Off White Living

In the midst of shuffling papers around to get organized this weekend I came across some of my wellness coaching training materials. Amongst all the notes I scribbled on the pages, one phrase caught my eye this weekend:

WORDS CREATE WORLDS

What comes to mind when you hear this phrase? It’s powerful, isn’t it. I think it’s also very true.
Before grad school I embarked on a study of the mind and body through yoga, Neuro-linguistic programming, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), massage therapy and the like. No matter how I sliced it, what I learned could be summed up in that simple phrase.

Our minds are powerful, aren’t they? Have you ever actually sat back to observe what you are thinking and what repeated thoughts play like a tape recorder day after day? How do these thoughts (especially the recurring ones) dictate your outcomes?

Over the past month I’ve been battling some personal ego challenges around what my expectations are when I graduate. I want certainty that I’m going to be okay, find a fantastic job, lose 5 pounds, and live a great life. Ha! So, one remedy to my ego rampage is that I think of 5 things I am grateful for before bed and when I wake up.

You’d think that gratitude would be my M.O. by now, right? Wrong. My mind wants to find what is NOT good about life, my body, my bank account…whatever. My mind needs training. What world do I want to create with my words? I have to consciously be aware of my thoughts and resist the runaway train of doubt and fear on a daily basis.

This phrase really applies to self care. It is NOT easy to create a lifestyle of wellbeing where you eat well, exercise regularly and genuinely love yourself if your mental tape recorder is telling you things like ‘its too hard…..maybe tomorrow……you’ll never be able to sustain this….I doubt you can ever look like THAT…..” or whatever the negative loop is.

Maybe it’s time for a thought diet instead of a physical diet? Maybe the place to begin lifestyle change is not on the outside but in how you talk to yourself. If you don’t like the world you’ve created then perhaps start with changing the way you verbalize it.

This weekend I asked my mother-in-law for help with this. I’m feeling stressed, broke, scared that I won’t find a job (and yes, my sugar urges have increased accordingly!). I need the extra TLC of somebody else to hold the space for me to help me create and manifest something great for myself because my energy is low and my brain wants to go into negative thinking. It’s okay to ask for help. You don’t have to be a superhero. That is why good friends, counselors, coaches, and blogs exist.