The mind-body connection is real. It’s not just a cute phrase, the brain actually releases certain hormones and other chemicals in direct response to our thoughts: endorphins, for example, when we’re happy, cortisol when we’re stressed. These hormones and chemicals impact how we function, how we thrive – or don’t. This is why what we tell ourselves about ourselves is so very important.
This, in turn, is why I was so impressed by what I read recently about Seun Adebiyi, who was diagnosed with lymphoma and leukemia while he was training for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Instead of saying “I have cancer” a potentially depressing and frightening thought, he said, “Doctors and nurses looked at me like I was crazy, but I never accepted their perspective that I was a ‘cancer patient.’ In my mind, I was an Olympic hopeful who just happened to be overcoming cancer.” He did and went on to carry the Olympic torch for Nigeria in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, cancer-free.
Pay attention to how you talk to yourself! The words you speak have impact. Saying to yourself when you make a mistake, things like “I’m so stupid,” or “I always mess up” are damaging to the whole of you – mind, body, spirit. Not that we need to whitewash everything, “Oh, I’m so perfect,” but rather choose the words you speak to reflect reality, not to slap labels on your entire being.
“I made a mistake, ok. What can I learn from this?” is a positive and hopeful message to yourself. “I’m such an idiot,” is not. “My partner left me, I’m unloveable” labels you with a negative and damaging self-assessment. “My partner left me. I am hurting and need to heal,” simply reflects reality. Not a beat-yourself-over-the-head condemnation.
Words are powerful. Choose yours wisely to the great benefit of a wonderful YOU!
Noelle Nelson, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, consultant and author of over a dozen best-selling books. Dr. Nelson focuses on how we can all enjoy happy, fulfilling lives while accomplishing great things in love, at home and at work, as we appreciate ourselves, our world and others. She is the author of "Phoenix Rising: Surviving Catastrophic Loss: Fires, Floods, Hurricanes and Tornadoes" (written after her home burned in the 2018 Woolsey Fire) and “The Longevity Secret, How to Live Happy, Healthy & Vibrant Into Your 70s, 80s, 90s and Beyond” (Amazon Kindle). Visit www.noellenelson.com, https://www.facebook.com/MeetTheAmazings, and listen to her podcast Up! Uplifting, Inspiring, Practical on Spotify and on YouTube.