Body=Mind

We’ve all heard how important it is to keep a positive spirit because it can affect your body, etc. You may have thought, oh that’s not true, it’s not a huge thing to be negative. But here’s the reality of the situation, it is true.

When my mom was diagnosed with cancer several years ago, obviously the first few days following were crushing. I can’t even explain to you the horrible feeling of hearing those words and suddenly wondering if this battle can be won, and knowing that it has to be. It just had to. But you also have this little depression sinking in, that sinks its claws in a little deeper when you look up survival rates and statistics and really anything on WebMD. It’s normal, news like that is devastating to anyone. But one thing that sticks out to me as much as getting told the news was a nurse pulling me aside, and telling me that half of the battle is a battle of the mind. That no matter how hard things get, she had to believe she could beat it, otherwise she may not. That’s incredibly difficult to hear that same night that you get a diagnosis when you don’t even have an oncologist chosen yet. And here’s the thing, no matter how much you pray and wish and try, you can’t force that positivity on someone. She had to get there herself, but you can certainly encourage it. I did my best not to cry in front of her. I’d save that for the dark hallways of my house around 2 am. I only spoke of her winning, and I only ever let her know that was the option. That was the only option. And she knew, she knew she had to fight and that she had to win. And she did. I am so incredibly grateful to God and to the doctors, nurses, and friends who helped us along the way. It was an awful journey, filled with “speedbumps” as the oncologist put it, but we came out of it in the end. And let me tell you, that is what I kept imagining, even when I was crying in the hallway on the floor.

Now, obviously modern medicine and the type of cancer all played a role in her surviving it, but who’s to say that positive mindset didn’t help also? There have been numerous studies done on plants that find speaking positively and kindly towards them helps them to grow better. Doesn’t it seem that humans would be the same way? Again, studies show, we are. If you have negative thoughts, it can affect your body too, the same way those negative words affect plants. If you think you can’t get through something, then you’re probably right, no matter what it is. Whether it’s a bad medical diagnosis or a tough workout, if you tell yourself, I can’t do this, then you most likely won’t finish that workout and you may not do as well with treatment or recovery. It’s very similar to the placebo effect. Doctors see actual improvement in patients who believe they are taking a medication even if they aren’t. There is no truer form of evidence to prove just how powerful the mind can be than that.

Now, if you tend to think more negatively and you’re suddenly getting worried, don’t panic. Your brain is a muscle, remember? All muscles can be improved, and the same goes for your brain. In fact, it can be rewired to be more positive and to see positive situations even in the face of negativity. It will take work and it’s not going to be easy, but it can be done, and it’s something we should all be working on each day. One way is to focus on the fact that all aspects of life have good and bad. The bad always goes away, it may take time and it may seem like it takes forever, but eventually, things get better. Another way to help is to force yourself to think of the positive outcomes that can come out. If you tend to go more towards negative outcomes, force yourself to imagine it as a positive outcome instead. What’s the harm in that? Absolutely nothing, whereas thinking negatively can cause harm. It may take some work and some forceful thought on your end, but if you do this enough, you’ll be able to rewire your brain to think that way all the time and see the positives in the light of negative situations.