Why it is SO IMPORTANT how we FEEL- ESPECIALLY WHEN we are
eating.
“Everything we eat and drink is information telling our
bodies how to heal.” -Sean Stevenson
Every bite of food, every drink we sip, and EVERYTHING we
ingest, is programming our bodies how to heal, or how NOT to.
It is a sobering reminder for those of us who have spent
YEARS snacking on foods with preservatives, carbohydrates, and sugars, spending
time in our food addictions and eating something comforting every time we
experience stress. When we are
completely and totally honest with ourselves, the majority of us don’t look in
the mirror with extreme pride and self-love.
Most of us get right on to judgment and self-loathing, and so often we
simply avoid the mirror.
A lot of what is going on INSIDE of us is manifesting on the
OUTSIDE of us. It takes months, or
sometimes even YEARS for the outside, physical state to mirror what has been
going on inside of us, but it ALWAYS does.
Our habitual ways of thinking dictate how we habitually feel. How we feel results in decisions and actions
taken, and these things soon become habitual.
What we eat is often habitual. In
moments of duress, stress, or extreme physical pain, I have noticed that my
willpower fades quite quickly, and I tend to go straight to the cupboards and
seek out ANYTHING with TONS of sugars for an immediate feeling of relief.
Here is a fun fact:
Children contain around 60,000 miles of blood vessels in their tiny
human body. Adults have around 100,000
miles of blood vessels. It takes only
TWO pumps of the human heart to move the blood in a complete circle throughout
the ENTIRE body, and ALL of those miles, assuming it is a relatively healthy
body.
The reason it matters SO MUCH how we feel, ESPECIALLY WHILE
we are eating, is because of our chemical makeup AT THE TIME of consuming
information in the form of food and drink that has the potential to heal
us. You see, what we think INSTANTLY
determines the cascade of chemicals and hormones that will be IMMEDIATELY
injected into our blood streams. Within
two pumps of the heart, these chemicals and hormones have reached the ENTIRE
BODY, seeping into our tissues and organs, and sharing information through
these chemicals and hormones that IMMEDIATELY dictate not only how we FEEL, but
also how we HEAL. The information
contained within the food or beverages we choose intermingles with these
chemicals and hormones.
If we are suffering the ill-effects of accumulated stress,
fatigue, anger, hatred, frustration, and resentment, and that is all we can
think about, and it is all we have been thinking about for weeks, months, or
even YEARS, the quality of the chemicals consistently and instantly being
injected into and immediately pumped by the heart throughout the entire blood
vessel system to EVERY part of our body through the blood vessels, the eventual
effects are predictable. Ill health,
diseases of ALL kinds, MASSIVE inflammation, depression, lack of energy, inability
to operate at an optimal level, and certainly a weakened ability to think,
speak, and make decisions effectively are ALL just a FEW of the effects that
come from FEELINGS.
If we are feeling happy, calm, rested, energetic, excited,
and like we are surrounded by love, having MUCH to be grateful for, and if we
are extremely comfortable in our present environment, the cascade of chemicals
and hormones that are instantly injected into our bloodstream are of a totally
different makeup, providing TOTALLY different information for our bodies to
read and be programmed by. THESE
chemicals and hormones, when combined with ANY information given by ANYTHING we
eat or drink, will result in greater healing capacity, than a consistently
angry, rageful, resentful gym rat that ONLY eats certain items from an
incredibly healthy and strict diet plan.
Can you imagine how the people that consistently eat and
drink ONLY healthy choices AND feel good all the time probably feel? It really isn’t difficult to see why high performers
live such incredible lives of wealth and abundance! They have decided their good thinking habits,
which then dictate their habitual ways of FEELING and BEING. When we dial this ONE thing in, EVERY OTHER
THING in our lives falls perfectly and effortlessly into place, or out of our
lives ENTIRELY.
How long does it take you to calm down after totally losing
your shit? Really! IT MATTERS.
An event happens, we instantly react with RAGE, and a certain set of
chemicals and hormones are immediately released into the body. These chemicals and hormones react and
provide a program telling our bodies how to react or respond. THE VERY NEXT MOMENT IS ENTIRELY UP TO
US. Do we then think thoughts of rage,
violence, and revenge, or are we able to immediately calm and sooth our minds
with thoughts that will re-release the chemicals we WANT to circulate within
our bodies?
