Day 33 Positive Changes!

I have actually noticed several positive changes, now that I think about it!
- I have been able to exercise 5 days this week without an increase in pain or fatigue. I do notice that no matter what time I exercise, though, I have trouble sleeping at night. So I'm wondering if this a symptom substitution situation or if it's just that physical stress is the same as psychological stress...
- I was able to forgive 3 minor mistakes at work today that normally would have sent me into a spiral of self-criticism. As soon as they happened, I forgave myself without giving it another thought and carried on.
- It seems like every day my attention to how I am feeling is deepening, and accepting those uncomfortable emotions/feelings is getting easier.
- I find myself actually checking in with my body throughout the day, asking what it is feeling in the moment rather than trying to recount how it felt later.
- I am getting more and more comfortable expressing how I feel in a respectful manner, without fear of how the recipient will react.
- I am getting to know myself on a deeper level than I ever knew possible.

I'm sure there are tons more that if I really thought about it I could come up with a much longer list. But this is a good start!

 

Dr. Howard Schubiner (and many others too) call the situation you describe above as "Mindfulness". IOWs: The thinking body can function as a barometer of your psychological health and well-being. Keeps you centered in reality too. In When the Body Says No, Dr. Gabor Mate has noted how many of his patients who've come down with autoimmune disorders had emotionally repressive coping styles at the same time they absolutely refused to listen to what their bodies were telling them, much to their long-term detriment.

Bravo!

 

Yes! I have been "practicing" mindfulness for over a year now but not until this program have I gotten to the point that I can practice at work, while under stress. I am very good at sitting on my meditation cushion or in the car and checking in with my body but not when I'm under stress. It's interesting that you mention AI disorders... I am convinced that had I not started paying attention to my body when I did, I would have very quickly developed Celiac's or something similar. A friend of mine is very, very similar in personality and she actually has Celiac's, and was just diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome. She is always "injuring" herself, and getting really sick. I am sure it's because she is so Type A, perfectionist, etc... I really think that if she listened to her body, it would not have developed. I have tried sharing bits of info with her when she seemed receptive but she obviously has no interest. It's kind of frustrating knowing this "secret" when there are so many people around me who would benefit from the knowledge.

I believe that all disease originates in the emotional body and I think that's why reading Louise Hay's You Can Heal Your Life has been so helpful.

Thank you so much for your continued support

 

Awesome insights, Layne! I have always felt, all my life, that I had more control over my health than seemed to be accepted by most people around me (although I think my parents must have had some influence in this). Discovering Dr. Sarno, and then the many related professionals and practitioners such as Dr. Mate, has been exciting and life-affirming. I, too, am saddened by the inability of people I really care about to understand how much power they really have if they choose to access it. But I always think, maybe something will rub off

I was just recommending Louise Hay in another forum post! It's very powerful stuff.

Jan

 

Yeah, I don't know why but the concept really resonates with me. I have known for a long time that a lot of my "illnesses" weren't actually illnesses in the conventional sense. Just like how I don't believe that mental illness is what mainstream society/science thinks it is. I don't quite have the vocabulary to explain it, but I can feel that it's different... I think the real turning point was when I started working with a naturopath - she really gave me back my autonomy, health-wise.

I think this way of thinking will gain more ground in the coming years, as we spread the word and as Western medicine catches up. In this society we put so much emphasis on science based knowledge so most people won't accept that a disease can be anything other than what mainstream medicine says it is. I see the value of Western medicine but people have become as "fundamentalist" about science as people used to be about religion in that they cannot see past their own way of thinking. There is so much more to life that we cannot yet explain, though mystics and spiritual thinkers have been talking about it for a long time, with their vocabulary. I think science is now learning how to explain it using their vocabulary.

<3