We talked about LIFESTYLE changes last week as being Part 1 of the optimizing health initiatives, but now we come to something that will unhinge even the best lifestyle habits.Welcome to Part 2:
(Radically) Change Your Personality
And now to answer the big question that most people have for me. What the (bleep) are you talking about Massy?
Did you know?
Only about 1.5% of our genes are utilised. 98.5% are dormant.
We can actually turn off or turn on the expression of the genes in our body. Which means we can influence the expression of our genes – as opposed to being RULED by our genes. We have influence and some control of what genes show up.
The body can produce all of the pharmaceutical drugs of all of the pharmaceutical companies combined, BUT there are no negative side effects, they are free, they come in the right doses, and they go specifically where they are needed.
98% of all the atoms in our body come and go in year. This means our bodies are constantly renewing themselves. We have a ‘new’ body every year. Double spooky.
Our DNA has millions of years of information and intelligence recorded in it, to help us overcome illness or disease.
This makes me believe 2 things:
1. My body has the ability to self heal.
2. I ‘influence’ the expression of my health (and genes) by my Lifestyle (from last week) and by my consciousness (my thinking at a deep level).
This leads to that
A thought – if you bring awareness to it – will produce a feeling, based on the meaning that you give to the thought. Positive meaning = positive feeling. Negative meaning = negative feeling.
A negative feeling, in its base form, can be generalised as STRESS, since the internal physical response is similar.
The biochemical expression of a positive feeling is very different to the biochemical expression of a negative feeling. One is helpful and healing for the body and one impairs the healthy functioning of the body. And I am sure you can work out which is which.
Positive feelings lead to positive internal chemistry (the internal pharmacy making healing chemicals) which leads to health and healing for the body.
So a positive meaning = a positive thought = healing chemicals (plus generating a positive feeling) = health.
The big question is: Is it possible to choose the meaning we give to things?
And I know that you know that I know that you know, the answer to that. Of course!
But it takes consciousness (what this is and means, takes a full chapter in my book so not enough room here for a deeper dive).
What about the ‘personality’ thing?
So what do I mean when I say we need to ‘radically change our personalities‘ to change our health?
Our personalities are the sum of our dominant behaviours. If we behave in a shy way we are considered shy. Behave aggressively, we are an aggressive or angry person. Behave reactively, we are reactive. Etc.
What precedes behaviour? An emotion or feeling. We feel a certain way, so we act or behave a certain way. Our feelings fuel our actions – for better or worse. E.g. The feeling of hunger causes me to get something to eat, not the thought of hunger. Feelings are the fuel for the cells.
What precedes our feelings? Our THOUGHTS, if we are consciously directing them (which is rare, but possible), or our BELIEFS (which are generally unconscious, but can also be changed by consciousness).
So your personality is influenced by your BELIEFS and by your ‘conscious’ THOUGHTS.
Unfortunately we are mostly on autopilot through our day, so our beliefs play a huge roll in our feelings, behaviour, and personality. Plus the health and biochemistry in our bodies. Ouch.
Bringing it all together
The higher the level of consciousness we have, which allows us to respond and choose the MEANING we give to events, the more influence we have over our resultant health.
Let’s look at a scenario:
Someone is an angry and reactive person. Because they focus on the negative, they give negative meaning to events, thus they stress their bodies and send the chemicals of stress through their bodies. Eventually they get sick. Maybe medical intervention treats the symptoms. In the short term the symptoms go away. But they don’t change their personality. They continue to be an angry and reactive person. Thus creating stress (which suppresses the immune system and flushes the body with the chemical cocktail of stress).
What is the likelihood they will get sick again: LOW, MEDIUM or HIGH?
Since their personality didn’t change, they will get the same results in their body, and likely get the same illness back again. If you don’t change the ingredients or quantities, you will get a similar cake time and time again.
Now if they made the right LIFESTYLE changes and worked on changing their PERSONALITY the chances of them getting sick again would be VERY LOW.
This is why Optimist have been shown to have a higher life expectancy than Pessimists. The two personality types are flushing their bodies with 2 different chemical cocktails = 2 different results.
A final word
I have tried to keep this as short as possible. So hopefully I have not done that at the expense of showing you how important it is to work on the mental and emotional aspects of yourself, if you want to optimize your health.
In my experience, you can be making all the right lifestyle choices (exercising, good food, resting), but they will be trumped every time by excessive stress or residing too long with negative emotions.
It is about addressing them all together. Knowing the ‘right’ lifestyle choices, and then understanding the mental or emotional obstacles to optimizing your health.
This is what I have focused on in my latest book (The Guidebook to Optimum Health). If you want to increase your health or if you know anyone that is suffering, give them the gift of knowledge. My desire to share this understanding and specific practices, is 100 times greater than my desire to make money from it. Most people are like mushrooms. Left in the dark and being fed poop (by industry and government). Grrrrrr!!!!
So…what changes can you make to you beliefs and behaviours to bring more equanimity and optimal health into your life?
If you want to understand more clearly about the best do’s and don’ts when it comes to optimizing your health, do yourself or your loved ones a favour and grab a copy of The Guidebook to Optimum Health. Only $20 (inclusive of P&H) in Oz.
Got any questions or comments? You know how to find me. Also feel free to help me to share these Tips with others, by forwarding them to your friends and family, since we could all do with reminders, support and useful tips along the way.