Wellness Challenge #5 Buy It Local

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Summer is a great time to buy local produce from area farmers. You can find luscious berries, corn, beets, squash and tomatoes ripened on the vine at farmer’s markets, private stands and even some grocery stores. You may even find raw honey, farm fresh eggs and grass fed beef.

Sounds good, but why is this a wellness challenge?

When you buy it local the food is often fresher than produce trucked hundreds or thousands of miles. Fresh means more vitamins, better taste and more ‘life force’. Local produce is often organic although it may not be certified. Many farmers are happy to tell you if they used pesticides on their crops.

Since food raised in your area doesn’t have to travel long distances, natural resources are spared and the ‘carbon footprint’ is smaller. So overall local foods contain fewer toxic chemicals, may be healthier, and generate much less pollution on the way to your mouth.

Purchasing food from area farmers also boosts your local economy. In the North Country of New York where I live, there are many small farms. Their little farm stands bring in much needed funds to keep the farm going and meet their financial needs. Buying their foods is a big win for you and the farmer.

And of course, maybe even better, you can raise some of your own food. I very much enjoy stopping at farm stands, but this year I got the urge to ‘garden’ so I got two patio tomato plants and some potted herbs. (Just enough to keep the gardening bug at bay – but seriously, there is something very satisfying about growing your own food)

During the off-season, when local produce isn’t available, focus on purchasing these organic foods. These are the big offenders when it comes to
toxic chemicals: peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. If they are not available, wash well and remove the skin if possible.

A local search may also show you where you can purchase eggs and grass-fed ‘clean’ meats. When you buy large quantities, you can get a very good value.

It isn’t crucial to purchase organic onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, mangoes, asparagus, frozen sweet peas, kiwi, bananas, cabbage, broccoli and papaya. They are the least contaminated of all fruits and vegetables (if at all). Most of the pineapple crop is organic anyway.

When you purchase organic and/or local food, you vote with your wallet and send a message to farmers, manufacturers and retails that you are a conscious consumer who wants healthy goods for you and your family. When you vote with your wallet, they listen.

Your Challenge

Visit your local farmer’s market or a farm stand at least once this summer. If one isn’t available, check out your grocery store and look for local or organic foods. Purchase at least two locally grown or organic products. If it’s already cooked (like bread or a pie) that’s okay too, but do get something fresh also. Regularly purchase some of these foods throughout the year, especially ‘the dirty dozen’.

If you accept this challenge, or already do this, please tell us about it in the comments below.

Wellness Challenge #4 Non-toxic Personal Products

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How are you doing with the first three challenges? To recap, our last three goals are:

  1. Add only natural sweeteners to beverages such as stevia, a little raw organic sugar, and lo han. Avoid adding artificial sweeteners containing aspartame and sucralose to your beverages. The challenge was to start at home and eventually eliminate artifical sweeteners from your life entirely.
  2. Use non-toxic household cleaners. As you use up your chemical cleaners (or dispose of them safely), replace them with safe, natural, chemical-free cleaners. These cleaners can be made at home with common ingredients such as vinegar, castile soap, and essential oils. Or purchase green cleaning products.  Products you use often are great starting places: laundry soap, dish soap, countertop and bathroom cleaners.
  3. Use a BHA free refillable water bottle, water filtration pitchers or faucet filters. Avoid using pre-filled plastic disposable water bottles which are very expensive, contain chemicals, deplete natural resources and create a landfill nightmare.

You may notice a pattern here. We have been focusing on reducing the amount of toxins going into your body. Each action by itself may not seem like much, but as they build on each other, the benefit to your health and the environment becomes greater.

This week we will continue to reduce your intake of toxins.

Here’s your challenge:

nullnon toxic personal careCommit to purchasing and using at least two non-toxic body or skin care products.

