Picture yourself well.
We’re primed to think of ourselves as unhealthy. Aside from the human tendency to look for problems, we’re surrounded by information about being unwell.
TV commercials tout prescription drugs for a variety of medical conditions, many of them serious. So do print advertisements.
A wealth of health-related information is available online. It’s simple to research drugs, diseases, and symptoms online. Be honest, you likely have. I know I have.
In the face of all this information, it can be easy to diagnose, or more probable, misdiagnose oneself. Every little rash, stomach upset, headache may leave us wondering if there is something wrong, perhaps seriously wrong, with us. The stress this worry engenders can weaken our systems, causing us to actually have health issues, if not mental or emotional ones.
If only it were as simple to support ourselves with information about our well-being. If we devoted as much time to imagining that we are healthy and strong as we do pondering our possible infirmities, we’d have a different take on our health. And we’d likely be healthier and happier, too.
While we can’t control the illness-related media accessible to us, we can control the access we permit ourselves to have to this information. We can consciously choose not to fret or focus on a potential illness. We can bypass the negativity of focusing on a potential illness.
Certainly, if we feel consistently or severely unwell, we may wish to get professional attention from a health care provider. But that is a practical act to support our health. It’s far different than imagining and not acting.
Today’s message invites me to focus on how I wish to feel and then look for signs in my life that reinforce my well-being. When my attention is on what is working, I’ll devote less energy to what potentially might not be working.
Please reflect and share. What niggling worry might you have regarding your health?