How Thoughts Influence the Body

We're thinking of our bodies all wrong, friends. They're not meant to be measured, valued, or judged based on how they appear and what they can do, and when we critique and analyze every inch of ourselves, we're putting a wall up between ourselves and happiness. 

Science is now showing that our thoughts actually wield pretty significant influence over our bodies.  Thinking positive obviously isn't going to cure or solve everything, but each thought has energy capable of programming cells and neural networks. When we're thinking negative thoughts, for instance, certain neuropeptides are released, and these neuropeptides alter cells and create the reactions that go with our negative thinking. The more often our cells are exposed to negative neuropeptides, the fewer receptors ours cells will have for positive neuropeptides. In other words, our cells will be primed to be in a sad/angry/upset/stressed state. Oh, no!

But the good news here is this: if we consciously try to change our thinking patterns and catch ourselves when we fall into negative spirals, we can reverse the cascade of negative neuropeptides and start reinforcing positive neuropeptides that associate with happy receptors. Yay! 

Every cell in your body is replaced about every two months. So, the good news is, you can reprogram your pessimistic cells to be more optimistic by adopting positive thinking practices, like mindfulness and gratitude, for permanent results.  

-Debbie Hampton, "How Your Thoughts Change Your Brain, Cells and Genes"

 Try to harness the power of mindfulness and positive thinking in your recovery. Instead of thinking, "I ate that, and now I'm going to feel awful," think, "I'm nourishing my body to be the healthiest, strongest version of itself, and I know my body better than any diet plan does."

Take time to slow down and breathe, too. I find that when I'm trying to go fastfastfast to avoid "feeling" something, I often end up feeling much worse than I would have had I chosen to just sit with whatever I was going through and work through it calmly.

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