different treatments from medicine to acupuncture are prescribed in the hopes that something will work.  If I were to apply the same level of thinking to my own physical dilemma, I might find the cure in the most unlikely of places.  Maybe my weight is not just about how much I eat or exercise.

In an attempt to control my stress and improve mental clarity, I have begun reading some books on self awareness.  One is, You Can Heal Your Life (Gift Edition) by Lousie L. Hay.  The tile alone causes a loud chuckle as visions of comedy sketches with women crying in the self-help isle of the bookstore dance in my mind.   The other book is, There's a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem by Wayne W. Dyer.  While I am only a few pages in, I can tell you both these books have caused me to have some pretty strong "a-ha" moments.  I find it no coincidence that with each turn of the page, I have had better luck with health and fitness.

For this reason, I would like to share with you the points of interest that have lead me to having better days, in hopes that it will help you too.  This will be an ongoing process where I post as discoveries are made.  Today's discoveries are as follows:

"I have the power to create my own circumstances."  Seems like a simple thought, I know, but when you grow up with the mindset that you are a VICTUM of life circumstances it becomes very empowering to shift that perspective to a sense of control.  Yes, life can throw us curve balls, but it is important to know that we have the ability to choose, create, manage, react, duck, retaliate, and defend. There is a duality to this.  I may not have control over everything, yet I have control over almost anything.  I am a player in this game of life.  I can either give it my best shot or sit on the sidelines.

The second thing is the notion that we create, or at least contribute, to all illness in the body.  Now hold on, I'm not suggesting that an ill person is responsible for giving themselves Cancer.  What I'm suggesting is that there is a strong mind-body connection and any disease of the mind can quickly manifest into a disease of the body.  Given the numerous studies on stress and its affect on the body, I would think no one would look to challenge me on this point.  I am sure my obesity as of late has had a lot more to do with what is going on in my mind, than what is going on in my body.  Recognizing that thoughts have power, I began to take tally of my negative thoughts.  Not only were there too many to keep track of, but I was shocked at the thoughts I had about other people!

Today alone, during a very short trek out, I thought the following things about others.  I pulled into a parking space aside of a car that was on the line. THOUGHT: "Nice park job buddy!"  A few moments later I walked into the gym and had to sidestep a woman.  THOUGHT: "Woo...she needs to lay off the plastic surgery!!!"  On my way to the bank I saw a group of people sitting on the sidewalk with lunch bags.  Not in the grass, not on a bench, but on the sidewalk a few steps before a stop-sign.  THOUGHT: "WTF are they doing...?!?" I quickly realized that almost every thought I had was negative, especially when it came to other people!  Why was I so angry and why couldn't I find something more positive to think!?

Louise Hay says that everyone suffers from self-hate.  The inability to love ourself causes much harm.  I didn't think I hated myself, but when I began to take note of all the hateful things I was thinking about others, it became obvious that if I am thinking these things about strangers I must, in turn, also be thinking this about myself.  Dyer suggests we empty our minds of all negativity and focus on bringing joy to others.  A very tough thing to do after today's snapshot on my thoughts about other people.  Perhaps the negative thoughts I have about myself and others are contributing to my weight problem and my life's problems.

It really was an eye opener.  I am the kind person who smiles and holds the door for every person I encounter.  I am often the one playing devil's advocate and defending the person being ganged up on in a group conversation.  Yet here I was with absolutely no control over the harshness of my thoughts.

**A special thanks to my friend Donna who gives great spiritual advice and makes killer book recommendations like the Louise Hay book. :-)**

“There's a whole part of your life you have no control over, that is predicated on lies, gossip, and negativity- everything that my family doesn't represent. My mom and I believe in positive living.  Conscious living and trying to focus on things that make your family happy.  It's not always possible, but it's important to strive for it.” -Kate Hudson