Take control of your mind, body & soul

It’s time to connect your mind, body, and soul and create your life experience!

When we tell ourselves we can do something, we are telling all three pillars of our consciousness—mind, body and soul—to get involved. As Walt Disney once famously said, “If you dream it you can do it.” This may sound cliche, but how many of us have heard successful people say they continued to believe in themselves no matter what adversity they encountered? They are telling us what science has discovered; your thoughts, actions, and perceptions shape the direction of your life.

Have you ever said “I felt it in my gut” or “I knew it in the back of my mind?” Those are examples of the ways in which we express the subconscious connection of our mind, body, and soul. But how do you become more aware?

Get sleep

We live in a society that encourages people to perform and be productive. Our days spent working far exceed those we spend relaxing. In many cases, we reward people who skip out on sleep and use phrases like “I’ll have time to sleep when I die.” This is dangerous to your longevity and deprives your body of the time it needs to rejuvenate.

Humans need six to eight hours of restful sleep each night. While you sleep your stress system is turned down, your immune system gets stronger, your brain gets cleaner, and your body releases hormones that regulate your metabolism. If you don’t get adequate sleep, your body is kept aroused by adrenaline, a stress hormone. Stress hormones can wreak havoc on your body, accelerating the aging process and negatively affecting your brain’s ability to function. After time, it can weaken your immune system, contribute to weight gain, and lead to depression.

Be grateful

In our culture we are often reminded of the things we don’t have or the things we think we need. Stop thinking about what you don’t have and think about what you do have. Your thoughts matter. Every time we have a thought we set off a domino effect of cellular reactions in our nervous system that influence all the molecules in our body.

Our cells are constantly observing our thoughts and are being changed by them. We have amazing potential to heal and transform ourselves through our thoughts, perceptions, and choices. Complaining drains you of energy and weakens your ability to strengthen the mind-body-soul connection. Instead of ending a thought with a complaint, find one thing to be grateful for. If traffic was terrible on the way to work, the good news is that you have a job.

Seek positive

Our body is a web of energy and every negative interaction is comparable to adding a drop of poison in the matrix. Have you ever noticed when you are abnormally stressed you get a cold? Dis-ease in the body makes you susceptible to illness. Because your mind, body and soul are connected, you can influence your health and wellbeing. When you reduce or eliminate mental and emotional garbage, your body will begin to use that energy to balance its system and return to a state of homeostasis.

Choose your social network wisely. Positive relationships have numerous physical and mental health benefits. They can keep you from feeling lonely, isolated or inadequate, and if you feel good about yourself, you deal with stress better. Our relationships should foster love, support and encouragement. If they do not, they are adding to your negativity, your bad thoughts, and your stress. In the United States, chronic stress is linked to the six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide.

Meditate

During meditation your mind registers and filters emotion and nerve impulses in your body. That communication between the body and mind allows you to manipulate your mind to work for you. When the mind is functioning as intended, meaning it is self-aware, focused and quiet, it has two choices: to block out sensation or to listen to it. Meditation gives it a chance to listen.

Your body is a very complex machine that needs refueling. Meditation is one of our most powerful tools for restoring mind-body balance. During meditation you experience a state of restful awareness in which your body rests while your mind is awake. In the silence of awareness, the mind lets go of old patterns of thinking and learns to heal itself. This is why people feel refreshed or relaxed afterwards, because they gave their brain a chance to repair itself from daily stress. Research shows benefits of mediation include a decrease in hypertension, heart disease, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and addictive behaviors.

You are in control of your life. How will you live it?