Thinking About Ways to Improve Your Health

I’ve never been one to place too much of a focus on my health. I’ve been lucky enough that I haven’t paid much of a negative price for this, as my health has been generally good during my life. However, as I get older I’ve been reminded by doctors and my body itself, that I do need to pay a bit more attention to the habits and foods that promote good health.

I understand the need for greater health habits, and have no problem doing them. Well, some anyway. I am a very picky eater and not very fond of most healthy foods, especially vegetables. I do like some, and enjoy some fruits and healthy meats as well. I’ve been able to find enough to be able to enjoy the ones I do like and incorporate those into my diet. I’ve never been much for routine exercise. Don’t get me wrong. I love being outside and playing competitive sports and games. I just never enjoyed aerobic workouts, weight lifting, jogging, and any routine exercises that don’t involve some type of game. That makes it difficult and could take a toll on my body when I can’t get outside for the long Buffalo winters.

Recently, I did some reading. As often happens, I received the same information in several of the books and articles I read. I’ve said it a million times before, and I’ll say it again. That’s when I know God is speaking to me! The articles were discussing how our physical health is often a manifestation of our mental health. The quality of the thoughts we choose very often determines the quality of our health! I’ve seen this in my own life. When I allow thoughts of stress and negativity, the negative effects show up in my body as more sickness, and weight gain from being lethargic. When I think negatively, it also affects my energy level. I am much more tired and unmotivated during these times.

Fortunately, I have learned to control my thoughts much better, and I often don’t allow these thoughts to negatively affect my body. On the other hand, when I maintain positive, wholesome thoughts, my body reacts to those too. I have much more energy, and just feel much healthier, and simply more alive. And the healthy habits and actions I need to take seem to happen much more easily and naturally.

In these readings and other online information there were several bits of information that were very helpful to me. These were common themes I noticed that can help you and I rid ourselves of the mental causes of sickness and ailments that we can potentially encounter. Perhaps not all will apply to you, but hopefully at least one or two can help.

• Watch your thoughts. I recently discussed this in another article. Watch what you are thinking. Only allow thoughts that are positive, edifying, and encouraging. Allow thoughts that align with God’s truth. What you think on the inside manifests on the outside, and that includes our health. Stressful thoughts bring us down. Joyful and positive thoughts lift our spirits, which have incredible positive benefits on our energy and overall health.
• Remove guilt. It is amazing how feelings of guilt can weigh a person down. We’ve all failed and we’ve all done things that we regret. However, we cannot change the past. What’s done is done. Instead of harping on what happened in the past, I recommend doing one of two things. Let it go completely, or do what you can do now to make up for the mistake. That’s it. The more you release the negative feeling of guilt, the more you allow the necessary positive feelings and thoughts to take over your mind.
• Forgive. Just as you are forgiving yourself for past failures and mistakes, it is also necessary to do the same for others. I know it is often easier said than done. I’m a very patient and forgiving person (to a fault sometimes), but I’d be lying if I said there was no one in my life past or present with whom I still hold some resentment towards. However, just like removing our own feelings of guilt, the more we release negative thoughts towards others, the more liberating it is to us. When we forgive, the mental strain is released, and this has positive impacts on our physical bodies.
• Follow your bliss. Do you ever notice the joy and positivity you feel when you are doing something you really enjoy? And do you sometimes notice the empty feelings when you are not doing those things? The key here is to be deliberate about it. As mentioned before, I love being outside, especially if it involves a golf course or a beach. I feel amazing, and it’s no coincidence that my level of health is always highest during the warm weather months. The problem, is those options are not available here in Buffalo during the winter. So I have two options, and I’ve done both. The first is to feel the blues of the dark, cold, snowy winter and count the days until summer. The second is to take advantage of the many other things I enjoy doing while I can’t be outside. Hopefully you can see that I love to write. Being inside provides many more writing opportunities. I also enjoy watching sports with their seasons in the winter like hockey and basketball. I also enjoy family time, as we’re forced to spend our time inside in the cozy house. The key is to stay motivated and engaged with things that I love to do. When our minds have something positive to focus on and enjoy, it doesn’t have time for negative thoughts that ultimately can make us sick.
• Know that you don’t have to do everything. I’m one that like to do things for myself. However, I’ve realized over time that it is OK to ask for help. Sometimes we need help and support from others. The more we allow that help, the more we can release ourselves of the stress and unnecessary pressure that causes us to wear ourselves out.
• Don’t be afraid. So many of us are ruled by fear. As confident as I am these days, I still let fear rule in my life sometimes. Someone recently asked me what is easier. Suffering from the burden of doing things myself and worrying about what can go wrong, or letting God who has all the power in the universe help me get things done and work things out. The answer is obvious. However, we make it difficult because we have such a hard time putting things in God’s hands and letting Him work out the details and results. I know we are responsible to take some actions, but we are often so bogged down with fear because we don’t trust the all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present God that only has our best interests in mind. If we were ever to let go of even some of our fears, our minds would be so liberated that it would automatically have such a healing and energizing effects on our bodies.

