The Power of Positive Thinking - Can We Literally Will Ourselves to Become Well?
When you are sick, either from something minor like a cold or from a more serious health problem, have you ever noticed how your mental attitude can really contribute to the way you feel?
I can remember throwing myself some pretty good pity parties when I was bed-ridden with the flu or pneumonia or something. Along with feeling very sorry for myself, I would think things like, “I feel so sick.” “My fever is not going away.” “This is just horrible…I’m never going to get better.”
If we’re all being honest here, I think thoughts like these are pretty normal. It’s just the worst to be sick, stuck at home with all of the miserable symptoms that go along with being ill.
I also had a difficult time staying positive while I was recovering from my hysterectomy. I was so sick afterwards and feeling so miserable that my brain played along thinking negative things all day long about how awful I felt.
In the past few months, a few things happened that have really shown me how our thoughts and feelings can impact our health. First, I had a conversation with a dear friend of mine who is a huge believer in affirmations.
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I have often asked myself, when I am tempted to indulge in misery, "What if someone came right now to invite me, right now, to a party?.....would I snap out of this?"
When the answer is, "Probably," I go ahead and snap out of it.
I absolutely believe this is true. I have done this myself. First of all I was told of a technique to conquer pain. Instead of being afraid of the needle or a proceedure
that you know causes pain like dentistry and anesthetic shots, embrace the pain. Do not tense up and expect the pain and then suffer. Instead relax let it happen and feel the pain. This minute you feel the pain and allow yourself to concentrate on the pain, you no longer feel the intensity and then it no longer hurts at all.
It is amazing!!! I miracle of sorts. I use it all the time for headaches, stomach aches, shots, etc. Just the other day I had to go for a mole removal and they told me the injection would sting like a bee. I relaxed and concentrated on the pain and it instantly went away. Just like that. When she gave me the injection for the second mole I never even felt it. There was no burn no sting. I could have fallen asleep.
So the mind is a very powerful thing. It is capable of anything. Since pain centers are in the brain and we have the ability to heal ourselves when we get a cut or scrape then why couldn't we heal ourselves of things like cancer, diabetes, arthritis, etc??
if this is true, and im not saying its not. Would that mean a dr. gives you diseases, and cancers by diagnosing you or suggesting that they might happen by taking or not taking certain actions?
That's an interesting point Anon and there are people who absolutely agree that illnesses begin in the mind. Obviously it's not true that all do, but many think that a lot of sickness comes from a certain mindset, I was listening to a radio program on this subject in the car just yesterday!
I'm not sure about serious illnesses but for the common cold there is nothing worse than to lie in bed and wait to get better. I always go to work and get over my cold in 24 hours. Sleeping too much reduces your metabolic rate and reduces the rate that you recover. Keeping active is tough when you feel sick but you get better quickly.
I haven't taken a sick day in 5 years.