Hello,
Today let’s take a closer look at the words we actually speak. Dr. Carolyn Leaf, author of Who Switched Off My Brain? says in her book, “the words you speak are electromagnetic life forces that come from a thought inside your brain and are influenced by your five senses” She goes on to reference negative talk in particular: “When you make negative statements, you release negative chemicals. These lead to negative memories that grow stronger and become negative strongholds that control your attitude and life.”
As part of this 21-day detox, significant attention needs to be placed on replacing anything that actually releases negative, toxic chemicals into our brain and body. To do this we first have to become aware and acknowledge that these damaging statements exist. Here are three exercises to help in this effort.
1) Speak, Ask, Listen (SAL) Exercise:
- Today for just 5 minutes, at three different times, listen carefully to the words you speak.
- Where possible, record those words for later review.
- Be aware of what happens to your emotions and thoughts, before and after those words are spoken.
- Consider how committed you are to the words you speak…do you speak without thinking first, do your words reflect strongly held beliefs or are they coming from a passing emotion? Do you speak mostly positive or negative words? [Refer to your answers to questions 6 and 7 on the 21-Day Detox self-evaluation] Do your words reflect your actual thoughts or do you speak in opposites with the hope that what you mean is understood by those who love you?
- Examine all of this during this 5 minute period, take some notes and pick it up again in a second and third round of the SAL exercise.
I’d like you to consider this exercise from two different perspectives. First, are your positive words backed up by how you truly think? And then, how much and how often is your thinking negative and toxic?
Reviewing the words you speak and assessing how helpful (or not) they are, will give you the insights you need to begin the process of replacing them with positive statements that reflect your true beliefs and desires.
Here’s the thing…your positive words HAVE to be in alignment – psychologists call this congruence – with your thoughts/emotions and memories or else it’s just positive chatter, lasting for as long as the emotional whim of ‘positivity’ lasts. Positive talking, affirmations and so forth are useless if they’re not matched by the corresponding inner dialogue and actions. Integrity is key.
During our 21-day detox and beyond, we want to cultivate positive speaking that is congruent and powerful: Words that are connected to positive thinking and will create new positive lasting memories. This can only happen with honesty and integrity in the thoughts behind the words.
Treat this exercise as a priority as it will help you to root out what doesn’t work and stop the dumping of ineffective positive chatter on top of unresolved negativity.
2) ‘Build a Perfect Affirmation’ Exercise:
- Create 3 positive statements/affirmations you can passionately commit to and say for 30 seconds 10-20 times per day.
- Say them, try them on and see how they fit.
Do you believe them? Is there a thought behind the words that goes “Oh yeah, I don’t think so?” If so, are you committed to replacing that thought? Will you need help with doing that? Your accountability partner can be very helpful with this.
If you have such a limiting thought, is there any factual basis for it or is it simply fear based? If there is a factual basis, can you address it and change the facts?
Go through this process of finding 3 statements you can fully stand behind and say with passion and full commitment. Say these statements as often as you think of them – out loud and with total conviction and passion. At minimum, say them for 30 seconds, 10 times per day. When you say them, have vivid and powerful images in your mind – of you living those words fully and passionately.
A phrase I use is this – “I bring love, light and life to ALL I do!” This ALWAYS works for me.
Do not underestimate the power of this exercise. Simple does not mean easy or insignificant. Discovering the negative words or incongruent things we say cannot end with simple awareness. We have to implement a plan to replace those words with what we want to think and say. The body and brain will continue on automatic if we don’t take charge of it. So do this with earnest commitment and trust that you CAN have a consistently powerful self-image by controlling your thoughts and words.
3) Relaxation Exercise
- Make time to RELAX…for 2 minutes, three times today …relax.
Our body is not constructed for stress. We can handle it when it’s short lived and serves a purpose. But when it is ongoing we suffer all sorts of diseases and mal-functions. (It is said that our thought life [Dr. Leaf and others] is responsible for a whopping 87% of our diseases and illnesses.)
We fill our days with endless activity and appointments and to-do lists. This perpetual motion, referred to as “busy-rush syndrome” creates toxic emotions that causes disruptions to the automatic nervous system that lead to erratic heart rhythms says researchers at the Institute of HeartMath (an organization that researches the effects of positive emotions on physiology, quality of life and performance.)
We need to relax more – truly relax, without guilt. It’s not just a good idea for keeping stress to a minimum, relaxing is good because it’s in our most relaxed states that the greatest ideas and creative solutions appear. If we want a lasting, positive and powerful self-image to emerge from our 21-day detox challenge, we must learn to relax and allow the process to work.
We need to relax not just as part of this exercise for 2 minutes, 3 times per day, we need to practice relaxation as a way of life. But we will start where we are. To be successful with this 21-day detox, relaxing is essential.
If relaxing is not easy for you there are many exercises and meditations that can help.
You can simply begin with deep breathing…using your diaphragm, breathing in deeply and slowly, holding it for 5 seconds and releasing the air through your mouth slowly for about 5-7 seconds. Take several breaths until you are feeling calmness over your body.
Other relaxing things to do: meditation, yoga, aerobic exercise and stretching, prayer, being with and in nature, soothing music, a totally enjoyable hobby, sleeping well and enough, visualizing or remembering blissful vacations, massage, pedicures, facials and of course muscle relaxation.
Relaxing your muscles as you lay on a comfortable surface and after several deep breaths is a premium relaxant. You can go from top to bottom or vice , toes to head or head to toe, concentrating on one set of muscles at a time first contracting them then completely releasing them; again and again until you feel the difference. You can imagine your limbs as on strings, dangling freely and completely relaxed.
These are 3 essential exercises – do them with full commitment and even enjoyment and you will see and feel the benefits immediately. Listen and assess your words, create some powerful affirmations and relax.
Wishing you a truly magnificent day!
♥~
This message is part of the 21-Day Detox Challenge – Spirit, Mind & Body: Day 1. The program includes preparation exercises and specific planning and all previous messages can be found here. Video introduction is here.
This series began on December 8, 2010. By following the directions, you can begin this detox challenge in its entirety whenever you would like…
All program downloads can be found here (chart of challenges, self-evaluation, agreement form and handy checklist of all preparation exercises)