Focusing on the positive

“Do not be confined by your current circumstances.”
 

This quote has me thinking. It is deceptively simple, really. I am a person who often dismisses things that sound too simple. It can’t be that easy, says my logical brain.

My logical mind likes to evaluate things, to inventory and count and look at the costs and benefits of each action. I imagine my logical mind as a kind of alter ego peering over her reading glasses, tsking and scowling over her list of woes, imperfections and complaints like a perturbed librarian.

What I find is I am often stuck in reactive mode. I don’t take the time and mental energy to really draw positive thoughts and energy toward me. I look and react to the negative so much more easily than focusing on the positive and visualizing the direction I want to head in.

Our society makes it easy.  As a woman, we are taught to scrutinize our physical shell.  I look in the mirror and see the “to do” list. Get rid of that gray hair, pluck those eyebrows, fix your lipstick, etc. How often do we look in the mirror and say, “Hey, I look good!”

Physically, we operate pretty much the same way. It is easy to focus on each ache, pain and twitch. But doesn’t that sell our selves too short?

What power can we tap into if we stop focusing on the negative and look at what is right? How will our energy change if we spend more time visualizing the positive and having a real gratitude for the things that we can achieve and do – both mentally and physically.

Multiple sclerosis is a challenge, but the challenge is to also look beyond the wall of symptoms. Healing can come when you focus on what is positive and visualize even more success. We need to deeply and mindfully connect to the things we want. Progress isn’t automatic; it takes action and conscious effort – but it starts with the visual picture and motivation to make the dream a reality.

Healing Meditation by Asghar Ghorbani

The knowledge of how to heal ourselves is already in our brains and bodies. This knowledge does not work at the conscious level. The brain/mind discovers something that is broken in the body and immediately sets about fixing it. All of the knowledge required for healing is already there and does not require any special action of the conscious mind, except to get out of the way and allow the healing to take place. The conscious mind does have an influence on the process; though it is not one of detailed and direct control. 
 

The way the conscious mind can help or hurt the healing process is by being aligned with the healing process or being opposed to it. By believing in the healing process, by taking as much of an active role as possible in the care of one's body, by having a positive attitude, and by focusing on the goal of healing, the conscious mind aligns itself with the healing process and does what it can to aid the body's natural healing intelligence. By having the mindset of illness and defeat, the conscious mind can become an obstacle to healing.

But how does one attain the positive outlook that contributes to healing? One attains it by working on it. While illness can make one feel out of control- a passive victim- the truth is that there are several extremely important things that are in one's control and that will alter the course of one's illness.

First, one controls what goes into the body: food and drink. We create a lot of illness by giving our body poor fuel, and we frustrate our bodies' efforts to heal us when we are sick. The body has the knowledge to heal us, but it is up to us to give the body the building blocks of healing.

Second, we can move our bodies. There are many healing processes that cannot take place without movement. For example, someone with joint pain uses the pain as an excuse to stop moving the joint. But that is a mistake. Movement is essential to the healing of joints. They cannot heal without movement. For one thing, the fluid inside joints needs to be replenished just as the blood inside of our arteries needs to be replenished. For this to happen, it needs to be physically moved around. In the case of the blood, the heart does the moving, but in the case of the fluid in joints, only moving the joint will pump the fluid through the joint. We can't escape the essential physicality of our bodies. Our bodies evolved to heal through motion.

Third, we can change our thinking patterns. It is a scientific fact that people with positive attitudes toward the healing process actually heal better than those with a defeatist attitude. But it may seem like these attitudes are just a matter of personality- that they are fixed. Not so. We can change our attitudes by working on them, by acting as if we have a positive attitude, even if we don't feel it yet, by helping others, and by meditating.

Meditation-reflection on the positive, or even just mindful reflection on any negative thought process that one has, can help calm destructive thinking patterns and will eventually allow one to focus on the positive, on a path to healing. Helping others can also help us develop positive attitudes by giving one a general sense of well-being. Helping others makes people happy.

And finally, one simple tool is just to go through the motions of having a positive attitude. For example, one can actually become happier by smiling, even when one does not, at first, feel like smiling.

