TRANSFORMING YOUR HABITS TO TRANSFORM YOUR HEALTH PART 6
Your behaviors are essentially the manifestations of your subconscious thoughts. Your thought life is ultimately directed by what you believe. I’m not talking about your specific religious or political beliefs, I’m talking about how the beliefs you have about yourself impact your health.
Where Do Beliefs Come From?
Your beliefs and values were formed before you even understood what thinking was.
From your birth until young childhood, your brain was in an open and receptive state. Those around you with influence helped shape your belief system, and you accepted what they taught you. This became your foundational thinking.
There are 2 things you need to take away from today’s lesson:
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Your beliefs drive your thoughts and actions.
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You didn’t choose most of your beliefs; they were imprinted onto you.
An example of a belief: “I don’t have self-control.”
When someone needs to change their approach to their eating habits, I hear this belief stated as “fact.” It’ll often be stated by somebody who’s highly successful. I then point out that they absolutely do have self-control, but they’re not directing it towards optimal nutrition. They just need to apply a new belief with an understanding of eating behaviors.
Another false belief: “Because I’m overweight, I’m unhealthy.”
That could be true, but not necessarily. Many individuals are genetically heavy but still healthy! We must create the right ideas of what health is. Health may involve you being leaner, but not necessarily.
Recognize a Pattern
When you come across a belief that makes you feel bad about yourself, you need to recognize that, and you need to ask yourself:
“Where did this belief come from?”
“At what moment did this belief feel true?”
“Why am I going to continue to be controlled by a belief that I didn’t choose that makes me feel bad?”
Language is a powerful force. You need to replace the language of your beliefs. Then negative beliefs about yourself will be replaced with a belief that helps you feel good about yourself. You have to “go all in” for the new narrative you’re giving yourself.
Have You Examined Your Belief System?
Most people have never stopped and truly examined their beliefs. They’ve just accepted whatever was imprinted into them. The important thing to understand is some of these beliefs may be very good and are serving you well, and some of them may, in fact, be sabotaging your health.
The goal is to understand our underlying belief system, strengthen the beliefs that serve us, discard those that do not, and move to a healthier state of living.
Your beliefs are basically interpretations of your experiences.
It’s your way of organizing your thoughts about your life, your identity, and your place in the universe. It’s really important to understand what beliefs and thoughts are creating our behaviors. For example:
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What makes me eat the same foods day in and day out?
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Why do you drink what you drink?
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How do I continue to have the same sleeping problems for the past 10 years?
These are just a few…
Understanding Your Belief System Is Important
Once you understand where these beliefs came from, the better able you are to discern why you react and respond to life’s circumstances.
From there, you’re able to change the way you react and respond in a manner that would support your best health, such as choosing to eat nutritious foods, or choosing movement, or choosing to turn off the television and do something more productive for your mind and body.
How Can I Change My Inner Life?
Because it affects how you engage with the external world, we’re going to focus on how you change your inner life. This also involves strengthening an area of your mind that I refer to as the higher mind. We have to fortify our higher mind for it to work for us. That’s the part of us that allows us to dream big and then go pursue those desires.
In the next post, I’ll talk about what I mean by that. I know this may seem a little abstract or confusing. The main thing is to know yourself, to recognize that everything you’re doing is in response to thoughts that are based on beliefs and that you have the ability to restructure your mind. You have the ability to think yourself into a healthier you. You have that power, and you must believe it. and put it into practice., The work is learning how to look at ourselves in a non-judgmental way. Let me repeat that.
This self-examination is in a non-judgmental manner.
You do not need to bring blame, shame, or guilt into this new life. We’re going to start on a fresh, clean slate. You’re going to begin to better understand these subconscious drivers of your behaviors.
Do you have questions about a personalized approach to your well-being? Contact me and like me on Facebook, and follow us. Want a deeper understanding? Read more in Authentic Health.