These are just a few suggestions. I am certainly not a health expert, but these have been helpful to me, and I can attest to the positive effects taking these steps have had on my own health. I also know how my body feels when I allow the negatives to take over my mind. I believe most of us know that mind and body go together. When the mind is good, so is the body. And when the mind is bogged down with negativity and stress, that is when we invite sickness and other negative situations to enter our bodies. I realize that sometimes we can’t control some negative things that happen to our health and bodies. Accidents happen. Some truly good people are taken from us early for reasons only God knows. However, why not focus on the things we can control? Focus on keeping our minds clear of the negative, stressful, and fearful thoughts. Replace them with thoughts that the Bible suggests we fill our minds with, thoughts that are noble, just, pure, lovely, admirable, and praise-worthy. I can tell you that if you keep these healthy thoughts in your mind, your body will be healthy as well. Enjoy the blessings 🙂

You Can Have Greater Control of Your Circumstances

If only you could control the circumstances in your life. How great would that be? I’m sure you would cherish the ability to live the life you want to live, to have the things you want to have, and to be the person you want to be.

Well, who says you can’t? I’ve been studying the power of the mind for over a decade now, and I still receive constant reminders that you and I, and anyone can have far more control of the circumstances of life than we realize. I do my best to share these reminders with you here.

So how can one exercise this greater control? Simply by controlling your thoughts. The foundation of life is in the mind. Whatever happens there, happens in the outside world. That is why it is so important to pay attention to what you are thinking. A Bible verse I’ve shared here often is Proverbs 4:23. It says to “guard your heart (which is your mind and deepest thoughts) above all else, because it determines the course of your life.” Another translation says to “be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.”

In some ways, this is difficult to hear because many of us think negatively on a much more regular basis than we think positive thoughts. Knowing that these thoughts affect our lives is not very comforting! However, the part that is comforting is that we can have full control of our thoughts! And if we can take and maintain that control, we can affect our circumstances. I fully believe that it is much easier to control what I am thinking than to try and control the many circumstances in my life. It may seem difficult to do, but I can tell you that with experience, it gets easier and easier. It then becomes even more natural and more rewarding after you see the positive results.

At this point, I know what you may be wondering. Does this mean all of my negative circumstances will disappear if I simply maintain positive thinking? I wish I could say it would. Unfortunately, I cannot guarantee that all of your negative circumstances will completely disappear. However, I know that God communicates with us throughout our lives in various ways, and sometimes negative situations are ways he uses to do so. Sometimes they are wake up calls, and oftentimes they are used to bring us to something greater. For whatever reason, they are part of all of our lives on this earth. I can say this, though. The more you control your thoughts and keep them focused on God’s truth and His principles, the more joy and happiness you will experience. And even when the negative situations occur, they will be easier to deal with and much more short-lived.

I am sure you have heard these reminders many times, especially if you regularly read my articles. Whether it’s your first or thousandth time, I remind you (and myself) again. Take time each day to watch what you are thinking. Deliberately think beautiful, positive thoughts. Visualize the situations you want to experience, the life you want to live, and the person you want to be. Exercise that control of your mind that you all have. After that, take the actions that you feel led to take. I strongly believe (and know from experience) that you will see very quickly that the circumstances in your life line up according to the thoughts in your mind. They always do anyway no matter how you think. So why not take control and purposely create the life you are looking for. Enjoy the blessings 🙂