Cognitive Power

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY-
            Food for Thought or Thought for Food

It's been said countless times that you are what you eat, but if you think about it, millions of people eat foods that are bad for them everyday, but they dont't usually feel bad as a result until months or even years later when they get heart disease, cancer, or some other illness.

On the other hand if you start thinking about a personal tragedy like the untimely death of a close family member, or losing a job and not being able to take care of your family, and you keep thinking about it over and over, you can actually start to feel sick in a few minutes (or less). Thinking this way can make some people have chest pain and  others feel dizzy and nauseated, have sweats ,tremors, or sudden fatigue and sleepiness. That's the power of your mind. Your brain is like an incredible chemical factory and some of the chemicals it makes can make you feel ill.

BUT THERE'S GOOD NEWS ! If you practice choosing to focus your attention on thoughts, ideas, and images that represent good results for your life ,you start the release of brain chemicals that circulate all over the body and get rid of all those negative sick feelings. Just remember that if you've been thinking negative thoughts for a long time it's probably going to take a very determined consistent effort to produce the release of enough brain chemicals to make you begin to feel happiness or relaxation, but it's worth the effort.

Your mind is incredibly powerful when you use it to help yourself. That's what I've seen thousands of times even in people who've had severe depressed mood or anxiety. Practicing principles of cognitive therapy harnesses that power. That's the power of good healthy thoughts. They're  like good food for your brain.   

So maybe instead of FOOD for THOUGHT, it really should be THOUGHT for FOOD.
Chew on that for a while.

DALE J. ANDERSON, M.D.