Mind Power

Is Your Mind Making You Sick?

by Laura Interval

Last night, I was reminded of an amazing book. I was watching “60 Minutes” and Andy Rooney announced that it was Mike Wallace’s 90th birthday. WHAT?? Mike Wallace is 90?? They showed a clip of him playing tennis… looking not a day over 65. He was born in 1918. I don’t know about you, but if I can still play tennis at 90, I want to be around. So, how can I? What’s the key . . . the code… the secret? I want it.

So, I reached for the book, “Ageless Body, Timeless Mind” by Deepak Chopra.

If you’re not familiar with Dr. Deepak Chopra, he’s one of the leading experts in the world in “mind/body” medicine. In my opinion, Chopra has a tremendous understanding of the human animal from both a medical and spiritual perspective. He says the body is a printout of our consistent thoughts. That what we consistently think about, shows up in our body.

He explains: “Our cells are constantly eavesdropping on our thoughts and being changed by them. A bout of depression can wreak havoc with the immune system; falling in love can boost it. Despair and hopelessness raise the risk of heart attacks and cancer, thereby shortening life. Joy and fulfillment keep us healthy and extend life. This means that the line between biology and psychology can't really be drawn with any certainty. A remembered stress, which is only a wisp of thought, releases the same flood of destructive hormones as the stress itself.”

So, it’s about watching our thoughts. If love, joy and fulfillment actually release hormones that help keep us healthy… and stress and depression release destructive hormones that cause illness… we must become a master at watching our thoughts. We have to get in touch with what we’re thinking on a daily basis and just CHANGE the negative into positive thoughts. No more toxic mind.

Well, Deepak says that scientists estimate that we have about 60,000 thoughts a day. Wow. 60,000. I had no idea that I have 60,000 thoughts a day. But, apparently most of those thoughts are the same thoughts I had yesterday… and the day before that… and the day before that… and I guess I’ll be thinking the same tomorrow if I’m like most people. Yeah … Most of our 60,000 thoughts are just repeating… imprinting themselves in our minds and therefore, our bodies.

So, the challenge? CHANGE THEM! Become aware of your mind toxins; your myths, your beliefs and your acceptance of your negative thoughts. It may sound like hard work, but if you begin the discipline of watching your thoughts, it will become habit.

Dr. Chopra says the first step is to recognize your assumptions. Understand what you’ve come to believe about your body and aging. Do you believe that your mind and body are separate and independent from each other? Do you think that suffering is a necessary part of reality and we are inevitable victims of sickness, aging, and death? These thought patterns will manifest exactly that; sickness, aging and death.

Take a second… think about this.

“I’m feeling exhausted and frustrated. I’ve been at the computer all day. I haven’t finished half of the work I was supposed to do… and I have a headache. I should go for a walk but, my lower back aches and I am DONE. It’s late and all I want to do is go to bed.”That’s what I was saying to myself and anyone else who would listen. I believed it. I was living it. Then, my phone rang. I got some great news… and all of the sudden, I was ready to party. How do you explain that? All of the sudden, my headache was gone, I didn’t feel my back… and I could have jogged a few miles. I felt my body change with the change of my thought pattern.

Now, to change your thoughts whether there’s good news or bad.

So, what's your story? Is your mind making you sick?

2. Live in the present, for it is the only moment you have. Keep your attention on what is here and now; look for the fullness in every moment. Accept what comes to you totally and completely so that you can appreciate it, learn from it, and then let it go. The present is as it should be. It reflects infinite laws of Nature that have brought you this exact thought, this exact physical response. This moment is as it is because the universe is as it is. Don't struggle against the infinite scheme of things; instead, be at one with it.

3. Take time to be silent, to meditate, to quiet the internal dialogue. In moments of silence, realize that you are recontacting your source of pure awareness. Pay attention to your inner life so that you can be guided by intuition rather than externally imposed interpretations of what is or isn't good for you.

4. Relinquish your need for external approval. You alone are the judge of your worth, and your goal is to discover infinite worth in yourself, no matter what anyone else thinks. There is great freedom in this realization.

5. When you find yourself reacting with anger or opposition to any person or circumstance, realize that you are only struggling with yourself. Putting up resistance is the response of defenses created by old hurts. When you relinquish this anger, you will be healing yourself and cooperating with the flow of the universe.

6. Know that the world "out there" reflects your reality "in here." The people you react to most strongly, whether with love or hate, are projections of your inner world. What you most hate is what you most deny in yourself. What you most love is what you most wish for in yourself. Use the mirror of relationships to guide your evolution. The goal is total self-knowledge. When you achieve that, what you most want will automatically be there, and what you most dislike will disappear.

7. Shed the burden of judgment - you will feel much lighter. Judgment imposes right and wrong on situations that just are. Everything can be understood and forgiven, but when you judge, you cut off understanding and shut down the process of learning to love. In judging others, you reflect your lack of self-acceptance. Remember that every person you forgive adds to your self-love.

8. Don't contaminate your body with toxins, either through food, drink, or toxic emotions. Your body is more than a life-support system. It is the vehicle that will carry you on the journey of your evolution. The health of every cell directly contributes to your state of well-being, because every cell is a point of awareness within the field of awareness that is you.

9. Replace fear-motivated behavior with love-motivated behavior. Fear is the product of memory, which dwells in the past. Remembering what hurt us before, we direct our energies toward making certain that an old hurt will not repeat itself. But trying to impose the past on the present will never wipe out the threat of being hurt. That happens only when you find the security of your own being, which is love. Motivated by the truth inside you, you can face any threat because your inner strength is invulnerable to fear.

10. Understand that the physical world is just a mirror of a deeper intelligence. Intelligence is the invisible organizer of all matter and energy, and since a portion of this intelligence resides in you, you share in the organizing power of the cosmos. Because you are inseparably linked to everything, you cannot afford to foul the planet's air and water. But at a deeper level, you cannot afford to live with a toxic mind, because every thought makes an impression on the whole field of intelligence. Living in balance and purity is the highest good for you and the Earth.”

If this all seems overwhelming to you, break it down for yourself. Take one concept a day or even a week… and decide to challenge your thoughts and change them. Connect your mind and your body. Be present and watch your thoughts. Understand the … understand that you “cannot afford to live with a toxic mind” and know that you don’t have to.

Read more from Dr. Deepak Chopra:

Related articles:

Are You Letting Yourself Go?

Understanding the Power of Now

Do You Have a "Soft Addiction"?


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