Just like the ability to communicate well leads to healthy relationships, our body’s ability to communicate information between cells is important to staying healthy.  Without strong cellular communication, we become sick and are more prone to illness and severe chronic issues.  In my last post I mentioned the important role that special brain cells (called neurons) play in creating networks of data storage in our brain.  I also mentioned how residual stress can block our ability to see things as they really are.  If we allow them to, stress and fear can end up managing how we live and practically every choice we make.  Residual stress leads to physiological chemical disorder which, apart from living an unhappy live, also leads to very serious health issues.
There’s definitely a lot written on ways or methods to restore proper chemical balance in our minds and body.  Exercising, eating healthy and other tools are great ways to restore balance.  In my conversations with people however, I’ve found that the problem has little to do with understanding the solutions available.  The root problem has to do with making a lifestyle change that leads to improved health.  I’d like to share 3 tips that I’ve found helps lead to permanent lifestyle changes that restore physiological and chemical balance in the mind and body.
The suggestions are proven and not anything out of the ordinary.  Before delving into that though I’d like to ask you to consider something.  What do you really think of yourself?  Take some time to really think about that.  Do you love the person you are?  Loving yourself is an important first step, yet it can be difficult if we’re always comparing ourselves to others and trying to put on a front of perfection.  Whenever there’s a lack of love, there’s a lack of belief that one can change.  That includes our selves.  The good news is we can change, we can feel love and we can become someone whom we love.   I’ve seen it happen plenty of times.  It doesn’t matter what our background is, what we do for a living or where we find ourselves in life.  When we get to the point that we internalize that and have faith in ourselves, the tips below will become extremely helpful in bringing balance to your life and health.
Surround Yourself with Positivity – Unless you haven’t noticed it already, the world is filled with negativity.  Ask yourself the following two questions – how often have I heard something positive or uplifting in the past week?  Compare that to – how often have I heard something negative or demeaning in the past week?  When I ask these questions I’m not just referring to what you hear from others at work or home.  I also want you to pay attention to what kind of music you listen to, what kind of television/movies you’re watching, etc.  As much as we love to say that these things have no effect on us, the reality is they do.  Being around negativity leads to negative thoughts; negative thoughts leads to additional stress; additional stress leads to feeling overwhelmed; feeling overwhelmed leads to not sticking with healthy goals.
Think of the Long Term – Technology is a great tool.  We can watch a video on almost anything we want right away.  Unfortunately, this kind of efficiency has also led us to think only in the short term.  If we are obese and we want to lose weight, we can’t expect be in athletic shape in a few weeks.  Always keep in mind the long term perspective.  We have to always keep in mind the saying that life is a marathon, not a sprint.  Additionally, it can be helpful to ask yourself – where do I want to be in 3 years?  Make sure that decisions you make and the thoughts you decide to internalize have positive consequences in the long term.
Lose Yourself – One of the best ways to stay on track and be focused is to lose yourself in service to others.  This can be as simple as helping your spouse, sibling, parent or friend.  Better yet, be kind to people you don’t even know.  This sort of behavior can have an extremely strong impact on how you view yourself, others and the world around you.  Although this may sound counter intuitive if you’re focusing on improving yourself, it is one of the best pieces of advice I could ever give on making a long lasting change.
Originally posted September 3, 2014