Take Control of Your HealthWritten by Maria K. Myrback CH
“I’m sorry. It’s malignant.” Hundreds of people hear that phrase every day. Those four words can leave your imagination running at 110 miles an hour. Once initial stunned numbness has worn off, then riot of emotions sets in; fear, anxiety, grief and, for some, resignation. All of these reactions are perfectly normal and natural. The human psyche has that built-in survival mechanism to help us recognize a potentially life-threatening situation. Those reactions are part of that mechanism. Please take a moment and make note of words I have been using. For instance, a ‘reaction’ is an ‘action’ that is played out over an over again, thus re-action. A mechanism is a mechanical action that takes place automatically. In this state it is no wonder patients feel they have no control. It is time to recognize that, first of all, YOU are most important member of your healthcare team. The more active and curious you are about your treatment, better your outlook will be. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. The more informed you are, more calm and confident you will feel. Treatments have far more affect when you recognize benefits and accept them as such. It is time to recognize that diagnosis of cancer or some other chronic illness may have changed your life, but that does not mean your life has been changed for worse. In times like these it is up to YOU to decide how your life has been changed. Once you begin to take control of your treatment, you will begin to realize that YOU have power to make a difference in your medical treatment and care. The power of mind, as we are all learning, is an incredible tool that we have at our disposal. We are literally of two minds; conscious mind and subconscious. In November 2002 issue of Natural Awakenings, I wrote an article pertaining to just that subject. The article talked about how we can change our lives by changing our thought patterns, which reside in our subconscious minds. This is, in actuality, first step towards healing.
| | The Process of ChangeWritten by Maria K. Myrback CH
Want to stop biting your nails? How about quit smoking? Perhaps you would even like to change your thought patterns in order to assist in your own medical treatment. All of this, and so much more, is possible once we learn how to focus on positive thought patterns. On average we have 50,000 - 60,000 full and complete thoughts every day. Of those thoughts, because we are such creatures of habit, only 5% are new. In other words, 95% of thoughts we have today are same thoughts we had yesterday. In order to change that percentage, we must first change thoughts we chose to focus on. As creatures of habit, we do choose thoughts we focus on. There are four ways we can choose to handle those thoughts: 1) We can focus on thought, which is not terribly productive. Focusing on negativity simply creates more negativity. This kind of thought builds upon itself until it causes stress, which eventually leads to health problems. 2) We can choose to release thought. Simply by letting go we can begin to make room for new, more beneficial thoughts. 3) We can modify thought. Instead of thinking "I'll NEVER get this report done! My boss is going to kill me, we're going to lose account and I'm going to be jobless by noon!” You can change that thought. A more positive modification of that might be, "I may not get report done tonight, but my boss understands. I'll still be employed tomorrow." OR, most beneficial choice is 4) Create a whole new thought. Instead of fearing that you will be unemployed because report isn't finished, you can simply choose to tell yourself, "The report will be completed and turned in when it is due. My boss will be thrilled. I still have my job." Our thoughts are communicated in more than just words. We also communicate with tone of our voice and how we hold our body. Nonverbal studies have been a part of scientific research even prior to 1960's. By example, if I were to cross my arms over my chest, lower my chin and stare at someone over rim of my glasses while tapping my toe rapidly on floor and asking, “What?”, in a low, growling tone, what would that indicate? For many people such a stance and tone indicates anger or frustration. According to scientific research, only 7% of what we communicate is actually spoken. Fifty percent is actually done with our tone, while 43% is done with body posture. Words and how we say them create feelings and desires. Many people assume that feelings simply show up, but there is an actual process in brain that occurs. Most words are associated in subconscious mind with images and pictures. These images are linked to emotions, which come to forefront when specific words are spoken. Thus, our feelings are created by subconscious mind when words are spoken and associated feeling materializes. For instance, close your eyes, clear your mind and think word ‘happy’. An immage generally comes to mind followed by corresponding feeling. It works same way if we close our eyes, clear our minds and think word ‘sad’ or if we dwell on any negative thought. The more we hang on to negative, more it hurts us and more firmly ingrained into our thought patterns it becomes. Once a negative pattern has become entrenched, it becomes more difficult to change as time goes on. This is why, many times, will power fails when attempting to change a habit.
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