Your Thoughts Affect Your Health
“Think of things that are good, lovely and pure. Whatever is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
The Bible is persistently reminding us to focus on the love and forgiveness of God, and to hold daily gratitude for his love for us and others in our mind.
It is incredible to believe that we can affect our future with each thought, each decision we make. We can actually change the proteins making up our DNA through what we think and believe.
If you are someone who has a family history of anxiety, and continually define yourself as an anxious person but don’t try to work on controlling your thoughts, you will continue to bear the fruit of anxiety in your life and the lives of your descendants. What an incredible opportunity to begin to think differently and truly affect the rest of our lives and the lives of others!
Each day we have a choice of what we expose ourselves to with our eyes and ears. They are literally windows to our body and soul. If we are not actively engaged in being the decider of what we expose ourselves to, we will be at the mercy of whatever is on TV or who we hang around. We can hear things that bring us down or lead us to accept unhealthy behavior patterns. Without a filter or a challenging thought, this exposure takes root in our mind and heart. As Dr. Caroline Leaf wrote in Switch On Your Brain Every Day,
“Whatever you think about the most grows.”
For those of us who struggle with food, it is so important to know how helpful it can be to protect ourselves from being around types of foods and places that may have previously been indulgent. For example, have you ever seen a cheeseburger in a commercial, then you later began to crave it? Your body is literally having a physiological response to the picture on the screen!
The hormone oxytocin is one of the most powerful connecting hormones in the human body. It is released when a mother breastfeeds an infant, creating the strongest sense of connection and safety. This same hormone is released when someone thinks about eating a sugary food when they have done so in the past. The body and brain become conditioned to respond with a strong, positive response. It becomes addictive in nature, making it very hard to disconnect.
If any of this sounds like you and you want to begin the steps toward change, let’s start by going to God in prayer.
Dear Lord, thank you for free will and that we can choose in this life. Thank you for choosing me, loving me and forgiving me. What an amazing brain you created. I pray that I will be a good steward of all the ability you have given my mind. I ask and pray for the self-control to bring awareness to what I’m thinking, and if it is not pleasing to you, I pray that you will help me change and replace those thoughts. Thank you in advance. In Jesus’ name, amen.