The GOOD news is that FEELINGS come from THOUGHTS, and WE
are in charge of our thoughts! Our
thoughts are OUR responsibility, and no one else in this world can tell us what
or how we HAVE to think and feel.
BRILLIANT advertisers have spent TRILLIONS of dollars and
have conducted research and studies for DECADES, to discover how to control the
human mind, and program it to think from a place of lack, to program the body
to feel as though we are incomplete, or something is missing, believing that in
order to feel WHOLE and COMPLETE, we must buy THINGS outside of us, in order to
then FINALLY “fix” what is wrong INSIDE
of us. Many of us are part of a
system that endeavors to remove as much of our hard-earned money from our
pockets as it possibly can, in a race towards abundance for the few, rather
than a race to benefit the greater good of the collective whole.
WE ARE IN CHARGE OF OUR THOUGHTS! Or, are we?
Have we been programmed to think certain ways, believe certain things,
respond in certain ways, and to BE a certain way? On a scale of 1 to 10, how “in control” of your
thought do you really feel you actually ARE, or are you, like me, on autopilot
for a majority of your day? What do you
spend the majority of your time each day actually thinking about? Are you also a card-holding member of The
Itty Bitty Shitty-Thinking Committee, like I have been for most of my life?
When I first answered these questions, I told myself I am a
perfect 10. There it was! The EGO.
As I processed this question, started actually keeping a time journal to
be more aware of the time I was spending on certain thoughts, and took a deeper
look into myself, separating the WHAT I am, with the WHO I identify as in this
human body, I had to swallow my pride and allow WHAT I am tell WHO I THINK I am
that 10 wasn’t even CLOSE to accurate.
How many ORIGINAL thoughts do you think you have had in a
lifetime? I’m not sure ANY of my
thoughts are actually ORIGINAL, as I have always learned from books, speaking
with those I consider to be wiser than myself, and the people I have always
been surrounded by. I was lucky to have
an INCREDIBLE group of people that I grew up around, and I constantly absorbed
as much experience and wisdom from them as I possibly could, in order to live
“The Right Way,” whatever THAT means.
I have learned much about healthy habits and better ways of
eating. In 2014, I was unable to
walk. I was overweight, MASSIVELY
depressed, suicidal, unable to work, and suffering a great deal from
degenerative disc disease. Three of the
doctors I saw all told me to apply for disability, explaining that my condition
would NEVER get better, and there was a very small chance I would ever work
again. This hopeless diagnosis from
these doctors didn’t help with the depression, but 2014 was the year of
change. With the help of the woman I was
married at the time, a decision and a commitment were made to go off ALL of the
psychotropic medications I had been taking for the previous 15 years. Within two months, I had my mind back, and
was able to think MUCH more clearly.
This resulted in making much better decisions.
It was a time for new beginnings. I began to learn new ways of thinking and
doing things, experimenting with new habits, and re-creating my personal
reality. All along the way, FEELING
GOOD, ALL THE TIME, has become one of the main themes and desires of my
life.
There are MANY things
we can do to FEEL GOOD, RIGHT AWAY.
There are also many things we can do CONSISTNETLY AND HABITUALLY that
will empower us to FEEL GOOD, ALL THE TIME.
Who, in their right mind, doesn’t want to feel good ALL the time? Do you think feeling good ALL the time is
available to you? I used to not think it
was available to ME, which is why I felt compelled to write and share this
article.
Here is a list of things to try. ANY of these things, when practiced and made
into a HABIT, can and will improve the overall, general quality of this life
experience for ANYONE willing to do it.
Practicing ALL of these habits will IMMENSELY improve the quality of
this life experience.
HABIT #1: Before
eating or drinking ANYTHING, at ANY time, check in with how you currently
FEEL. Take 6 deep breaths, inhaling
slowly and completely, then exhaling slowly and completely. As you do, begin thinking of everything you
are grateful for, happy about, or are in love with, RIGHT NOW. Doing this regularly will habitually alter
and reprogram your brain and body to ONLY inject and circulate HELPFUL, HEALING
chemicals and information to combine and benefit the health of your body, in
EVERY way, no matter WHAT you eat, but really, WHAT we eat MATTERS, and we ALL
are aware of this, even though some of us still want to claim ignorance and not
knowing for some of our health issues.
