Choices & Decisions

Scientists tell us that much of our self-talk is negative, so learning to be kind and supportive in your mental chatter is a direct step toward a well mind. Practice saying constructive things to yourself, like "I'm a good person, today's going to be a great day, I can do this," simple stuff like that. One of the most powerful tools you can use is saying affirmations, positive statements spoken aloud daily that focus your mind and establish a consistent tone of empowerment.

Visualizing or imagining a desirable future helps to promote wellness by creating feelings of excitement, fun, and positive expectancy. It also sensitizes us to anything we come across in real life that reminds us of our vision, so we start to pick up on distinctions we might otherwise miss. There is even considerable evidence to suggest that visualization influences what happens, but one way or another, using your imagination is a constructive habit that adds to the wellness experience.

Setting goals can be very helpful, to focus the mind on productive activities and enhance self-esteem and personal growth. Success is a frequent by-product of a well mind, since the energy used to deal with mental and emotional issues can be reclaimed and reinvested in more fulfilling outcomes and achievements.

Meditation and prayer are useful wellness habits, too. Getting quiet inside and connecting with your higher self, or more formally giving thanks and appreciation to your Maker for your many blessings, are tried and true for adding to the wellness equation.

Watching your nutrition also contributes to mental and emotional wellness. Sugar and caffeine may make you edgy, but often dehydration causes psychological unrest, so drinking sufficient water is a crucial wellness habit. Vitamins and minerals play a major role in mind function, so a well-balanced nutritional regime, with lots of high water content foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, aids your body chemistry and enhances your psychological condition. Also, avoid foods with high concentrations of hormones, antibiotics, or additives, which may irritate your nerve system and cause symptoms.

Physical activity is essential for a wellness lifestyle, and it has a profound positive impact on your perception of reality. Breathing, stretching, or walking can both stimulate and relax you, and more vigorous activity like aerobics, running or weight training keeps your machinery operating at peak efficiency. Programs like Body For Life by Bill Phillips that incorporate exercise, proper diet and an optimistic outlook are likely to promote wellness between your ears as well as around your midsection.

Alignment is the missing link of wellness psychology - alignment of physical structures like the spine and nerve system work hand in hand with alignment of the thinking, values and beliefs, to formulate the best possible internal environment, leading to optimum function and physiological freedom.