When we do this work in learning how to calm down our mind, body and spirit we have to look at the things we were taught to believe and challenge them so we can get out of the “danger” signals our brain is sending to our body. We are holistic in our environment so we have to review it and that includes the things we tell ourselves, we need to examine our inner critic and challenge our conditioning.
For example, instead of telling myself “I can’t do that because I am in pain and it hurts”, I needed to start asking myself many questions to challenge my beliefs. John Sarno M.D. who is also in my recommended reading list said something that sticks with me to this day many years later, “Pain is my brain’s opinion.”
One of the authors I read – who’s name is Byron Katie has a simple free worksheet you can download and print out called judge thy neighbor. In it, she guides you through some of your own self-limiting beliefs with 4 simple questions.
https://thework.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/jyn_en_mod_6feb2019_r4_form1.pdf
Here are a few other questions to expand your thinking:
- what CAN I do about this situation?
- what negative things am I saying to myself? (Make a list and then change it into something positive such as “I can and will walk at least a block every day for a week and then increase it despite the pain”)
- what achievable goals can I accomplish to get me to where I want to be?
- How would I speak to a person I love if they were in this situation that I am in? (And then talk to yourself the way you would talk to someone you love.)
- Who’s voice is it when I hear that put down? (Often it’s a caretaker from childhood)
- What is the payoff for my thoughts or behavior?
- Why do I think this messaging is true? Is it someone’s opinion and can I think of another time when that messaging was proven wrong?
- What is it that I am really scared of? (For many, a common theme is fear of being a burden to other people, so we often suffer and struggle alone)
- How will I know when things are better and what actions can I take today to start making them better?
- What led me to this belief?