It’s a great excuse, but living in The Information Age has sort of
eliminated excuses of ignorance and not knowing.
In truth, this is a HIGHLY USEFUL practice that can be used
ANY time feelings of anger, stress, anxiety, frustration, or other feelings
which produce harmful chemistry within us, are experienced throughout the day.
HABIT #2: Tom Bilyeu
is one of MANY high performers that teaches meditation as the most powerful and
underutilized tool available to EVERYONE who endeavors to improve the quality
of THINKING, FEELING, and BEING. He has
stated that it is the ONE THING he wish he would have started his ENTIRE life
journey knowing about and practicing DAILY.
If you don’t know who he is, or what he and his wife have been doing to
change the world, and at what level they do it, I invite you to plug his name
into Google, or the YouTube search engine.
It took a year for me to read Tim Ferriss’ book, TRIBE OF MENTORES, but
about 90% of the high performers he interviewed for that book all practice
DAILY meditation. The audio book, STRESS
LESS, ACCOMPLISH MORE, by Emily Fletcher, is the one thing that FINALLY
convinced me to begin meditation. For
years I put it off, believing I would screw it up, and not really knowing which
KIND of meditation to try, but her book made it EASY. I now regret not starting this practice
SOONER, and making it a daily habit. SO
MANY highly successful, happy, healthy people meditate. I highly recommend buying the audio version
of this book, giving it a try for yourself, and listening to the book AT LEAST
once a year. The daily habit of a
meditative practice has FAR TOO MANY benefits to ignore.
HABIT #3:
Exercise. ANYTHING is better than
nothing at all. Even when we are
EXHAUSTED, a short walk, yoga, stretching, 10 push-ups, 1 pull-up, or 20
jumping jacks can help our circulation, energize us, and immediately help us to
FEEL better. ANY physical activity
releases a cascade of beneficial chemicals and hormones. Once exercise is a daily habit, it gets
easier and easier. Consistency
compounds, and so does consistently FEELING BETTER. Many people seek perfection over progress,
but the hard truth is that perfection is unattainable, and only an excuse used
by those who wish to remain exactly where they are at.
HABIT #4: SLEEP. There are MANY studies and TONS of research
that prove the importance of sleep. The
previous 3 habits will all help with the habit of sleep. We are all different, and we all have
different needs, especially when it comes to sleep. Research this topic for yourself, and decide
what is best for you. I believe that we
each know what we TRULY need better than anyone else on this planet, and if we
listen to that “Inner Guide,” or our intuition, or gut instinct, we will know
what to do. What we need changes as we
do, and what works today, may not work for us a year from now, and that’s okay. “Humans are the ULTIMATE ADAPTATION MACHINE!”
Tom Bilyeu.
HABIT #5: NUTRITION.
It isn’t as important as FEELING GOOD, ALL THE TIME, in my opinion, but
it is MASSIVELY impactful on our over-all, eventual health and longevity, and
certainly has an impact on HOW WE FEEL.
Inflammation is the #1 cause of depression, and inflammation comes from
our nutrition. “If you think it’s
expensive to eat healthy, just wait til you see the bill for NOT eating
healthy!” -Jim Rohn. He has an excellent
point. Imagine how much MORE energetic
and productive you would be, how much MORE skilled and wealthier you would be,
if you had all of these habits down and practiced each one daily, to the very
best of your ability! As we consistently
do our very best, our very best consistently gets better and better.
HABIT #6: SEX. IT FEELS GOOD. There are MANY reasons for that! The endorphins that are released during sex
completely alter the energetic, physiological, chemical, hormonal, magnetic
fields we exist in and are a part of, and IMMENSELY improves the frequencies
that we constantly vibrate at. Being a
part of a loving, giving, generous, intensely intimate expression during sex is
mind-altering, chemically altering, and absolutely alters the way we FEEL. I’m not saying have sex EVERY day,
but…wait-why not?