It’s okay to start small. When you use up your regular soap, purchase unscented soap or soap scented only with essential oils. Synthetic fragrance oils often contain at least five different chemicals. Use chemical free shampoos, conditioners, deodorant, hair spray, moisturizers and bug sprays. Use bleach-free feminine products. As you replace your make-up, buy foundation, blush, lip stain, and eye shadow made from minerals.

If you plan to be in the sun for long periods of time, you may want to invest in a good quality sunscreen that protects you from UVA and UVB rays. Most sunscreens contain chemicals that  actually accelerate skin cancer. They get into your bloodstream and disrupt your hormones. Look for sunscreen with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide (not micronized or nano sized) as the active ingredients. Avoid products with chemicals as well as Vitamin A or its derivatives retinol and retinyl palmitate. (Yes, you read that correctly- it can promote cancer).

Avoid shampoos with sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate (SLS/SLES), dioxane, diethanolamine or DEA, propylene glycol, parabens. I’ve yet to find such a product in my local stores. Check the health food store and on-line suppliers.

Here’s why:

Your skin readily absorbs what you put on it. Your scalp alone is home to 20 blood vessels, 650 sweat glands, and 1,000 nerve endings. As a matter of fact, you may actually absorb more toxins through your skin than if you were to eat them!  Substances absorbed through the skin aren’t broken down by digestive enzymes and they bypass your liver where a lot of detoxification takes place. Toxins pass through your skin into your bloodstream and tissues.

If you’re like me, you may be tempted to go for the less expensive commonly available products.  Instead, remind yourself that your health is the most precious asset you have. Spending a few extra dollars on safe products now can save you a fortune in disease costs later. Besides, once you experience using natural products scented with real essential oils, you will never want to go back to those chemical scents.

So there you have it. Swap out at least two of your regularly used toxic personal products for safe, natural products.  Over time, replace most (or all) of your products. If you accept this challenge, leave a comment below. Tell us what swaps you made (or plan to make) and how you’re doing with the first three challenges.

Feeling adventurous? Try making and using this all natural shampoo created by Julie Bailey of Mountain Rose Herbs. This shampoo is effective even though it may not be as thick or sudsy as you are used to. Feel free to tweak it. Only make enough for a week or so (as it won’t keep unless refrigerated).

Ingredients:
2 oz. Castille Soap
1/2 teaspoon Jojoba oil
4 oz. Rose Water or other flower water

Combine Rosewater, Castille soap & Jojoba oil, shake well before using .

Click here for Natural Body and Skin Care products

Non-toxic cleaning products are an important part of keeping the air in your home clean. Air pollution in your home also comes from out-gassing furniture, cabinetry, carpets and vinyl. Open windows regularly or use a good quality air filter to get the pollutants out of your home.

Wellness Challenge#3 – Upgrade Your Water Bottle

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The challenge for this week is to ‘boycott the disposable plastic water bottle’ for every day personal use.

Several years ago we happily drank water from our taps and carried it in a thermos. That just shows the power of marketing to change our thinking and our habits. Even though this water may be a godsend during times of crisis, for the most part, it has created its own health and ecological disaster.

These bottles leach hormone-disrupting chemicals into the water. They can be especially problematic in the summer. Heat reacts with chemicals in the plastic and releases them into the water. This is also true of frozen water in plastic bottles, or if the plastic becomes weakened or damaged. That’s why disposable plastic bottles should never be reused.

BHA in the bottles is a hormone disruptor. Dioxin is a toxin increasingly found in breast cancer tissue.

In the US alone we throw away enough of these bottles each month to circle the globe several times. They stay in
landfills for hundreds of years. Since they are made from petroleum, they waste that valuable resource also. Not to mention that
at over a dollar for less than two cups of water, they are an expensive waste of money.

Although some bottled water comes from springs, much of it is nothing more than filtered tap water. Don’t be fooled by the words ‘natural’ or ‘pure’. Regardless of where it comes from, it’s probably contaminated with chemicals from the plastic bottle.

