Understanding Mindset Misunderstandings

There seems to be some misunderstandings around what exactly is meant by mindset, and what it means to have a healthy mindset.

Now first, I want to disclose that I’m not an expert in this by any means, but this is just my understanding, and what has made sense to me along my journey. I always suggest to people, to take what works for you and leave the rest behind.

Half of the journey is finding your own answer, through your own experience.

I’ve been working on creating a program called The 5 Pillars of Health. These pillars are the aspect of a persons individual health, that once improved will allow them to create the deeper relationships they are seeking in their lives, be it friendships, romantic relationships, or simply more business relationships, because when we don’t feel good about who we are, it’s hard to put ourselves out in the world.

Physical, Emotional, Financial, Spiritual and today’s topic, Mental health, from my perspective are all interconnected. When there is a leak in one area, it is likely the case that other areas of health will be impacted as well. I like to make this distinction, because in todays society we really tend to isolate our variables, and view them as distinct and separate.

However, humans are complex, wholistic beings, a part of something greater than ourselves. We are a part of and make up a very delicate ecosystem, so when one area is affected, there is a very undeniable domino effect that happens.

So, back to the mindset…

At its most basic application, our thoughts create our reality.

Thoughts carry a certain vibration, and based on the neutrality of those thoughts, we will experience a reality that is either positive (feels good) or negative (feels bad).

Most of the thoughts or beliefs we have run on auto pilot, and were created within the first 7 years of age. This is why it takes conscious effort to create a certain mindset, and to change our thoughts.

Here’s where things get interesting when it comes to changing mindset, because things aren’t always black and white, and as I’ve said humans come in layers.

Say for example, I haven’t been feeling well. I know I need to loose weight, and I get the idea that I’m going to change my mindset, and start to tell myself that I’m healthy.

This is beneficial, if your previous language has largely revolved around telling yourself that you’re unhealthy, however this is often where I see some confusion arise from people.

Simply telling yourself something isn’t going to magically change the cells in your body to become healthy (I’ll get into visualization another time). When it comes to mindset, there is the internal language, but there are also the internal beliefs, and they must be in sync, in order for a harmonious transition to occur.

For example, I am now telling myself every day that “I’m a healthy person.” However if I’m still eating sugar every day, it is unlikely that I will believe what I’m telling myself, because I have a deeper belief that sugar isn’t healthy.

Telling myself I’m healthy, isn’t going to change my external environment in any way, sugar is still going to have negative effects on my body, unless of course I start to undo what I’ve learned about sugar, and can fully convince myself that eating sugar is actually good for me, and only good for me, (but good luck with that one).

When we have counter beliefs, this is what is called cognitive dissonance, and this is often where we create dissonance or dis-ease within our body.

If I tell myself I’m healthy, but also have language running through my head like “wow this shirt really makes me look fat, or my face is so broken out,” I’m only further countering the belief that I’m healthy, making it unlikely any change will occur. (More on internal resistance in another article).

So this is where I want to make the distinction, and especially when it comes to affirmations, and “thinking positive.”

From my experience, simply stating an affirmation, or deciding to think positive isn’t what creates the miracle.

Doing these things creates the shift in perception that causes a person to take action, and align their life and reality with the words they are now telling themselves. This is where the miracle occurs.

So in the “I am healthy” example, it’s not that telling myself “I am healthy” is going to make me healthy, but what will likely happen, is that I will become more aware of the things in my life that are not aligned with that higher truth.

The longer I tell myself this new truth, the more I will second guess the things I currently do that do not align with that truth. When I open the fridge, my new truth will speak up, and I’ll grab an apple rather than some cheese.

It’s not that I can continue to do the things I’ve always done and am no longer negatively effected by them, it’s that I bring into my life more things that align with what I believe health is.

Telling myself I’m healthy isn’t going to change the toxic environment I’m living in, but it will give me a new level of awareness that if I truly want to be healthy, then I need to find a new environment that meets my understanding of what a healthy environment is.

I think this is where a lot of the confusion comes from when I hear people talking about mindset, because there seems to be an understanding that “I can just change the way I speak to myself and things will change.”

The words are the first step, but change only happens when we take action. (There’s also counter beliefs and resistance, but again that’s a topic for another day).

If you’re curious to know more about mindset, beliefs and how to achieve a greater state of health for yourself, drop your questions down below and I’ll do my best to find an answer for you. What’s the biggest challenge you’re coming up against right now when it comes to your health? Let me know how I can help.

Much Peace and Love,

PS. If you’re looking to dive deeper into your health I’ve got a program where we go into each Pillar of your health, to give you a better foundation to thrive. Curious to know more? Send me a message and we’ll book a conversation to figure out what your needing and how this program can help. I look forward to hearing from you soon.