On the road to health, wellness and happiness, the first and most important step is often overlooked and can lead to unfulfilled health goals.
The foundation of health and vitality starts within; in order to thrive one needs to create a healthy mindset. Just as a farmer wouldn’t expect a bountiful crop without first preparing the soil, we can’t expect to create health in a toxic mindset.
There are several techniques and strategies to help you eliminate the negative aspects of your thinking and facilitate lasting, positive changes in your life.
LIMITING BELIEFS
Limiting beliefs are those that hold you back from achieving what you want in life. They are false ideas that you have about yourself that make progressing harder than it needs to be.
Have you ever wondered why you want to change, but found yourself reverting to your old habits? Maybe it wasn’t laziness or a lack of discipline; maybe it was a limiting belief. These limiting beliefs are often in blind spots, meaning you don’t even know you have them.
Some common examples of limiting beliefs include: “I can’t afford to eat that way," "I hate exercise," "I'm not a healthy person," "It's because of my genes," and "I'm too old to..."
Overcoming limiting beliefs isn’t about starting another fad diet or self-help programme; it's about recognising what beliefs you have about yourself that are creating interference between where you are and where you want to be and eliminating them.
POSITIVE SELF-TALK
Limiting beliefs are formed by the way in which you think. This is called self-talk. Self-talk is the internal conversation that you have with yourself all day long. Your subconscious records this conversation without putting up an argument, so if you tell yourself that you are fat all day, your subconscious will believe that you are fat. However, your beliefs about yourself can be reprogrammed through consistent, positive affirmations.
These affirmations should be personal, positive, indicative of achievement and specific action words. Two examples of positive affirmations could be, “I thrive on my daily jogging because I feel healthy, strong and energetic," and “I am accountable for the results of my decisions and actions.”
THE BIG WHY
Understanding why you want to change is another key element of making a change. To find your big why, you must search your heart and mind to come up with the most compelling reason that you can for taking control of your life and health.
This article first appeared in the November 2021 print edition of Camana Bay Times.
About the author
Dr. Patrick Bell is a chiropractor working at Align, a wellness studio in Camana Bay with an integrated approach to physical rehabilitative treatments and preventative care.