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Why you need to train your mind at least as much as your body

Temps de lecture : 7 minutes

Publié le par jean-guy

In the last decades, many efforts have been done to raise the awareness of physical fitness, fully justified if you ask me. We cannot talk about it enough as we now live in a society where “sitting is called the new smoking.”

Yes, indeed, most of us finally realize that our sedative lifestyle in front of screens of all sizes needs to be complemented regularly with extra physical activity to balance our in- and output and to enhance our overall health and well-being.

When I address the subject of “conscious self-care” with clients who come to see me in search of a happier, healthier, and wealthier life, most people think about nutrition, sleep, and exercise. Few of them realize that we need to address the total picture of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.

Talking about mental well-being in this article, the fitness of the mind is certainly as important, if not more important than the fitness of the body. Both are related, of course, if we know the undoubted effect of the mind-body connection.

“As a man thinketh, so is he” James Allen

Every thought causes a physical reaction to your body. If you doubt that, think about biting into a lemon and see which reaction you get into your body.

So the most important words you say in your life are the words you say to yourself. Those words are so powerful that they can either cause heaven or hell in your life. Every word you say becomes a blueprint for your mind and body that they want to meet and turn into a reality.

Of course, our mind, certainly our subconscious mind, has been conditioned and programmed by our education from when we were children. How your upbringing environment perceived love, health, and money and talked about it, has had an influence on your beliefs about these concepts and most often with a negative imprint.

Today, we still apply these limiting thinking patterns of scarcity and lack daily and thus sabotage our own happiness, health, and success. That is why mental well-being needs to be addressed.

Understanding the power of our mind and training our mind to work for us, instead of against us, is a necessary daily activity. You can choose to cultivate healthy mental habits as much as healthy eating and exercising habits.

The World Wellness Weekend is founded to raise awareness around the full spectrum of wellness, including the mental side. It is all linked with one another.

My question to you is: Are you training your mind? Are you working on your mental fitness?

Herewith are 2 exercises that will enhance your mental strength and shift your life:

  1. Be aware of your words:

If you realize that your mind responds to every detailed instruction you give it through your own inner dialogue (and outer dialogue), you can start investigating and noticing for yourself which words you use in the conversation you have with yourself in your head.

“This is a nightmare” “This is killing me” “I will never get through this” “I am such an idiot” “I should be better, smarter, slimmer” “I am not good enough”… Listen to your own inner critic and notice how you talk to yourself.

Awareness is the first step of change, always. For many of my clients, this is often a huge confrontation. When I ask them if they would speak like that to their best friend, they realize how disempowering and destructive their inner dialogue is. Most of them would never even dare to speak out loud like this.

  1. Choose your words wisely

Stop the dramatic information and give yourself a perspective and a possibility. Start using words to your advantage, words that serve you. Change the “nightmare” into a “challenge”.

“This is an unforeseen challenge” “I will do the best I can” “I have the coping skills I need” “I made a mistake and I am learning from it”

You do have a choice every single moment of the day so choose wisely how you talk to yourself. Practice, practice, practice as you practice your physical fitness.

These two mental exercises will give you a shift in your energy and life. They will change your life for the better. They will make you feel lighter and more vibrant. Once you start to include mental fitness into your life and feel the benefits, you will never want to stop!

 

 

Danielle Sax is the author of this blog post.
If you are interested in more guidance to stop surviving and thrive in this world of overdrive, feel free to visit her website on www.daniellesax.com or contact her personally at danielle@daniellesax.com for a FREE “World Wellness Weekend Boost Session”, gift to you for your zest for life. You are your best investment, always!