HOW TO STOP NEGATIVE THOUGHTS

Ever had food poisoning? I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.

_{(well… I can think of ONE person I wouldn’t mind having it lol).}

I recently became the sorry victim of a virulent strain of a mighty bacteria. From undercooked salmon.

It wasn’t pretty.

In fact, after purging for 3 long sessions during the night from both ends at the same time (“Look Mom, no hands!”), I finally slept. And slept. And slept. For 2-1/2 DAYS.

By Day 3 I was moving like an Sweet Old Lady (with truly bad breath). But thank goodness, I was on the “other side” of the vicious bacterial attack.

With any situation that SUCKS in life, we have options. We can:

•complain about it (always fun for people around us)
•wrap ourselves in self pity (also a blast for people around us)
•or we can say, “Yep, that was horrific. But I survived. ‘Cause I’m awesome. And along the way, I even learned something I’ll take back with me into my life.”

Which is MUCH more fun – not only for us, but for those around us too.

What Did I Learn From All the Mega-Barfing & Pooping At the Same Time?

1:

The Universe didn’t set me up with some sicko event to watch and say, “There ya go, SUCKA! Have a horrible time for a few days! You deserve it!”

Nope. The event itself is NEUTRAL. The Universe brings different experiences to us each and every day. If we’re lucky,that is.
_{(if you prefer to sit in some raggedy lounger for 40 years and do nothing so that NOTHING NEW HAPPENS because the world is a scary place – like my friend’s uncle did (yes, really! 40 years!!) – that’s your beeswax. but I’m guessing most of you enjoy variety in life. so let’s continue with that assumption).}

I viewed my violent experience with food poisoning as simply another NEW EXPERIENCE I got to sample.

As a result, I:

• gained tremendous compassion for anyone who goes through it _{(I had no understanding how bad it is)}
• realized I need to develop my physical RESILIENCE _{(which I’m now doing – SUPER joyfully – because I have a Big Reason to get on my workout clothes and start sweating)}
• got to eat as much dry, somewhat burnt gluten free toast as I wanted _{(and YES I really really wanted it, and I’m still enjoying it, 9 days later).}

2:

My body is BRILLIANT. Brill…eeee…antttt! _{(so is yours)}.

And it’s my FRIEND. _{(so is yours).}

And… it TALKS TO ME. All I need to do is LISTEN. _{(so can you).}

Maybe you’re whispering to yourself right now: “Look out… this Barbara chick is CRAY-CRAY! She talks to her BODY. Keep distance from that one…”

Don’t worry. My body and I may not be speaking in dialogue with each other.

But I am learning to TRULY LISTEN.

Did you grow up with a Mama & Papa who said, “Eat everything on your plate! People are starving on the other side of the world!” So you shoveled it in – even though you were full?

Do you sit bleary-eyed in front of your computer trying to finish just one more thing, or because it’s “too early to go to bed” – even though your brain is shutting down from sleepiness?

Or do you lay sprawled out floppy-like on the couch, even though you’re yawning like a strange-sounding goose and your eyelids are so half closed it looks like you smoked a lid – just to finish a TV show?

Do you mindlessly reach for the 18^th cookie even though your stomach is rockin’ & rollin’ and gurglin’ up a storm, overly full and slightly p’ed off?

I’ve done ALL of those things. Many times. Perhaps you have too.

These are signs we are IGNORING the BRILLIANCE of our BELOVED BODIES.

Warning Lights (and Thriving Lights)

Some common “warning lights” that should not be ignored are:

• Waking up drowsy
• Feeling anxious
• Experiencing foggy brain
• Dreading work or social commitments
• Sore or swollen joints
• Unhealthy poops (nada or runny)

Thriving Lights

Other days we feel an extra surge of energy. More social. Extra strong or confident.

Do we investigate WHY we’re feeling so good? Rarely – if ever!

And yet – wouldn’t you like to REPLICATE those days more often?

Sure, you may have just won an award or fallen in love. But many times we feel that boost for no apparent reason. It is extremely helpful to do a little detective work to figure out WHY.

Think back to what you ate, what time you went to sleep and for how long, who you spent time with, how much light you got, whether and how you moved your body.

These highs and lows in energy and mood or not arbitrary. Your body-friend is talking to you.

When you’re sleepy, it let’s you know.
When you’re hungry, it let’s you know.
When you’re full, it let’s you know.
When you’re been sitting too long, it let’s you know.
When it’s overworked, it let’s you know.

Since my food poisoning escapade – and this clear realization about my body-friend telling me what it wants and needs:

-I have stopped overeating.
-I rest when I’m tired.
-I stretch after sitting for an hour or two.
-I take deep breaths every so often.
-I don’t use devices within an hour of sleep (it jiggles my brain and keeps me awake).
-I stretch AM and PM.
-I work out my muscles more intelligently _{(with an online course – Joe Holder on MasterClass – WOW!).}

I’m doing all of these things because I’m LISTENING to what my body says would feel GOOD to it.

And guess what? I can FEEL the difference. No more bloating. Way more energy. More strength. Lovely poops lol. Big, boisterous smiles. 🙂

How To Start Conversing With Your Body-Friend

You will be surprised at how CLEAR the answers you receive are.

After you learn to listen to these basics, you can move on to more complex conversations:

“Body darling, do you prefer listening to the Stephen King audiobook, or the Stoic philosophy book right now?”
_{(believe it or not, it will TELL you.)}

If you’re not sure how to “do it right,” consider reaching out to work with me as your coach. In addition to the de-looping work I do, I also help people with better food choices and creating habits that help them stay healthy and happy, based on their particular goals.

Plus I’m a really great “interpreter” to help you learn to HEAR your Body-Friend’s stunning wisdom. Truly. 🙂

To SUM UP what I learned from Barfing & Pooping at the same time:

1) Each day is a tremendous, new Adventure. It’s ME who deems it “good” or “bad.”
2) My Body-Friend knows what’s best and will tell me if I listen.

Work with these two ideas and see what comes up… Would love to hear your thoughts.

Wishing you a healthy, happy week ahead!

---

Barbara Ireland
Author of the #1 Amazon Kindle Bestseller, How To Stop Negative Thoughts
Contributing author of the #1 Amazon Bestseller, The Transformative Power of Near-Death Experiences

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