By Barbara Bruno
barbaraannbruno.com
Over the past few years, my main focus has shifted from nutritional wellbeing to emotional wellbeing. Both are extremely important to live a balanced life. Although well versed in both areas, I chose to focus on relationship work; healthy relationships affect physical health. We often do not think of the impact our emotions and relationships play on our physical health. It is only when our physical health begins to fail that we begin making positive lifestyle changes.
What is the first thing your doctor tells you when you're diagnosed with any kind of chronic illness? Less stress. Start lessening the stress in your life. What are a few common life stressors we deal with on a daily basis? Relationships, money issues, career.
The relationships we choose to have with our significant others, in our career or with money, will determine the amount of stress we allow into our lives. Relationships are not limited to those three categories. There are many other relationships that will benefit from changing the way we see things. Things happen for us, not to us, and we have absolute choice in what we let in to our lives and what we keep out. That includes negative thought.
What if we decided to lessen the stress in our lives before chronic illness set in? Mind over matter. What we tell ourselves has a direct impact on our physical health. Negative self-talk is very common in our society, I'm not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, I can't, I should. We believe what we perceive, both positive and negative. What does this mean for us? Self-defeating thoughts will keep us down whereas believing in ourselves will keep us moving forward even through adversity.
Years of negative self-talk takes time to overcome. With patience and practice it can be done. If we turn those negative self-defeating phrases around what would life look like for us? What would it feel like to live in a world of positive thought? I am good enough, I am smart enough, money will be there when I need it, I love the way I look, I can and I am going to do this on my terms.
Releasing years of negative thought and pent up aggression will have a direct impact on your physical health in a positive way. If you find this challenging or need more direction, seek counsel. Seeking counsel is very common. It means you are taking the initiative to care for your overall well-being. This will impact not only you but those around you. Taking time to care for your emotional and physical health also takes care of those you love. They too will reap the benefits of your healthy lifestyle changes.
Take time to identify what may be causing you the most stress in your life. These very stressors compromise your overall well-being. Use positive self-reinforcement to combat these negative stressors. Meditation will help calm down and focus the mind. Guided meditation is always a good place to begin if your mind is overcrowded with thoughts. Listening to a soothing voice helps relieve stress and grants you focus.
Practice positive self-care on a daily basis and you'll notice your emotional and physical health begin to improve. Try this for three weeks and see how you feel on both an emotional and physical level. Take care of you and see the world around you change.
Barbara Bruno is an expert on romantic relationships. You can find more ways to rekindle your romance in her book Take back Your Life One Relationship at a Time. Contact her Barbara for a complimentary session to learn more about her speaking engagements, topics, and private coaching sessions. Visit www.barbaraannbruno.com. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.
