Overview
Thoughts determine reality
Freedom and growth are universal laws that also apply to you. Nothing stands still and everything is guided be free will. Of course everyone of us is also embedded in a bigger system (friends, family, community, state, country and so on) – we are also individuals. Our gifts, talents and facets are longing to be expressed. Accepting and embracing ourselves by fully committing to who and what we truly are, opens space for growth and self-expression.
This post is meant to give you a nudge to become more self-aware. Freieres Leben is dedicated to support you with your inner work so that your innermost universe can unfold within you. That´s the precondition for your manifestations in the outer world – also an universal law. Check the hermetic laws on the site values & roots here.
In this process the knowledge about the interconnection of body & mind functions is key. The more you understand, the more conscious and powerful your actions and decisions can become.
Negative thoughts, but also doubts & fears can pull us back from achieving our goal of growth & self-expression. The more we manage to withdraw our power from negative thoughts, the more energy is available for accomplishing what we are striving for.
You can find a separate article about dealing with doubts and fears here (incl. 5 steps):
We create many of our limitations in our own minds. If we believe in these own limitations and act accordingly, our thoughts become reality! This happens not only in a symbolic sense, but in a very tangible way. I would like to invite for a little experiment…
Thought experiment
Imagine the following situation and pay attention to your body sensations while doing so:
It´s a warm summer day. You are on vacation and prepare a homemade lemonade on a table. Right in front of you there are two big, yellow and freshly harvested organic lemons on a cutting board in the table. They already exude their fresh scent throughout the room. You close your eyes and take a deep breath through your nose. How fresh that smells! You cut the lemons in two halves each and notice the scent becoming more intense. Smell it! You can’t resist anymore! You take a lemon half in your hand up to your mouth and bite in it. You taste the fresh and sour liquid in your mouth. The sour & fruity lemon juice is everywhere in your mouth now. Take your time for 1-2 minutes, close your eyes, imagine this and pay attention to physical changes……
Thoughts | immediate reactions
Thank you for participating in that experiment! Did you notice any change?
Most people report salivation or/and squeezes in their cheeks. Did you have that too? What seems super simple is actually impressive! Take a closer look: There´s no lemon here. In other words: The reactions of your body were initiated by thoughts & imagination. Even I salivated while writing this! Just by a thought! The experiment shows, that a thought triggers an immediate physical reaction. Even without a “present” lemon, we react as if we had really bitten into one. Our brain cannot distinguish between thought and reality. And our body system can´t help it – it reacts while being conscious at the same time, that there is no real lemon. The same applies, when we´re watching a horror movie or read a crime novel – our pulse goes up – even if we only read written words.
Negative thoughts | Effects
That means also: Thinking about failing for example, our system will create the inner milieu that makes us feel, like we already have failed. If we consider ourselves not to be skilled, good enough or insecure (self-labeling), the physical reaction will make us feel exactly that way. Acting accordingly will eventually produce an appropriate result. That´s what a self-fulfilling prophecy truly is. A mental forecast causes feelings, which then lead to action and results, approving the forecast.
That´s how a thought turns into a perceived (and then actual) reality. Sadly this is also how “security” is perceived. Because if the forecast seems to be approved, we experience ourselves as in control – we´ve been predicting this. And: We were right.
That´s why it is also hard to change such patterns. They´re stabilizing the self-image and generate the illusion of security and predictability. All that happens while one´s not conscious about the fact, that the predict confirms itself by believing it.
Pay attention on how you feel physically while thinking negative thoughts about your own person. You may feel a heaviness, tightness, or a change in posture. Cross-check: How does it feel when you think of your positive qualities, a successful project, or your skills? Or about a beautiful day at the seaside, about how you met a dear person.
You’ll find out, that your body immediately responds to this as well.
Even if this is nothing new and posts about positive thinking flood social media and the internet. Look underneath the surface of those quotes and realize: What you think, is incredibly powerful!
Reflection | How do I think about myself?
What you believe to be true is what becomes true (for you). How do you think about your abilities, talents, desires and needs? How about your path of life, your failures, successes, heartbreaks, heart moments and setbacks? What kind of story are you telling yourself? And – is it really true?
Maybe you´re familiar with phrases like: “How will I ever do this?” or “This can’t work” or “I’ll fail!”
Honestly speaking – I know that as well! The problem is: If we automatically adopt such thoughts as beliefs, we program ourselves to constantly experience helplessness, negativity and failure. Our system is flooded by it and will for sure affect our perception of the past, present and – future. The matrix gets solidificated, which means: Another outcome is almost impossible (see self-image, security and stabilization)!
We all have these moments, regarding ourselves negatively. This is normal unless it´s not an everlasting belief.
I want to encourage you to slip into a new perspective. Check your way of (unconsciously) thinking about yourself, life and other people. Check again, if there´s a pattern lying underneath and if it automatically repeats.
Do you think negative in a consistent was?
Do you always assume the worst – without realizing it?
If so – make a decision today: Start being fair to yourself by consider success at least as possible as failure.
Automatic one-sided thinking in negative ways isn´t the truth at all. It´s a dysfunctional pattern very well associated with depression and other mental disorders. Just start to become conscious about that! You´re not doomed to feel like you have failed without anything happened yet. In such a way, your confidence and self-esteem shrink more and more. You´ll have salivation without a lemon.
It´s your decision to observe and change a one-sided pattern. Decide to take in respect, that your way of thinking can be changed. Detox your mind!
Psychoneuroimmunology | Thoughts & Feelings
Negative thoughts have been proven to be able to negatively affect our immune system. Research from the field of psychoneuroimmunology shows that negative thinking releases hormones that weaken our immune system. Impressive, isn’t it? They are only thoughts! That also works with posture and facial expressions: The Facial Feedback Hypothesis states, that body posture and facial expressions tell the brain how we are feeling. The brain follows by generating an appropriate mood. Amazing, isn’t it?
Thoughts determine reality | Detox your mind
We have an incredible influence on how we are doing! We cannot always decide what and how we think. But – we can decide what we want to believe. Observing if we may be thinking automatically and then using our mind consciously is possible. Consciously choosing to use the mind as a tool, we can guide our thinking into other areas, possibilities.
By doing so, we shape, how we feel. Our assumptions, beliefs and evaluations are so incredibly powerful! We are not the victims of our thoughts, but can evolve into creators, who are consciously regulating our state of mind. Learning to observe thoughts, beliefs and judgements is key here. And – to question them. Us humans can think about how we think about things. That´s an amazing thing!
Meditation can help us here: It allows us to see thoughts as occuring internal phenomena and gradually detach from them.
We can choose, which thoughts we want to nourish. First mentally, but also by selecting information wisely: Movies, social media, books, newspapers and yes – also the people we surround us with. What issue, topic or even drama do we want to enter or know more about?
I invite you:
Detox your mind!
Love,
Kristina