Here’s your challenge: Make a commitment to use safe, reusable BPA-free water bottles whenever possible. These are available in stainless steel, plastic, or glass. You may want to use a pitcher with a filter in it for your every day use at work and at home. I keep one on my desk. There are also filters that attach directly to the faucet.

If you really want spring water, or live somewhere where the water is unpleasant or unsafe, you can buy it in gallon jugs for much less than disposable bottles. Unfortunately, you may still be exposing yourself to some chemicals, but this is still a better choice overall than single serving disposable bottles.

Do you accept the challenge? Make your commitment in the comment section below.

Did you miss the first two challenges? No worries. Read about them here on the blog (look under the wellness challenge category) and watch this video to learn more about the first three challenges. Note: You may want to let the video buffer, or load for a minute to minimize viewing lapses.

Why Write My Goal and How Do I Do It?

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Dwight Thomas said, “It’s only a dream until you write it down, and then it becomes a goal.”

Why is that?

Researchers found that when a resolution was only voiced or thought, it usually went by the wayside within a week.
If it was written down, there was a much greater chance it was being followed through on even months later.

Writing your goal engages your subconscious mind. It works to attract what you need to make your goal a reality.
Just the act of writing your goal has an element of commitment to it. It is now more real, or tangible.
You can see it. Others can see it. It is no longer just a wish or dream that soon takes flight.

Although writing down your goal can be as simple as saying ‘I’m going to lose 5 pounds’, you’ll get a lot more oomph from
it if you follow a few basis steps. This process is called:

Writing a SMART Goal

S- Specific – Clearly and specifically write down what you want. What is the end result? Write it in present positive words.
If it’s a really big goal, you may want to write subgoals that you’ll achieve in a few weeks or months in addition to your
big goal.
M- Measurable – Is the goal measurable and how will you measure it? Use at least two measures, at least one should be tangible.
A- Achievable – Is it achievable and realistic in the time frame I’ve set?
R- Relevant – Is this goal something I really want, or is it a ‘should’ goal or coming from someone else? Is it meaningful to me?
T- Timeline – When will I achieve this goal? What is my deadline? (Note: timelines can be modified as you go)

Here’s an example of a SMART goal:

This is my present goal. It’s actually a ‘sub-goal’ of my bigger goal to practice holistic self-care in my everyday life so I feel good and look good and have the health and energy to live my life fully and fulfill my dreams.

I achieve and maintain my ideal weight of 140#. I measure my actual weight using the scale once a week and how well my clothes fit from when I used to be at my ideal weight. This goal is definitely achievable as I only have five more
pounds to lose. I used to weigh much less than that when I was younger, but feel this is a healthier, better looking
weight for me now.

I really want to achieve and maintain my ideal weight because I look good and feel good at this weight. I feel attractive when
looking in the mirror. This is also my way of knowing that I am eating appropriate amounts of food. It tells me that most of my food choices are healthy because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to lose and maintain the weight, and I wouldn’t feel good
either. I will achieve this goal within six weeks from today which is July 20th.

Tweak your goal until you feel happy with it and it passes the SMART test.

What is your goal for the next two-to-three months? Be sure to write it down. Share it with us in the comments section. If you already shared a goal as part of the challenge, great! Now I invite you to make it SMART. Putting your goal ‘out there’ makes it real and spurs you to make it a commitment.

I’m really looking forward to reading your goals. Go for it!

Wellness Challenge #2 – Green Cleaning

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household cleaning This wellness challenge comes at the perfect time for spring cleaning. As you use up your petroleum based and chemical household cleaners, start switching to green cleaning products.

The chemicals in standard cleaning products get into your skin when you touch them and into your lungs when you breathe them in. They can irritate your eyes, skin and lungs. If they can’t be removed by your organs of elimination, they are stored in your liver or in the fat cells throughout your body. Next time you’re in the store, notice how the aisle with all the cleaning supplies smells? Sometimes the chemical smell is so strong it’s sickening. Do you really want to use that to clean your home and fabrics?

