It’s Day 45 of quarantine (but who’s counting) and as some states (including ours here in Texas) are starting to talk about re-opening, I’m thinking about preparing myself for re-emergence, too.
There’s one key lesson I’ve learned from this time and it’s this…
The antidote to FEAR is ACTION.
There’s been so much over these past 45 days that’s shaken me. Paralyzed me.
What helps is figuring out what I can do.
I’ve honed in on 3 priorities to improve your health and feel more in control.
In this post I’ll start with No. 1 and follow up over the next few days with No. 2 and 3, so stay tuned….
1. Take out stress at the root
We may not be able to control our situation. We can control how we respond though.
Did you know most of us have somewhere around 50-70k thoughts a day?
These are the things we’re saying to ourselves over and over in our head… without even realizing it. Like a soundtrack running in the background, telling us how to feel and act.
Here’s the craziest part… the body can’t tell the difference between instruction and background noise. It hears it all the same. And takes direction.
The body is always listening.
It also can’t tell the difference between what’s real and what’s not.
Have you ever watched a movie that got your heart racing?
Logically, you know what’s happening on the screen isn’t real….
So why was I like this watching Homeland on Sunday night?…
See, it makes sense why living in what we once thought could only be a movie has us all on a little on edge…
It doesn’t matter if it’s a movie, the news, or happening right in front of you. All the body hears is: I am not safe.
And from there it’s a cascade of biologic reactions that suppress all the non-essentials in survival mode: digestion, fertility and the big one right now: IMMUNITY.
This is why our thoughts hold such POWER.
When we change our thoughts, we change everything.
It is THE key to changing your outlook, your health, your future, your entire life.
So how do we take out stress at the root?
Start by making the unconscious conscious. Pay attention to what you’re saying in your head.
And examine those thoughts. Get curious. Ask yourself:
- where did that come from?
- Is it real?
- Why do I think that?
- What could I think instead?
- How can I make this more positive?
- Or how can I reframe this to feel more in control/empowered/active?
The next time you’re in the same situation consciously CHOOSE the new thought.
Then do it over and over again, until you don’t have to think about it. Then it will be unconscious, just like the one before…. only better.
Note: This is a PRACTICE. It’s something you will have to do again and again because, well, we’re human. We’re wired to find and focus on the threat.
Keep at it. This is the most important work you can do.
