Years ago I had a long distance relationship with a man who lived 4 hours away. Our relationship revolved around the nightly phone calls, weekends together, and the occasional extended weekend. Months into the relationship I sat him down for a very important talk. You see, while I enjoyed our time together, the end always had a torturous feeling, not because our time together was ending, but because by the time the last day came around I was always extremely uncomfortable.
You see earlier, before we ever started dating I had heard him joke that "women don't fart, burp, or poop. They just don't." And although I knew this to be false, apparently that thought of what his "ideal woman" was like stuck in my mind, and thus, and (sorry for being so graphic) other things stuck in me when he was around, making for a rather uncomfortable experience by the time a weekend was up.
You see, I've always known my mind was powerful, but until that time I really hadn't given much thought to just how powerful my unconscious was. And holy smoke, it turns out my unconscious is a body builder. You see, our beliefs whether conscious or unconscious shape how we show up in the world, and whats even more radical is that they also shape how our physical body shows up the in world as well.
Recently I was doing one of my favorite nerd out activities while in the car, listening to various "ted talks" and I stumbled upon a great one: Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend. For those of you who haven't heard it, I highly recommend it. Or if you want to live longer, take a listen since she goes through some great interventions to make longevity even more possible in your future. Anyway, Kelly talks about how our thoughts about how stress affects our body actually changes some of the physical effects stress has on our body. Did you get that? The way you think about stress affects how your body reacts to it. So, if we can shape our thinking, we can create healthier interactions to things that largely feel out of our control. Talk about an awesome muscle move there, it is truly fascinating stuff.
So this week, I invite you to take a moment and play with some of the conscious (and unconscious) thoughts you have, especially the ideas that may be making you uncomfortable or holding you back. Are you suffering with the weight of perfectionism, or a concept that just doesn't seem to fit your identity anymore? It's okay to rework that into something that feels more pleasant, even if it means an uncomfortable conversation or two. You are worth it, and seriously, no crap, what you think matters, even if you are not thinking it very loudly, so think positive things about and for yourself. You're worth it.
You see earlier, before we ever started dating I had heard him joke that "women don't fart, burp, or poop. They just don't." And although I knew this to be false, apparently that thought of what his "ideal woman" was like stuck in my mind, and thus, and (sorry for being so graphic) other things stuck in me when he was around, making for a rather uncomfortable experience by the time a weekend was up.
You see, I've always known my mind was powerful, but until that time I really hadn't given much thought to just how powerful my unconscious was. And holy smoke, it turns out my unconscious is a body builder. You see, our beliefs whether conscious or unconscious shape how we show up in the world, and whats even more radical is that they also shape how our physical body shows up the in world as well.
Recently I was doing one of my favorite nerd out activities while in the car, listening to various "ted talks" and I stumbled upon a great one: Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend. For those of you who haven't heard it, I highly recommend it. Or if you want to live longer, take a listen since she goes through some great interventions to make longevity even more possible in your future. Anyway, Kelly talks about how our thoughts about how stress affects our body actually changes some of the physical effects stress has on our body. Did you get that? The way you think about stress affects how your body reacts to it. So, if we can shape our thinking, we can create healthier interactions to things that largely feel out of our control. Talk about an awesome muscle move there, it is truly fascinating stuff.
So this week, I invite you to take a moment and play with some of the conscious (and unconscious) thoughts you have, especially the ideas that may be making you uncomfortable or holding you back. Are you suffering with the weight of perfectionism, or a concept that just doesn't seem to fit your identity anymore? It's okay to rework that into something that feels more pleasant, even if it means an uncomfortable conversation or two. You are worth it, and seriously, no crap, what you think matters, even if you are not thinking it very loudly, so think positive things about and for yourself. You're worth it.
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