Did you know that researchers have identified almost 300 chemicals in the umbilical cord of a newborn baby? What a way to start life. We don’t need to keep doing this to ourselves.

Non-toxic cleaning products are every bit as good as chemical cleaners for most household cleaning jobs. They may cost a few cents more to purchase, but will help save your health and the health of the planet. That is priceless and the savings financially can be huge as well if it spares you an illness.

I’ve used plant based laundry detergent for years and my clothes come out just as clean as the petroleum products. I just bought a bottle of Ecos detergent scented with organic lavender essential oil and it smells heavenly. Once you smell a naturally scented product, you’ll never be fooled by synthetic fragrances that smell like the chemicals they are made of.

With consumers becoming more environmentally aware, big companies are jumping on board to provide plant based, biodegradable products for most cleaning jobs. Smaller companies have been providing quality products for years. Dr. Bronner’s Castille Soap is used in many homes. I clean my bathroom with it.

It’s even easy to make your own green cleaning products. A spray of equal parts distilled white vinegar and water cleans kitchen countertops. Baking soda is a great deodorizer for drains and refrigerators. Mix equal parts of baking soda and borax to make dishwasher detergent. One quarter cup should do the job. Safe for septic systems too. As a matter of fact, baking soda is great for your septic system because it offsets the extreme acidity that corrodes the tank. Chemical cleaners are very acidic.

It’s best to purchase fragrance-free products because synthetic fragrances are made up of an average of 17 chemicals each. Some of these are classified by federal law as hazardous or toxic.

If you enjoy scented products, add in essential oils yourself or make sure the product is scented with essential oils. Be a detective. Even products labeled as ‘green’ can have synthetic fragrances in them. And our laws don’t require manufacturers to tell you that.

So here’s the challenge for this week. Even if you have chemical cleaners to use up, purchase two green cleaning products to replace them with. Or make your own. The ultimate goal is to replace all your general cleaning products over time. But two non-toxic cleaning products is a good place to start.

Will you make a commitment to this wellness challenge? If so, tell us about it in the comments section. If you already use environmentally friendly products, great! You’re all set for this challenge. What green products do you use? Which are you going to try?

Wellness Challenge: Reduce Your Use of Artificial Sweeteners

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If you limit or don’t use artificial sweeteners, you’ve already got this challenge nailed. Just post your comment on the blog here so we can give you a cheer (and your name goes in the prize hat). Do tell us if and how you sweeten your drinks instead.

For you artificial sweetener users, listen up. To meet this weeks challenge, I’m asking you to stop adding artificial sweeteners to your coffee, tea, other beverages or foods. No fear, we’re making a substitution. Here’s why…

Artificial sweeteners have very damaging health effects. Aspartame has been dubbed a chemical poison and a potent neuro-toxin. Complaints about aspartame account for 75% of all food additive adverse reactions reported to the FDA. It has over 90 documented symptoms, some of which are very serious. It is linked to illnesses that damage nerve cells. Why this chemical is even allowed in our food supply is beyond me…

Sucralose is not as dangerous as aspartame, but it is not without problems. Sucralose interferes with the absorption of
certain medications, reduces good bacteria in your intestines by half and can actually cause you to gain weight.
It’s more similar in chemical composition to DDT than sugar (even though it’s made from sugar) and can cause a variety of
symptoms such as a stuffy nose or fatigue.

Here’s an easy substitution to make:

If you want to add a sweetener to a beverage or food, use stevia extract. If you tried it years ago and didn’t like it, give it another try. Manufacturers have improved the taste. Liquid extracts even come flavored with vanilla and other flavors that are supposed to be quite delicious. Or add a small amount of sugar or honey along with the stevia. Frankly, a bit of raw organic sugar or honey as your sweetener of choice is no doubt better for you than chemicals.

Stevia is 300 times sweeter than sugar so you only need a tiny bit. Like all plants, stevia contains antioxidants that fight free radical damage. It does not raise blood sugar or insulin levels like sugar or artificial sweeteners.