By developing a positive attitude, giving one's body the right nutrition, and by moving it around, one can align oneself with the healing process and let the brain and body do what they already know, how to heal.

Asghar Ghorbani 3/7/13

Visualization

By R. McDonnell & A. Ghorbani

Visualization is a powerful tool in making steps toward personal change.  Creative visualization (sports visualization) refers to the practice of seeking to affect the outer world by changing one's thoughts and expectations.^[1] Creative visualization is the basic technique underlying positive thinking^[2] and is frequently used by athletes to enhance their performance.^[3][4] The concept originally arose in the US with the nineteenth century New Thought movement. One of the first Americans to practice the technique of creative visualization was Wallace Wattles (1860–1911), who wrote The Science of Getting Rich.^[5] In this book, Wattles advocates creative visualization as the main technique for realizing one's goals; a practice that stems from the Hindu Monistic theory of the Universe that is subscribed to by the book.[6]

To get started, follow these guidelines to help you in the process:

1.     Make a plan and write it down. Set specific goals that are achievable in the next 3, 6 or 9 months.

2.     Take action everyday. If your goal is to exercise, take action every day – even if it is limited.  Taking a step toward the goal you visualized is key to success.

3.     Keep dreaming. Stay passionate and excited about your goal by staying connected to your vision. Visualize success every day.

4.     Set specific goals and deadlines. Make a plan and break it down into realistic steps. “I want to eat better” is harder to visualize and achieve than “I will eat a healthy, high protein breakfast every morning.”

5.     Track your success. Journal, photograph and keep track of each success (nothing is too small). Review and celebrate your progress.

6.     Correct failures and setbacks, but keep going! Setbacks, mistakes and failures happen to everyone. Don’t stop your progress. Identify what triggered or contributed to the problem and plan a new strategy for next time.

7.     Notice your new patterns. Reflect often on your progress and changes in behavior and explore the changes you’ve made along your journey.

8.     Be content. Wellness is not competitive; enjoy the pace you can realistically achieve. Don’t get caught up comparing yourself to others.

References

¹        Mary B. Ballou, Psychological Interventions: A Guide to Strategies, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1995, ISBN 0-275-94851-X.

²       Carl L. Wesckcke, Keith Randolph, The Truth about Creative Visualization, 1984, ISBN 0-87542-353-1.

³               Andrew Caruso, Sports Psychology Basics: For Serious Players and Coaches, Reedswain Inc., 2005, ISBN 1-59164-083-0.

⁴               Tony Morris, Michael Spittle, Anthony P. Watt, Imagery in Sport: The Mental Approach to Sport, published by Human Kinetics, 2005, ISBN 0-7360-3752-7.

⁵        James R. Lewis, Jesper Aagaard Petersen, Controversial New Religions, 2004, p. 326, ISBN 0-19-515682-X.

⁶        Wattles, Wallace D., Preface-Paragraph 3, The Science of Getting Rich

Foods that naturally detox

Feeling sluggish or out of sync? Having skin problems, aches and pains, or digestive problems? Straying from your healthier habits lately? Having trouble kicking off your weight loss? It might be time to focus on foods that naturally detoxify the system.


Practiced for centuries by many cultures around the world — including ayurvedic and Chinese medicine systems — detoxification is about resting, cleaning and nourishing the body from the inside out. By removing and eliminating toxins, then feeding your body with healthy nutrients, detoxifying can help protect you from disease and renew your ability to maintain optimum health.

