The Importance of a Healthy Mind and Body

Why is it important to learn how to have a healthy mind and healthy body?

Do you experience your mind running you?

Do you experience certain emotions that drive you to do behaviours even though you know logically and rationally they are bad for you?

Do you lack self belief and so, even though you really want to be healthy, slim, energised you just cant find the drive to make that happen…..yet you seem to have the drive to do the total opposite?

Have you tried diets, slimming clubs, diet pills and nothing seems to work?

Do you find your emotional state hugely impacting you and not in a good way?

Do you want to stop smoking and / or drinking alcohol, you say  “next Monday I am going to start” but next Monday never arrives?

Do you have perceptions of your body that are negative and no matter what you do, this just doesn’t seem to change? Would you love to eat the right foods for you and find it so confusing that one day the media says one food is good, yet the next day that food is then bad for you?

If you have answered yes to one or more of these questions, then please do keep reading, to find out more to explain this

What is a healthy mind and healthy body?

For many many years and within many different teachings, people have explored the power of the mind and the “mind-body connection” meaning that a change in the mind impacts the body and also a change in the body impacts the mind yet the majority of people are experiencing this connection in ways that are causing them problems, for examples “I over eat when I am stressed” “I smoke to calm myself down".

From the studies of models such as NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and Hypnosis we would look at the mind and body being intrinsically linked and so a change in the mind impacts the body and vice versa. A healthy mind, will mean different things to different people, it can be being energised, have positive beliefs such as “I am in control”, “I am confident”, “I am successful”, it can also be having positive thoughts and inner dialogue that keeps us focused on our goals….and did you know you can have all of this and much more.

Also making changes in our body impacts our mind, which is why when someone has had a stressful day and they do some form of exercise, they are changing what they are doing with their body, which then changes how they feel. 

The “fuel” we also give our body is very important, many people are not fully hydrated and are eating foods with high levels of stimulants in, which are causing their system to not be balanced and then having energy highs and lows, which then inturn effects their mood and productivity.

Everything we “do” is driven by our Unconscious Mind and this is also the mind that houses all of our emotions, beliefs and habits so when we want to create a healthy mind, then this is the mind we work with. Techniques like NLP, Time Line Therapy (R), Hypnosis and NLP Coaching, work with our mind with the mechanics of how our mind naturally works, to create deep and long term changes. Teaching you how you can re programme and re set your own mind, to create a healthy mind set, to then do the behaviours that enable you to have a healthy body and vice versa.

When we create these deep and long term changes inside this gives us our healthy mind set which in turn supports the behaviours we do to enable us to have a healthy body

How can we start to create a healthy mind and healthy body?

First Stage

To achieve any goal, the first step is to acknowledge where are you now to know what you need to do to get you to where you want to be. Reading through these simple questions will equip you with finding your “starting blocks” and then how to push off towards your end goal.

 Being totally honest with myself, where am I now?

 What am I doing that I know I shouldn’t?

 What is causing me to do the things I know I shouldn’t, is this my mood, emotions, thoughts, other people, situations, circumstances?

 What does my “inner voice” say to me and is this a positive or negative voice?

 Do I know what I need to do to get to my target goals?

 Am I willing to give myself permission to achieve my goals?

Second Stage

Of course, everyone will have different answers to these questions as we are all in different places, unique to us AND once you have these answers you can then go onto the next stage.

 Start to keep a diary of the thoughts, feelings, behaviours that are no longer supporting you.

 Start to keep a diary of the triggers you are aware of, e.g. every time I smoke I do x, y, z.

 Start to explore your mood, inner dialogue and find times when this is both positive and negative.

 Start to explore your eating and drinking patterns. Do you drink enough water every day? Do you eat a good range of foods filled with vitamins and minerals? Do you eat a lot of high carbohydrate foods? Do you eat enough protein? Are you having lots of stimulants each day like caffeine and sugar?

 Find people around you, who can support you in a positive way, make yourself accountable by sharing your goals with them and so you can check in with them as you go along.

 Explore ways that give you a treat and reward that is different to the current ways you do, maybe watching a movie, reading a book, going for a walk, buying a new book.

 Always Remember to be kind to yourself

It is important to focus on where you want to be and to realise you are taking a strong and brave step in making this happen.