"Many receive advice. Only the wise profit from it."....Syrus
Walk into any bookstore and you know there is no shortage of books, magazines, tapes, etc. written for the express purpose of helping us to make lifestyle changes. It is important to read and learn. It is also important to apply what you have read and learned into your action steps.
Why do so many people hang on to unhealthy lifestyles? Is it difficult to make a lifestyle change? Indeed not, but most people have not developed goal setting and planning into their life work. They have failed to develop and apply self-discipline, persistence and perseverance in their life skills. They stay in procrastination, head in the sand, even though their life is on a dangerous course. The belief is, "If I can't see it, it can't see me." Dangerous belief!
This morning I was working with a woman who had a very obvious co-dependent relationship with her daughter. I asked her if she had ever read any material on this subject, especially on rescuing and enabling? "Oh, I have a library full of books of those subjects!" I asked her about her "action plan" and she looked at me completely mystified. Despite all that reading, she had not put one idea into an action plan in helping her in this most important relationship which was key in managing her high levels of stress and distress.
MIND EXERCISE.
Take some time with this and make certain you have your journal handy. Travel to alpha and relax deeply in the chair before you read the rest of this paragraph. OK....ready....
• In what areas of your life do you need to develop an action plan?
• In what areas do you need to practice persistence and perseverance?
• In what areas are you looking for a quick fix?
And now look your inner library and find those entries of when you were self-disciplined, persisted and persevered through obstacles. Make some notes about these areas of interest
This is a very important area to plant some living affirmations. Be sure to bring in some powerful emotional crayons and color them deeply.
• I recognize persistence and congratulate myself on practicing this skill.
• I am aware of many times when I persisted.
• I review my memory bank and applaud my pictures of persistence and perseverance.
NUTRITIONAL INSIGHTS:
Few people take the time to notice their daily food intake. All of my students, whether they are looking to manage sugar addiction, eating disorder, lose weight, gain weight, or are looking for optimum mind/body functioning are keenly aware of their food intakes, as well as their hunger types and corresponding emotional states. This is not a lot of work for those who are looking to function at a high level. Not one of them can afford to ignore this most vital information. that moves them ahead of the pack. If you want to be successful at anything, you must do success-orientated steps over and over. You might notice yourself passing those who tired out on the way. Many people talk but few follow through. Ask yourself now which you will be?
My students are well aware of even minute changes in their body sensations, energy levels, hunger states and emotional states. The first order of business after noticing these changes is to review their last few meals and snacks. They also keep an eye on water consumption and any other drinks or substances that have been ingested. Some of these might include chewing gum, breath mints, diet beverages, and including those with sugar, artificial sweeteners, or caffeine. Keep in mind that food and drink are chemicals and experienced by the body as such. For those with a family or personal history of reactive hypoglycemia or the Profactors for hyperinsulinemia, even the frequenting of breath mints can be enough to interfere with the functioning of the mind and body.
There is a very strong correlation between stress reaction and food intake. Feelings of reactive hypoglycemia are very much the same as "feeling stressed" or "feeling anxious or fearful." Remember to keep your food logs, especially for a few weeks until your awareness kicks in. You tend to operate on high auto-pilot with food and drink intake. It often takes people at least a few weeks to start waking up to this important issue.
MIND EXERCISE.
Return to the library of the mind and find your book. You already know the routine and the book I'm talking about. But this time I want you to open the area that will point out to you the small things you do that keep you sitting on the side of the road while other's pass you by. These are the things, however small, that act out in big ways and keep you from reaching your goals and recovery. There are probably many of them, so do request the book that has all of them.
Writing helps to seal the commitment to change. Go ahead now and make some notes about things you need to change that will help you to be a winner instead of a side the road sitter:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Notice there are affirmations on the table for you. These are connected to winning, so go ahead and begin your planting.
• I care for myself at high levels.
• I am aware of my food and drink intake.
• I enjoy keeping my food logs.
• My awareness is expanding....
MINDBODY WORK.....
It is absolutely vital to continue working with breath awareness. I was working with a student this morning who told me that she didn't have time to do all this work. Actually she was quite angry with the process. Remember my opening words today on persistence and perseverance. Well, she certainly needs work in this area. The truth of the matter is that it doesn't really take all that much time and even if it did, I want you to ask yourself who is more important than you and your goals?
Awareness of the breath and rhythmic breathing are part of our moment to moment life. Keep a reminder on your desk, in your car, etc. which will trigger your relaxed rhythmic breathing. You are breathing anyway, so why not do it in a fashion that benefits the functioning of your mind and certainly your body?
MIND EXERCISE.
As you continue to work with body scanner practice, notice that your ability to concentrate on your work has improved. Your brain noise seems to be lessening. If you look at your thought processes like cabs passing you on the street, you might say that the traffic is a bit more manageable. This is the body scanner in action.
This particular exercise teaches the brain to function, with flow and flexibility. After awhile you will notice how easy it is to move from one task to another and immediately be able to focus very deeply. This is flexibility in action and your gift from body scanning and awareness breathing. . It is one of the most vital skills for developing a fully functioning brain process. If you are looking to improve your focus, creativity, goal setting, accelerate your learning, or just release stress, you are on your way.
Those who pass the side of the road sitters find new places to practice these tools. They know the value and smile inwardly as they pass those who don't get it. Take a moment now to meet up with your Inner Coach and ask to be directed towards additional places for you to practice. There are plenty of moments during the day for this if you just stay in awareness and desire to be a winner. As your Inner Coach helps you out with this winning strategy, make some notes to further etch the programs into your subconscious mind___________________________________________________________________
Take an additional self-development moment and plant these images.
• I enjoy my breathing exercises.
• I practice rhythmic breathing ongoing throughout the day.
• I remember to breathe from my alpha level.
• I breathe at my desk.
• I breathe in my car.
• I am aware of my breath.
• I am developing persistence and perseverance.
• I recognize their presence, and I welcome them !
NOTE TO NEW READERS:
This experiential blog/workshop is based on my new book, "How Many Cookies Will It Take to Make Me Happy?" This book is not published as yet, but you have the opportunity to read it in it's unpublished state. If you are new to my writing, you might want to read the earlier mini-chapters. They are available on FaceBook, The PublishersMarketPlace & at the following link. Remember to scan down to find the earliest chapters & work your way up. http://beyonddisorderlyeating.blogspot.com/
A bit of background.... we are working with creative Interactive Self-Hypnosis imagery, planting suggestions directly into the creative subconscious mind as you read along. What appears like a story is a series of self-hypnotic sessions, designed to bring about desired lifestyle changes. The inner mind is creative & rather child-like, loving to play with images, especially when they are emotionalized. Just like the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words", well-planted mind images, can be worth hours of therapy. We can actually change or motivate in 1/200th of a second. So come along & look forward to some lifestyle-changing events.
Copyright 2009 Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht
May not be copied or reproduced without permission of the author.
Elizabeth Bohorquez, RN, C.Ht is author of Sugar...the Hidden Eating Disorder & How to Lick It. She is also the writer/producer of over 350 mp3/CD programs in the areas of medicine, health, prevention, addictions, self-development & sports for adults & children.
http://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.bohorquez
http://www.twitter.com/elizRN
http://www.hypnosis-audio.com
http://www.sugar-addiction.com
http://www.international-medical-health-writers