Key Foods to Detox (and other helpful benefits)

1. Cauliflower: cauliflower is an antioxidant and can reduce inflammation
2. Broccoli: broccoli is another anti-inflammatory and helps neutralize and rest your system
3. Turnip Greens: detoxifies and also a know cancer fighter
4. Ginger & Garlic: Ginger and garlic are good friends to the liver because they help it get rid of free radicals that are built up in the body. 
5. Lentils: Benefits digestion and helps lower colesteral
6. Grapefruit
7. Cucumber: Helps flush toxins and restores alkaline balance
8. Oats: Oats may not only improve immune defense detoxify, but studies suggest they can also help control appetite and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and lower cholesterol
9. Sunflower Seeds: Sunflowers are an exceptional source of vitamin E, which plays a very important role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps keep free radicals from oxidizing cholesterol. Only when oxidized is cholesterol able to stick to blood vessel walls and cause atherosclerosis, which can lead to blocked arteries, heart attack, or stroke. You can get over ninety percent of the daily value for vitamin E in only a quarter of a cup of sunflower seeds.
10. Hemp Seeds: Use hemp, avocado, olive, or flax seed oil while detoxing. This will help lubricate the intestinal walls, allowing the toxins to be absorbed by the oil, and eliminated by the body.
11. Water: Drink plenty of water to help eliminate toxins and help your body process what is in your system.

Citrus, leafy greens and fresh fruits are always a staple of a clean and rejuvenating diet. Enjoy all these foods as often as you can!

Attention

At Asghar’s urging, I’ve been thinking a lot about attention. Specifically, where I am putting my mental energy? Asghar uses grander language than I do, but at the core I think these are the questions he’s been urging me to consider are:

• What roadblocks have I allowed to persist in my thinking?
• What fears are still holding me back?
•  What changes and mindsets will help me succeed and move forward?

I still pay attention, subconsciously and otherwise, on what is wrong with me. Over the years, I’ve focused on the parts of me that aren’t working, that are in pain, that are not performing as they used to. I celebrate when I stand easily or walk tall, but my mind keeps cataloging what is going wrong.

Disease can be relentless. Pain and physical challenges have a way of inserting themselves into everyday thoughts. Healthy, functioning bodies don’t keep tabs on the minutia of physical living. The cost of allowing the thoughts and mindset of “disease” has a real cost - before you know it, your subconscious is full of complaints, fears and limitations. That list of worries keeps growing and is reinforced by every bad day or temporary setback.

I think about fears that I once had. I couldn’t roll on my stomach; I panicked when my legs felt weak. I didn’t trust myself to work. I have a lot more confidence in what I can do now, but I realize I am still fighting fears.

What if I can’t keep improving?

What if I have an exacerbation?

I need to let go of these questions. Change them to the positive. I need to pay attention to what is right and stop obsessing over what is wrong. That pattern of thinking only holds me back. I have to let go of the “list” to move forward. I guess I need to start thinking like a healthy person. That is the only way to get to actually be a healthy person.

The fact is, some of these symptoms will be here regardless of how much attention and energy I give them. Thinking, obsessing and feeling afraid won’t ever improve them. Exercise, meditation and focused drive to challenge my disease have a much higher chance of working. I’ve got to give myself the best chances for actual improvement.

I have to shift my attention and allow my brain the room it needs to give healing a chance. That’s easier said than done. That “list” in my brain is long and persistent, maybe there is even a certain safety in the list – it gives you reasons and excuses to avoid the real challenge of battling a disease.  It understands. 

That’s the danger, you see.

So I need to shift my focus and move forward. Change my attention and the dialogue in my head.  I know I can do it, but it is a tricky business. Step by step I go….forward.

Fighting a Giant

The funny thing, as Asghar pointed out to me today, is fighting a disease is not exactly a “fair fight” The disease is like a giant - it’s big, ugly and relentless. And I, in battling the giant, am armed with what amounts to a tiny needle rather than a sword.

This isn’t a hopeless situation, however.

If I keep at it and needle this giant I can wear him down. Although it may take awhile to see the giant fall, it isn’t impossible.

I like the visual, imagining just what an exceptional pain in the ass I am to this stubborn giant known as MS. I am beating it down. I am wearing it out. I imagine it annoyed, beleaguered, and despondent.

Because, hey, that is often how it makes me feel – seems fair, doesn’t it?

This summer, the giant has thrown some challenges my way. But I have my needle, it’s sharp, and I am poised to needle my way through. 

Growing Bolder

This man has a wonderful attitude about fitness, aging and staying young!

http://growingbolder.com/media/health/aging/never-leave-the-playground-793777.html