Here’s another easy switch: Chew gum with xylitol instead of sugar or artificial sweeteners. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol, but unlike other sugar alcohols, it doesn’t cause gas or bloating. Nor does it raise blood sugar. As an added benefit, it fights plaque by reducing bacteria levels in your mouth. You can use xylitol as a sweetener in drinks or food too.

Note: Be sure to keep xylitol powder and foods, gum, beverages and other products containing xylitol (like nasal sprays and lozengers) away from your dog. It is highly toxic to dogs and can kill them.

When you are ready to up the ante and take another step: Decrease the amount of sweetener you use. Buy commercial drinks pre-sweetened with stevia rather than artificial sweeteners. Say bye-bye to artificial sweeteners for good.

Are you in? Are you willing to reduce your use of artificial sweeteners by not adding it to your food or drink? Are you willing to go ‘cold turkey’ or use a substitute natural sweetener instead?

If so, great for you! Make a commitment and tell us about it below.

(Remember: only members and subscribers can win prizes and receive updates. Not a member yet? Join here.

Achieving Your Goals and Wellness Challenge

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Do you ever feel like this? You know what you need to do to take care of your health. You may even be an expert at preaching it. But you find it’s a lot harder to actually do it.

I know I’m far from alone when it comes to this disconnect between what we know and what we do instead. It’s frustrating, isn’t it?

Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to step up and play an even bigger game when it comes to my wellness.

Now, I admit that overall I do pretty well. I usually get enough sleep, exercise fairly regulary, and mostly use green and non- toxic cleaning and personal care products.

My big battle, however, is my ‘addiction’ to junk food and extra portions. I was raised to associate food and eating (big portions, of course) with love and comfort and rewards. And what about all those starving children?

Yes, I’m willing to take responsibility and change my programming and habits, but it’s proving to be more challenging than I hoped!

This challenge has led me in the direction of exploring how to achieve goals in a big way. I’ve learned how huge a part our unconscious/subconscious plays. Bottom line – it makes or breaks our success. We have to win this ‘inner game’ if we are going to achieve a our goals in any area of life, including health. It is a process, and it is doable.

Thankfully, as you ‘dance’ with your more challenging wellness goals, it’s good to know there are goals you can accomplish easily.

It’s tempting to think these little action steps don’t amount to much. When you put them into practice regularly, they can have a big positive impact on your health in the short – and-long term. Best of all, they require almost no effort or inner game work. Easy success!

That brings us to our new series:

How to Achieve Your Wellness and Life Goals and the Wellness Challenge

My goal for this 20 week series is for all of us, me included, to step up and take control of our health and happiness.

If you’re thinking ‘uh’ and ‘hard work’, shift that thought. Let’s do this together and let’s make it fun!

Here’s what’s happening:

Every two weeks you’ll receive an ezine with tips for achieving your goals. Our focus, of course will be on holistic wellness, but you can apply these strategies to any area of your life.

Each issue includes a wellness challenge. These are relatively simple, easy to implement, and important health tips that when practiced regularly, make a positive impact on your health.

Are you ready to take charge of your health and have some fun?

Your first challenge – Here’s what to do now.

Post a comment below sharing your top 1-3 wellness goals are (stress relief, healthy weight, green living, inner peace, you name it…). Tell us what you’d like to know about achieving your goals in particular and/or goals in general. If you know of ‘no-brainer’ easy ways to improve your health, share those too. They may show up as one of our challenges!

Then, each time you accept a challenge and take the action step, post a comment under the blog entry for that issue. Just follow the link to the blog in the ezine. Each month I’ll put your names in a hat and choose a winner. When you win, you’ll be recognized in the ezine and on the blog, PLUS you’ll receive a downloadable prize!

At the end of this challenge, I’ll draw from the names of all participants for grand prizes. The more challenges you participate in, the more chances you have of winning.

Feel free to invite your family and friends to join in. The more the merrier.

