TRANSFORMING YOUR HABITS TO TRANSFORM YOUR HEALTH PART 3
In the last blog, we talked about how your optimal state of health has to be based on your true heart’s desire. First, we have to get our desires in the right order, since ultimately we will always choose what we want. For instance, you have to strongly desire your health, because the forces opposing it are powerful.
You Have to See It to Be It
I’d like to teach you a short visualization exercise that’s based on simple psychological principles. It involves activating both the right and left hemispheres of your brain and using your powerfully creative mind. The goal is to deeply imprint a vision of your best self into your mind so that you can begin to create a subconscious habit of supporting your best health.
Close your eyes and picture yourself in a very serene and peaceful place. This can be any setting you’re familiar with. It can be a beach, or the lake, or a park, or somewhere comfortable in your own home. You want to picture this with as much detail as possible. You want to see the surroundings, smell the smells, and feelthe atmosphere.
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“The goal is to deeply imprint a vision of your best self into your mind so that you can begin to create a subconscious habit of supporting your best health.”
Then bring into your picture the healthiest version of you. This version of you doesn’t necessarily need to have 6-pack abs or anything. It’s simply a very healthy looking person. Bright eyes. Smiling. The appearance of this person radiates good health, strength, confidence, and happiness. This person holds themselves in a particular way and breathes in a particular way. They appear strong and confident.
I want you to do your best to picture this as vividly as possible. If you’re having trouble, don’t worry. This may be a new exercise for you. Just stick with it. Keep creating the picture. This alone is a very powerful exercise for your mind. You can do this in 5 minutes or less.
Once you have that clear picture of you as your healthiest self, you’re going to step into that version of you.
As you do so, in your mind, begin to experience how it feels to be that version of you. Experience how it feels to hold your body in a strong and confident way, how to breathe deeply and effectively, feeling the air moving in and out of your lungs. How you see through eyes that see the world as a beautiful place. How you experience a strong confidence and a sense of joy and contentment. Do everything you can to cultivate that inner state of feeling.
Continue to stay in that state and experience how this feels to you.
After a short period of time, I’m going to want you to hold your fingers tightly together, index finger against thumb or middle finger. You’re going to hold that for about 30 seconds, feeling the pressure in your fingers while holding this image in your mind.
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“Experience how it feels to hold your body in a strong and confident way, how to breathe deeply and effectively, feeling the air moving in and out of your lungs.”
Then, once you’ve done that, I want you to open your eyes and begin to step out of this visualization as though you’re still that person you visualized. The result of this is you imprinting into your subconscious a desire to be the healthiest you. Ultimately, you need your subconscious to believe that this is what you want so you can begin to automate your habits to achieve it.
How Do I Keep Visualizing My Health?
When you walk away from this, try to hold the feeling of it as long as possible. Even if this makes you feel self-conscious, don’t worry about it. Do it in the privacy of your own home when no one’s around. Practice.
It will really feel good for you to experience being inside the healthiest version of you, even for just a few minutes.
Throughout your day, as you begin to experience negative feelings, whether it be fatigue, or negative emotions, or a temptation to give into a bad habit, I want you to close your eyes, pinch your fingers strongly together, and recreate this image for yourself. As you do so, you’ll begin to imprint into your subconscious and your consciousness that strong desire to be that person. That can reactivate the positive emotions associated with that state. It also can give you the strength to make a different choice than the choice that sabotages your health.
Remember, your heart’s desire is the rocket fuel for this journey. That’s what will take you there. So we first have to get that right.
We’ll talk about some other helpful tips to cultivate the right desire in the next blog.
I understand the importance of integrated healthcare. If you have questions about a more personalized approach to your wellbeing, contact me. You also can like me on Facebook.
