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Now that you have looked at the mind body connection from a more global view of your lineage, you may "rewind" and take a more basic view of this process.  In a culture where "quick fixes" are the desired norm, having patience with Mother Nature working out challenges over time may be frustrating.  Why wait through a headache when a few Excedrin or Tylenol can silence it almost immediately?  Why shift your diet when some form of medications can put your diabetes "under control," or quiet a child with ADHD?  

This approach merely silences the symptoms.  When the underlying cause is not resolved, it is like a sleeping volcano ready to erupt into a huge crisis. In the beginning, you may choose to do a combination, where you use the "quick fixes" as you trace down the source and are developing a more inclusive way to remedying the "challenge."  

For example, suppose you have very bad migraine headaches several times a week.  They are so blinding that you can barely stand up, never mind making it to work without some immediate assistance.  In the beginning of your journey, you may resort to your original "quick fixes," but now you will be more aware of the process.  Begin to reflect on what may be too painful for you to look at if the pain is around your eyes.  If the pain is more on the upper part of your head, what are you trying to avoid feeling and tending to intellectualize about, etc.  Keep a food journal of what you eat throughout the day, noting the time and your emotions at the time of eating whatever it is you are eating.  You will begin to see patterns that will create a series of clues that will lead you to the source.  Various foods represent particular emotions, some of which have physical side effects.  Examples of these would be a person who needs coffee or soda throughout the day to get by.  The caffeine in many beverages can intensify a headache as it constricts the blood vessels, thereby increasing your blood pressure, which in turn creates more pain.  Your defense may be, "I need that 'jolt' of caffeine to get me through the day!"  In reality, emotionally, you may need a 'jolt' of realizing your true life's purpose rather than staying in a dead end job. Physically, there are various protein shakes and "power snacks" that would increase your energy and 'maintain' it rather than spike and crash all day.
 
I once had a neighbor who complained of being tired all day and felt that 'old age' was creeping up on her.  She was upset that she had a difficult time getting out of bed in the morning between fatigue and her joints being stiff.  She shared that she was feeling stagnant in her position in the school system and frustrated by challenges in her relationship with her husband of 26 years.

During our conversation, I asked her what her personal goals were and how did they compare to what she was currently doing in the school system.  She shared that she originally was hoping to make a difference with children, but felt that her creativity was very restricted by the school's politics.  She also felt that her husband had become complacent and did not share her desire to have more in life, thereby 'holding her back.'   

I asked her what her favorite snack foods were and what were her usual foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She shared that she liked to eat a lot of bread as well as salty crunchy things such as pretzels and potato chips. I shared with her a chart I have that broke down the connection between types of foods and emotions. She was surprised to see that her choice of favorite foods reflected displaced anger and feelings of dissatisfaction.

I also shared how her 'stiff joints' were also reflective of feeling stifled and therefore not able to move forward with the fluidity and ease she desired.  I challenged her to write out a 'game plan' for her life in regards to where she wanted to be and how she could achieve these desires.  We also explored healthy alternatives to the foods she was currently eating to help strengthen her body rather than tear it down.

I shared with her that aging does not mean your body has to start falling to pieces, that it is merely the result of the culmination of years of abuse of your body.  If you use food as fuel as it was meant to be, instead of a "weapon of mass destruction," your body could actually become more youthful with time as it began to repair itself.  

We also went through positive visualizations to experience her new reality through all of her senses as well as scan the remainder of her body for other "symptoms" of her life's challenges. We also explored what her spiritual philosophies were and in what ways she stays connected with her beliefs. About two or three days later, as I was on my way home, she comes running out to the street to meet me.  Now mind you, we are talking about 10:00 pm in the evening. She was full of excitement sharing with me how she could not remember that last time she was so full energy and so full of hope!

She shared that she had made some of the changes in her diet that we had discussed as well as wanted to share with me her vision board in regards to her "new game plan" for her life. She said that she had become so excited that even her husband seemed to be catching "the new life bug!" She said that she no longer felt stiff in the morning, but practically jumped out of bed, excited to start the day.  Over a period of time, she started her own home business and was very successful engaging many of her friends to join her. She began to feel her relationship with her husband grow stronger again also, as he became more involved in the various activities she was doing. She even talked about them going on a "second honeymoon."

A few years later, she also had a major shift in her position in her school. Her new position allowed her the freedom to implement some of her creative ideas not only with her students, but with other teachers and their students also. Her school became somewhere she now looked forward to as a place with multiple opportunities, rather than the "oppressive place" as she had once perceived it.
 
As you reflect on this story, what parts of your story comes to mind?
Visit www.CreatingYourHealthyLegacy.com for more information.

 

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