Note: Everyone is welcome to post, but you must be a member (or family member if you share the same email account) to win and receive challenge updates. Not a member yet, join here, it’s free.

Try It On Everything

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If all I ever got out of EFT was dumping years of emotional garbage, it would have been well worth it. For me, that was HUGE!Releasing all that anger, resentment and unforgiveness revealed the calmer, kinder person hiding beneath that hard outer shell. I didn’t even know she was there!

But this type of work with EFT is just the tip of the iceberg. In the last few years, EFT has evolved. Even though basic EFT works just fine, experts have developed new ways to work with it for broader and deeper results for just about everything. Tapping has successfully been used for pain related to emotional issues, sports performance, manifesting, public speaking and more.

Why? Because when you reduce the stress around an issue, shift your thoughts and beliefs, and reprogram yourself with thoughts
and beliefs that serve you better, new possibilities open up to you.

It really doesn’t matter what the subject is. That’s why yes, really, try it on everything. The worse thing that can happen is nothing changes. But chances are, there will be progress if you persist and get help if you need it.

In my own experience, I have seen pain disappear and healing accelerate. When you no longer hold excess tension in your muscles and tissues, your body is free to restore balance. Relationships improve because old patterns, resentments and hurts are released. Dreams appear believable and attainable. Limiting beliefs and unfounded fears no longer keep you paralyzed so it’s so much easier and enjoyable to move forward.

Albert Einstein said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Yet that is what we often try to do. EFT is one tool that can help you change your thinking and therefore your life for the better.

Want to put the power of tapping to work for you? Check out the free 2012 Tapping World Summit.

The summit begins with three introductory videos and continues with ten days of tapping presentations for a variety of topics for everything from stress and pain relief to relationship help to weight loss and procrastination. It’s geared for beginners to advanced tappers. If you are a beginner, be sure to watch the instructional videos (included free) before the presentations.

I’m registered and I hope you attend too!


2012 TWS Kris Carr

How Does EFT Work?

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We ‘tappers’ know that EFT works. And as silly as it sounds, we’ve seen it work for a wide variety of issues, so many that some professionals poo-poo it because they think such a claim can’t be true. It’s been hailed as a pain reliever, performance enhancer, trauma buster, and health improver.

Now, thanks to the efforts of Dawson Church, author of Genie in Your Genes and other researchers, science is answering this question.

The original explanation for EFT’s effectiveness was that it affects the energy flows in the body. And this is true.

When you use acupuncture, tapping or pressure on acupoints, you send a calming signal throughout your body. MRI scans show that stimulating acupoints turns off the fright flight response in your limbic system. Dr. Church tells a story of how an EFT session plunged the cortisol levels of his research subjects so quickly that the lab thought there was a problem with their equipment!

When you think of an old trauma it reactivates the fright flight signal and your body responds accordingly. When you tap you send a different signal saying you’re safe. Your brain knows that if you were facing a real tiger you’d be running not tapping. When you tap while bringing up the traumatic memory, you are combining the old signal of threat with a new signal of safety. As you do this you interrupt or break the old conditioned response loop. Once you break the association between the memory and the physiological response you no longer go into fright flight at the thought of that old memory. Your brain now recognizes it for what it is – an old memory and not a current threat.

This also explains why you can try EFT for everything. When you deactivate your stress response, it ripples through your body. As you reduce stress and anxiety about anything it helps your body function better. Keep in mind that when you experience stress, it affects you neurologically, hormonally, and electrically.

Anxiety impedes performance and creativity. Unresolved childhood traumas (no matter how irrelevant they seem to your adult mind) cause an undercurrent of anxiety that increase your risk of serious disease. When you remove this overlay of anxiety, your mind and body are better able to heal. Even if you feel great about something, you can feel even better with EFT.

Please keep in mind that EFT is a tool. It works best as part of your health care, and is not a replacement. If you’ve had serious trauma, it’s best to work with an expert therapist and use EFT coaching as a complement.