HABIT #7: SUN. Get some sunlight. If it isn’t available, and ESPECIALLY if you
suffer from seasonal depression disorder, get a light that will imitate the
effects of the sun! Being in the sun for
only 10 to 15 minutes causes a chemical reaction in our bodies that provides us
with vitamin D, which is HIGHLY important in the production of energy that our
body needs to operate at an optimal level.
Done consistently and regularly, this habit will help the body
accumulate the abundance of energy it needs.
HABIT #8: BOMBARD
YOUR BRAIN. If you are anything like me,
MOST of what is going through your head was put there by the misperceptions of
the well-intended teachings of others when you were younger, and throughout
your entire life, leading to a MASSIVELY POOR SELF-IMAGE. Our self-image is one of the most important
works of art we will ever work on while in this life. Dr. Bruce Lipton’s DECADES of research as a
cellular biologist teaches us that from birth to age 7, we are MUCH more susceptible
to programming and belief acquisition, and around the age of 7, our brains
switch into a totally different wave capability, leaving us, “fully
programmed,” and ready to tackle life with this particular set of beliefs. This means that MOST OF US are literally living
life according to the programming of a 7-year-old. I know, I know, that hurt my feelings when I
heard it, too. I certainly didn’t want
to believe it, but as I thought about it, I found it to be true for ME. Dr. Bruce Lipton and Dr. Joe Dispenza, as
well as MANY other research-scientists, are in agreement that the only way to
improve or change the programming of an adult brain is through REPETITION. If we think about it, we recognize that about
80% of what we think about is repeated from the previous day. Unhappy?
Frustrated? Depressed? Anxious?
Suicidal? Angry? ALL of these feelings are results of
repetitive, habitual thinking patterns.
Again, the GOOD news is that FEELINGS come from THOUGHTS, and WE are in
charge of our thoughts! Our thoughts are
OUR responsibility, and no one else in this world can tell us what or how we
HAVE to think and feel.
When we BOMBARD OUR BRAIN with new content, and listen to
what we WANT to occupy our minds on repeat, our subconscious becomes
reprogrammed, and our physical brain actually, literally rewires itself to
match the structures and patterns of these new thoughts! In his Tedx talk, Dr. Joe Dispenza explains
that when a new thought is thunk, neurons come together to support this new
thought. If it is only thought once, or
twice, the neurons then separate and move on to the thoughts that are
consistently being repeated. If we think
the new thought, or listen to the new content, over and over and over, the
neurons that once supported the OLD ways of thinking and all of those OLD
thought patterns, are then recruited to the NEW thoughts that are being
repeated. REPETITION IS THE KEY. CONSISTENCY is the magic ingredient of CREATING
NEW HABITS. To create a new habit, one
must consistently repeat the new habit for MONTHS, before seeing the desired
results that will motivate and energize the programmer of this new habit to
KEEP AT IT. Shitty habits ONLY produce
shitty results. If you are feeling
shitty, most likely you have shitty habits, and THAT’S OKAY! It’s perfectly normal. If that is how you want to continue feeling,
keep thinking what you have been thinking, keep talking about what you have
been talking about, and keep doing what you have been doing. If you actually desire to experience a
MASSIVE CHANGE in the way you feel, all that is required is a MASSIVE CHANGE in
your habits. REPETITION IS THE KEY. CONSISTENCY is the magic ingredient of creating
new HABITS.
YOU ARE IN CHARGE.
YOU ARE THE DRIVER OF THIS VEHICLE WE CALL THE HUMAN BODY. YOU ARE THE PROGRAMMER! Decide what you want, roll up your sleeves,
and get to work! You will NEVER regret
doing what results ONLY in FEELING GOOD, ALL THE TIME. I really do think you DESERVE to!
