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I thought this was an interesting topic to address given the current state of our country and the world. Our personal freedom is certainly being curtailed for the moment and for our own good.
Rather than point a finger or cast blame for the unfettered spread of the virus, I thought it would be more productive to address how we think and how we can adjust our thinking going forward.
You might be surprised to learn that the biggest obstacle to your personal freedom is right between your ears. A negative mindset is the biggest block to your freedom.
There are so many parts of your life you that may feel like you cannot control, from the need to earn a living to finding true love. But you can control your mindset, your thoughts, and how you act in the world. How can you overcome your psychological blocks and open your mind to achieve greater freedom? Here are three suggestions to get you started:
Change the recording
Everyone has a constant inner monologue; what psychologists call self-talk. And most of the time, yours is probably set to negative (that’s true for most of us). There’s a Spanish saying that roughly translates to, “Don’t eat your brain.” Any messages and criticism you get in childhood about being bad, hopeless, selfish or stupid all get absorbed in your malleable child’s brain and then play over and over when you are an adult as your “Inner Critic.”
The good news is that you can reprogram your Inner Critic and turn it into an Inner Coach.
Make a list of all the negative things your Inner Critic says. Be alert for phrases that start with ‘you always’ or ‘you never.’ Watch out for ‘shoulds.’ too. Then take each negative message and turn into a positive one. Write down your new positive self talk and post it where you can see it.
Change your self-talk broken record to a new track full of encouragement and positivity.
Change your expectations
Studies have shown that the most significant contributors to success or failure are your expectations. Happy people expect things to go well and mistakes or problems do not crush them; they see them only as temporary setbacks. Conversely, if the expectation is to fail, any issue will confirm the expectations, which further undermines your progress and ultimately your success.
Expecting things to work out is not wishful thinking; it is choosing to be positive no matter what the circumstances.
Change your focus
Modern society trains us to be dissatisfied with what we have now and to constantly strive for bigger, better and shiner. You can choose to step outside of this and be grateful for what you have right now.
Developing a habit of gratitude frees you from this pressure and actually affects the structure of your brain.
Studies show the more you feel or practice gratitude, the more resilient you become in the face of life’s ups and downs. You feel happier with what you have and more open to receiving. Even better, you rewire the neural pathways in your brain so that your mindset defaults to positivity. You start to see the good things before you notice the bad. Over time, you perceive life as positive, and your expectations change. You free yourself from the burden of negativity!
I’m writing from experience with this information as I practice it every day. I grew up with a father from whom I learned to look for sadness rather than happiness. I work every day to continue changing my childhood thought patterns. I lived with significant criticism, and so, became very critical…especially of myself.
I want to support you during this time. While this is an unimaginably difficult and frightening time, I believe it can be a time for change for those of us willing to take an honest look at our lives and do the work necessary to change our mental states. You are never too old to grow and change in a positive direction.
I invite you to take a look at https://TheHealthyEatingClub.com. This is how I can reach the greatest number of people and affect changes that will help so many. Now is the best time to improve your health through learning to eat to be well! Get ready for the future now!
Helping You Achieve Major Wellness!
Cheryl A Major, CNWC
P.S. For more information, please follow me on Twitter – https://twitter.com/CherylAMajor Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.major.965
Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/cherylamajor
I don’t just teach this; I live it!
