Loving Your Body #MiracleMonday

Throughout my life I always could be caught saying

“Oh I have bad knees!”

“Doctors say I’ll probably have a knee replacement before I’m 30!”

“I have the worst immune system. . . “

“I definitely could lose some weight. Look how fat my face is!”

“My arms are fat, I hate my arms.”

I was stuck in negative thought patterns about myself.

We’re brought up in a society today that puts so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect that it’s no wonder so many of us have these same negative thought patterns stuck in our heads.

Fat, skinny, chunky, pretty, ugly, frizzy, thick, thin . . .

THEN add a health diagnosis on top of that and you start thinking negatively about the INSIDE of your body

My body sucks, my knees are horrible, my lungs don’t won’t to act like lungs, I’d do anything for a new body . . .

I used to catch myself answering the question

“Do you need anything?” with “Yes, a new body please.”

All the time.

That kind of negative talk isn’t helping my health at all! Sure, maybe we all say it in a kidding manner, but we get to a point where our subconscious starts to believe what we’re saying.

Just like if someone called you stupid all the time. Eventually you’re going to start believing you are stupid – even though you’re the smartest human being on the planet!

In Gabby’s May Cause Miracles she says

[su_quote cite=”Gabby Bernstein, May Cause Miracles”]”I can safely say that most of us, at some point in time, have had a negative relationship to our body. Expressing our body through our ego’s eyes will always kick up feelings of inadequacy and separateness. When we succumb to the thoughts of our ego, we experience low-level thoughts, which negatively affect our body’s energy field. If we’re constantly attacking ourselves with nasty thoughts, the energy behind those thoughts seeps into our body – and that low-level energy is powerful, whether we realize it or not. In its worst form, this negative energy can manifest as illness, which in turn reinforces fear. When we carry around resentments, self-hatred, and judgement, we attack our bodies with low-level thoughts and energy. The few we carry is like a virus in our minds, and eventually that virus can take over our bodies. We as being to understand how our energy affects our bodies, we will come to see how spiritual healing will greatly support physical healing.” [/su_quote]

When you start using affirmations as part of your daily routine, at first they’re just sayings that you recite over and over again… usually not believing them. BUT soon after you keep repeating them, as long as you’re open and willing, you subconsciously and consciously believe them!

When I first read her May Cause Miracles book I had trouble with accepting my body for what it is. Week 3 is all about accepting your body and forgiving yourself for any negative thoughts or beliefs you have about it. Being able to accept ourselves AS IS is a pretty GIGANTIC task. I mean, it’s basically deleting everything out of our brain that we’ve been taught since we were young and starting over.

I can’t say it’s easy. It’s not an easy task. BUT since I took the first step to accepting myself AS IS, to becoming grateful for every part of my body (not just the parts that work 100% correctly), to loving everything about myself, I can’t even begin to explain the transformation that has occurred.

Think about it….

Scenario 1:

Your boss at work is extremely loving and supportive. When you don’t understand how to do something, your boss takes extra time to carefully explain it to you and to make sure you understand fully. If you need extra time off, they’re completely flexible with you and give you everything that you need. You feel very loved, supported and wanted.

Scenario 2:

Your boss at work is extremely loud, obnoxious and rude. When you don’t understand something, your boss yells and screams at you. You’re extremely lazy, you suck at your job and you can’t do anything right . . . according to your boss. You never get time off, you lack the resources that you need and you feel very under appreciated.

Which scenario is going to work out better for you?

A loving, supportive environment or a hostile, negative one?

A Course In Miracles teaches that, ‘Sickness is anger taken out upon the body so it will suffer pain.”

I am NOT suggesting that we blame ourselves for causing illness or pain (And believe me – I could go on for HOURS about how I have beef with some books out there that basically pin the blame on ourselves). What I am suggesting is if we change the way we look at our bodies and the way we perceive illness in our bodies, then we can have a direct impact on our health… in a positive way!

[su_quote cite=”Gabby Bernstein, May Cause Miracles”]”Remember that fear in our mind creates illness in the body. Therefore, a mental cleanse is required to aid in the process of physical healing.” [/su_quote]

I truly believe that what we put out into the universe is what we can expect to get back. This past year is an amazing example of that. I really practiced loving myself, choosing loving thoughts, loving others – and the results have been astounding! The things that the universe has thrown into my path this year have been some of the most wonderful situations I’ve found myself in.

Gabby says, “When you apply the thought system that your mind can aid in healing your body, you can experience many miracles. It’s not that the physical conditions just disappears (though it often does), but that you’re guided to exactly who and what you need for healing to take place. When you welcome healing miracles, you’ll see how spirit works through people to aid in your recovery.”

She gives examples on how opening herself up to receive love and love her body led her to many people who could help her along her journey.

I have a very similar story.

Almost 2 years ago, I went to a man for a reiki session. It was the first time I met him and I didn’t really expect to see him after our session. A little over a year ago I saw him and he mentioned to me that he had been thinking about me and he had a suggestion on something that could help my pain. There was a new wellness institute that had opened up and I should give them a call.

Ok, thanks for the info! I thought… and then honestly, forgot about it.

I then saw him the very next week and he mentioned it to me again. He gave me a pamphlet and said I really should call them.

I, again, forgot about it.

I then saw him A THIRD TIME and when he asked me if I called I stopped and said OK UNIVERSE! I GET IT! I’LL CALL THEM!

I set up an initial consultation and ended up spending over 2 hours at the institute! I fell in love with the women there and the space. Ever since that first interaction they’ve helped me find my voice and really have given my health coaching career a jump-start. It was one of the best appointments I’ve ever made! Not just business wise, but they’ve been so influential in my health recovery too.

… And since then I’ve only seen that man ONCE.

[su_quote cite=”Gabby Bernstein, May Cause Miracles”] “When you think with your ego, you block the guidance toward the right healing. When you think with love, you invite spirit to work through others to heal on your behalf.”[/su_quote]

When you choose to embrace love and become grateful for your body you can begin to understand that your body isn’t working against you on purpose. Something isn’t working and it’s trying to give you signs that it needs help!

So instead of being angry with our immune system, our joints, the list of restrictions we’re not allowed to eat, the activities we no longer can enjoy – what if we focused on embracing what we CAN do, what we CAN enjoy and help our body in every way possible to get back to working at its optimal capacity?

An affirmation that has really helped me overcome my negativity towards my body is “I am grateful for my body.”

If I begin to have negative thoughts about myself, I repeat “I am grateful for my body.”

When I begin to dwell on the negative aspects of my illness and wish I had a new knee, I repeat “I am grateful for my body.”

If I begin comparing myself and my body to someone else, I repeat “I am grateful for my body.”

It can be an EXTREMELY powerful exercise to consciously affirm your gratefulness to yourself.

This next week, I challenge you to repeat this mantra whenever you start feeling negativity or ill will towards yourself – no matter what it is.

You can’t fight fire with fire, right?

So why not try to extinguish the flame with love instead 🙂

[Tweet “I am grateful for my body. #MiracleMonday #spoonieLife”]

Wishing You A Pain Free Day!