HABIT #9:
FINANCES. There are MANY
financial gurus out there, and there always have been. These gurus are those who are an EXCELLENT
SOURCE to draw from, for the simple fact that RESULTS DON’T LIE, and they are
gurus BECAUSE OF THEIR RESULTS. A super
short, super-easy book to read on finances is, THE RICHEST MAN IN BABYLON, by
George S. Clason. I picked up my copy at
a used book store for only $6. His
advice is GENIOUS, and shared through a story of olden time. MANY of us feel the feelings of fear, stress,
and anxiety that come from not having our financial world in order. We tend to focus on excuses as to why we
“can’t” get ahead, instead of seeking out those who have already been in our
very situation, AND WORSE, only to rise from the ashes like a Phoenix, and live
a live of extreme financial abundance! I
once heard Tom Bilyeu say, “A stupid man NEVER learns from his mistakes. A smart man will eventually learn from his
mistakes. A WISE man chooses to learn
from the mistakes of OTHERS.” There
is WISDOM in learning from others, especially when they have been where we
currently are, but are currently where we want to be.
HABIT #10: DO
SOMETHING NEW AND UNCOMFORTABLE. DO THIS
DAILY. Drive a different way home, from
work. Sit at a different table at
lunchtime. Prioritize your tasks for the
day, and tackle the most difficult one, FIRST!
Say hello to someone new, and ask them a question. Try a new, healthy meal. Read, instead of turning on the tv, or
mindlessly scrolling through your phone.
Plant something. Get a pet. Take a class.
Join a support group. CREATE a
support group. The more comfortable we
become with being uncomfortable, the more adaptable we become! These effects compound, and the results are
STAGGERING. CONSISTENTLY doing hard
things makes us more skilled, more capable, more experienced, more valuable,
more confident, and much less fearful.
HABIT #11:
GROUNDING/FOREST-BATHING. Get out
into nature. There are MANY positive
effects that come from being outside and reconnecting with Mother
Earth-ESPECIALLY when you are bare-foot.
At a molecular level, the atoms in our bodies consistently accumulate a
negative charge. Eventually, this
over-accumulation of negative charges at the molecular level results in acidity
within our body, and the pH of our personal chemical makeup changes our internal
environment, which lowers our immune system, and makes us more susceptible to
illnesses and diseases. Cancer THRIVES
in an acidic environment. Walking
bare-foot on the ground out in nature, or even on the grass in a park or in the
front yard, rids us of this over-abundance of negative charges. Mother Earth assumes responsibility for ALL
of it, and leaves us in a state of more optimized healing. Radio waves, micro-waves, telecommunications,
harmful vibrational frequencies created from habitual negative thinking, and SO
MANY OTHER harmful, man-made consequences that we can’t even see, are
constantly bombarding us, constantly passing through us, and harming us. Mother Earth is waiting for us to reconnect,
wanting to help us rid ourselves of the harmful effects of these man-made devices. It is entirely up to us to habitually take a
few minutes out of each day to RE-GROUND, RECONNECT, RE-CENTER, AND REPAIR. An INCREDIBLY powerful documentary to watch
regarding this topic is called, THE EARTHING MOVEMENT. The last time I watched it, it was for free
on YouTube.
HABIT #12:
OVER-HYDRATE. ESPECIALLY if you
have degenerative disc disease or back issues.
The last body parts to actually assimilate fluids are the discs between
our vertebrae. Do your research on the
water you are over-hydrating with. It
really does matter a LOT more than we know.
Water that is devoid of minerals will actually pull the minerals out of
our bodies the instant we drink it.
This life is a PRACTICE, and so are each of these
habits. I learned, recently, that THERE
ARE OTHER WAYS OF BEING. Some of these
other ways of being are WAY more enjoyable than “The RIGHT way,” I thought I
was expected to adhere to for the rest of my life. The old, rigid, black-and-white,
all-or-nothing ways of being that I used to practice were not AT ALL serving
me, or empowering me to constantly re-create a life of more and more abundance
in ALL areas available to EVERY ONE OF US, as beings inhabiting these
temporary, physical, human bodies. We
are ALL capable of doing and having more, progressively leveling up in life,
just as if it were a video game. Jesse
Elder teaches, “You already won the game of life the day you were born. Everything else within this life experience
is just a BONUS ROUND.”
No matter who we are, there is ALWAYS more to learn, more we
can do, more we can acquire, more we can enjoy, and more that we can GIVE. There is ALWAYS more out there, if that is
what we WANT. There is ALWAYS more to
learn, if THAT is what we want. I think
the most important thing in this life, however, is to learn to habitually
practice SELF-LOVE, SELF-ACCEPTANCE, and SELF-APPRECIATION. When we TRULY learn to do this, we are FAR
more capable of giving the same gift to OTHERS, and EVERY interaction we are
blessed to be a part of is an opportunity for us to practice BEING LOVE. When we consistently and habitually to our
very best to interact with others from a place of PURE LOVE, it progressively
gets EASIER. That’s what “practice” is
all about-progressively getting BETTER.