If you’d like to learn more about EFT, and experience its benefits for yourself, you’re in luck. The 2012 Tapping World Summit is about to begin. Between now and May 16th you’ll have access to special videos and 20 interviews with EFT experts. Learn the basics so you are ready to dig deeper when the summit starts. Then for 10 days you’ll get to learn even more and tap along with experts on a wide variety of topics. Be sure to register to get the training audio/visuals and additional interviews.


2012 TWS Nick Ortner


Limiting Wellness Belief: Identifying With Your Illness

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How often have you heard someone or yourself say, “I’m an alcoholic, I’m diabetic, I’m obese, I’m disabled. I”m depressed.” These are just some examples of the way we identify with a health condition.

But, you say, it’s true, I am _____. Are you really? Is that WHO you are? Is that the truth you want to affirm about yourself? Or is it just part of what you are experiencing in your life? Your illness and things that have happened to you are not who you are.

This may sound like mere semantics, but there is a big difference between saying, “I am an insomniac, manic-depressive, cancer victim…” and “I am experiencing these symptoms, problems.

Using the words, “I have___” is a step away from declaring “I am”, but still basically translates to “I am a person with_____”.

Yes, these labels are convenient. They were designed to explain a host of common symptoms in a word or two. Unfortunately, there is usually a set of beliefs, treatments, and probable outcomes attached to that diagnosis or label. The problem is, when believed and claimed the label and its attachments can become part of your identity and programming.

Remember – your subconscious mind believes what you tell it. It cannot separate imagination from reality. It is your faithful servant that carries out the instructions and programs you give it. Be careful what you declare to your mind and body.

Some people become wrapped up in their issues and identify completely with them. They say, “I am a cancer, rape, war, accident victim” even long after the incident or illness is over. Releasing this attachment so that mental or physical healing can occur would be like changing identities. Your subconscious will not support you with such a scary, uncomfortable shift. To the subconscious, what is familiar is comfortable, even if you know it isn’t in your best interest.

So how can you begin to heal and shift these thoughts and allow for healing?

As always, the first key step is awareness.

Listen to yourself as you describe your condition to yourself and others. Watch out too for thoughts and words that define what you can or can’t do because of your illness.

How often do you say “I can’t… or If only”? Even if it’s ‘true’, can you frame it in a way that allows for the possiblility of improvement. For example, replace “I can’t” with “I haven’t been able to…YET.” Talk about what you can do. Focus on the times it doesn’t hurt, or where you don’t hurt. Find creative ways to get around limitations and maximize your strengths.

Notice if you get defensive or anxious at the thought or suggestion of letting the issue go or taking steps to heal. Put some separation between you and your condition by shifting your thoughts and words. Then it will be easier to be open and curious about what you may want or need to do to improve or heal it. Don’t give up on your healing.

Note that this isn’t about going into denial, pretending or making choices that would worsen your condition. Your subconscious isn’t fooled, so that’s not productive and could be harmful. It is about making small (and sometimes frequent) shifts in your thinking, being open to possibilities, setting yourself up for healing, and taking advantage of opportunities to get better.

I’d like to share one of my success stories:

In the five years since rupturing a disk and experiencing nerve damage I’ve had a secret goal of wanting to be able to touch my toes again. For three years, I was stuck at mid-thigh (said this way on purpose). Then I progressed to mid-shin (notice how this sounds and feels better). I continued to hold this seemingly insignificant goal in my mind, and checked my progress every few months. Nothing.

This summer, I decided to experiment with mental rehearsal. For a few days I visualized myself reaching down and touching my toes. It was neat because I could actually feel the sensations in my body as if it were happening.

On the third day I felt inspired to give it a try for real. Right down I went. But here’s the extra cool part. Since then, when it feels like my hands have gone to their limit, my mind extends them mentally to the floor and then my hands follow. Yes, there’s a bit to go yet. The nerve and back still act up a bit so I don’t push it. But hey, what an accomplishment!

How about you? What is your story about letting go of a limiting identity or expectations?