(By Pharm. Sesan Kareem)
As a man thinketh, so is he. Why are you sad or anxious? What experience in the past makes you feel helpless or worthless? Are you still carrying the burden of the past? Maybe, just maybe, you are troubled because of the troubles you foresee in the future?
This might sound strange, but it is the gospel truth that nothing in this world can make you anxious; there are no circumstances, situations or events that can make you feel helpless. It is your response and, most times, your reaction that determines your outcome. In other words, it is not what happens that really affects us; it is what we think it means. That is the reason two people will experience the same trial of life (which, by the way, is a part and parcel of our existence) and one person may come out of it to become a strong, powerful and refined personality, while the other will become helpless, hopeless and eventually depressed. The difference? Your thinking!
Thoughts mixed with negative emotions of fear, doubts, worry, anger, jealousy, hatred or greed are primarily the building blocks of negative attitude, which (over time) becomes our habit, and which eventually results into our character. This is what later metamorphoses into stress, feelings of helplessness, worthlessness, pessimism and, above all, depression.
Oh yes, emotional pains are real – the death of a family member or a close friend; sudden loss of fortune; traumatic experience, such as loss of some bodily function; or rape. But the reality is, you must learn to separate yourself from any events in your past that you cannot control. Remember, our past doesn’t equal our future, unless we still live in the past. Perhaps, you need to forgive yourself or others, if need be.
Most times, people try to use negative thoughts, sadness, anxiety and depression as a catalyst to turn their life around, but it will only lead to more problems. However, if you change the dominating thoughts in your head to positive thoughts of wellness, you will be relaxed and be in the best position to think about your life and take necessary immediate action to change things for good.
Changing your negative thoughts to positive ones doesn’t actually mean you will turn your disease into health. But with a positive thought and the right mindset, you can recreate health from sickness because positive dominating thoughts in your heart will change how you feel about a situation. And when you have positive emotions of faith, hope and enthusiasm, your perception about your health and life will change and you will be in the best position to live a healthy and good life.
During my days in community practice, one of my distinguished customers shared this remarkable story with me. Her husband had always believed that only Panadol Extra, and not Panadol could treat his headache successfully. This state of mind had persisted for many years. At one time, the husband had a serious headache. Unfortunately, there was no Panadol Extra at home but they had Panadol. The woman begged him to use the Panadol, with the assurance that it would work. However when the husband took the drug, it indeed seemed to be ineffective. Then, the wife harnessed the power of the mind and after four hours, took another two caplets of Panadol and informed her husband that she had got Panadol Extra. She gave it to the husband to use, and in less than two hours the headache had disappeared.
What really happened here? The man believed in his mind that he had finally obtained the only cure to his headache and his body system immediately followed suit.
Researches have shown that the best way to correct a negative thought is to immediately counter it with a positive one. Assuming your subconscious mind says you are powerless, instantly communicate to your conscious mind that you are so powerful beyond measure. The secret behind this strategy is the fact that your mind, as powerful as it is, cannot process inconsistent thoughts simultaneously.
Whenever I have doubts about anything or my mind thinks negatively about something, I immediately counter it with positive thoughts in my subconscious mind through imagination and affirmation. To get the best out of imagination and affirmation in order to strengthen the fibre of your mind and enhance the vibration of your thoughts, repetition is the master key. Say it over and over again until it finally sticks to your subconscious mind. Imagine it repeatedly until it becomes crystal clear in your head. And when it is fixed in your mind, you’ve got it and you will know you’ve got it because then your mind will be dominated by positive thoughts of gratitude, contentment, security, happiness, good health and tranquility. Just like the night automatically follows the day, good health and good life will automatically follow your good thoughts of wellness and abundance.
ACTION PLAN: What are your dominating thoughts? Are you focusing on your problems or the solutions? Are you always thinking about good health or bad health? Think about good health always. Use affirmation and imagination to retrain your thinking. Persist until you have a health conscious mindset.
AFFIRMATION: I will always think positively. I will think good health and abundance. I am committed to a healthy lifestyle.