So, for LUCKY HABIT #13: SELF-IMPROVEMENT. “We can get better. We can get stronger. We can get smarter.” -Jim Rohn. Self-improvement leads to a better
self-image. A better self-image leads to
FEELING better, and the ability to love, accept, and appreciate oneself even
MORE. When we FEEL better, we naturally
and easily DO better, in ALL areas of our lives. SELF-IMPROVEMENT IS A LIFE-LONG
COMMITMENT. It is a very personal
practice, but, again, “A stupid man NEVER learns from his mistakes. A smart man will eventually learn from his
mistakes. A WISE man chooses to learn
from the mistakes of OTHERS.” There
is WISDOM in learning from others, especially when they have been where we
currently are, but are currently where we want to be.
Seek out others who ALREADY ARE where you want to be. CHOOSE THEM for your source of wisdom,
inspiration, and motivation, rather than listening to and heeding the words and
opinions of so many who want to tell you all about what you should do and how
you should do it, without ever having even experienced any of it for
themselves. The SOURCE(S) of our
information, inspiration, and motivation can make all the difference in the
world. Research your chosen source. DIVE DEEPLY!
Know EVERYTHING about them. Know what habits they practice daily, and try
them out for yourself. Know that
ANYTHING NEW feels awkward and uncomfortable, but with persistence and
consistent effort, it is possible that you pass up your expectations of your
own desires and create something even more beautiful than you were originally
planning to!
Years ago, I was discouraged after receiving negative
feedback from someone about my writing.
I expressed to my son, Dravyn, who was 15 at the time, that I felt like
giving up. I was frustrated, because of
all the time, energy, and effort that I was putting into my website, writing a
book, crafting blogs, designing online classes, and creating social media
posts. Despite all of the positive
feedback I was receiving each day, the negative feedback sort of took the wind
right out of me sails. I felt dejected,
and started to question if what I was doing was worth the time, energy, and
effort. “Do you enjoy it?” he asked. “I LOVE it!” was my response. “Then no matter what others say, dad, just
KEEP GOING. KEEP DOING WHAT YOU ARE
DOING.” That advice stuck with me, and I
think of it every day. When I am tired,
I accept myself as tired. When I feel
hopeless, dejected, rejected, or of little value, I let it go, and I KEEP
GOING. I KEEP DOING WHAT I AM
DOING. There is no reason to make a
permanent decision based upon a temporary emotion. Emotions come and go, like waves crashing on
the shore, then retreating back into the ocean, but these feelings and emotions
we experience are the product and immediate result of WHAT WE ARE THINKING IN
THE CURRENT MOMENT, and WE are in charge of that.
You deserve to be HAPPY.
You deserve to FEEL GOOD, ALL THE TIME!
This is available to you, but only if you believe it! WE are in charge of designing the life of our
dreams. NO ONE IS COMING TO SAVE
YOU. We are meant to save
ourselves. If you are in pain, and have
been victimized by circumstances, situations, or people in your life, know that
YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Our pain is a
BLESSING. Our pain is information
telling us that what we are currently thinking and doing needs to be altered
and that we need to recalibrate our habitual way of thinking and being, or we
will keep experiencing more of the same.
Once we learn how to navigate THROUGH our pain (we can’t really go
around it or avoid it-the same damn lessons keep coming until we learn them,)
then we have the opportunity to share what we have learned with others. Zig Ziglar said, “You never know when a
moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life FOREVER.” A REAL healer, a TRUE healer, doesn’t heal
others. A true healer empowers OTHERS
with the tools, skills, wisdom, knowledge, and experiences to HEAL THEMSELVES.
There are SO MANY ways of thinking, doing, and BEING. The possibilities are LIMITLESS. We are creators. Go create something beautiful, and
magnificent! Go create something that is
worthy of WHAT YOU TRULY ARE.
