Every person alive is interested in the concepts of health and healing. Health determines
the quality of our lives. The word “healing,” the way we usually think of it (but not the
way we use it) indicates a positive change taking place within our mind, body, emotions,
and spirit—or within our family system. But, if we are not careful, the word “healing” can
take on negative implications. I am asking you to raise your level of awareness.
Most of us feel we have to heal our emotional and physical wounds in order to achieve
robust health. We feel that we have to draw upon outside resources in order to accomplish
overall well-being. If we are sick or injured we are interested in our speed of healing,
wanting to heal as quickly as possible. If we are anxious or depressed, we want those
feelings to disappear. When asked how we feel about our illness or injury, we reply almost
unconsciously using negative concepts that are deeply ingrained within our hearts and
minds. Often our replies sound similar to these:
- “I’m healing. I’ve been impatient, but I am gradually getting better.”
- “I never thought I’d still be healing from this illness after all these months. I’m
ready to go back to work, but I’m not quite up to it.”
- “I’ve had better days. I’m tired all the time, and I nap a lot.”
- “Why did I have to get so sick? I’m tired of being in the house all the time and
tired of being a burden to my family.”
Each time we think or speak the word “healing” in this way, we indicate that we are
somehow broken or impaired by events such as surgery, the flu, a car accident, an early life
trauma, a fight with a family member, or the loss of a loved one. Think about the innocent
words you and I might have spoken, completely unaware of their implications. Within
the same sentence we’ve used the word “healing” in association with words like illness,
suffering, and death to create what I refer to as a negative pairing. A negative pairing occurs
when the word “healing” is placed with words related to a weakened state of being, disease,
and suffering. Words like “illness” and “disease” are lower frequency words and perceived
as negative, therefore carrying a negative emotional–physical impact. When we habitually
pair a high-frequency, positive impact word like “healing” with low-frequency negative
impact words, we inhibit our mental–physical–spiritual ability to heal.
Negative phrases such as, “This illness has been exhausting” reinforce the fact that your
illness has lasted a long time and you’ve had to fight your way through it. “I am finally
healing” might be said to mean, “I was so sick I thought I was going to die.” Our carelessly
spoken words actually reinforce our suffering and support our current perception of
suffering. They remind us of our emotional–physical struggle with illness, feeding our
mind and body negative messages about the ability to heal. Each time you innocently
say words similar to those above, you may be slowing your recovery in any current and
all subsequent illnesses by declaring, “I’m a slow healer” and “illness threatens me.” The
more positive we are, the more we pair positive words and concepts together, the healthier we become.
Healing is not about recovery from illness, surgery, or divorce. It is about our virtues, or the
positive aspects of self: acceptance, wellness, joy, kindness, love, tenacity, vigor, tenderness,
and compassion. When we embrace our virtues and incorporate their energy into our
perception of life, we uncover our capacity for wholeness and wellness. Discovering and
embracing our inner light, our potential, is the true spirit of healing. It is the realization
of this empowered healing spirit, this limitless potential that I want to share with you.
Healing is achieved through: Turning on the light of your soul and allowing it to shine. Living from your heart center and within the awareness of your own light. Living within high frequency virtues that support and sustain a positive, robust life. Trusting in the process of life and trusting your own wisdom. Filling your mind with positive thoughts. ~ Janet Nestor
Here are some examples of how you might put your new definition and philosophy of
healing into use. Rather than say “I am finally healing from the flu,” it is much better to say
“My body is strong and getting stronger every day.” Instead of saying “The worst is behind
me now, and I continue to heal from my injury,” it is more positive to say “My body is a
miracle and very good at its job.” By changing the way you express yourself, you begin to
use positive words to define your healing and recovery. You’ll learn to do this as you use
this program to unleash your internal power and your inner peacefulness.
Food for Thought
- When I am sick or injured, I am able to be positive and nurturing with myself.
- Health, Healing, and Wholeness are spiritual concepts.
- I understand that my body is constantly repairing, healing, and balancing even when I am feeling happy and well.
- My mind-body-spirit system is “intelligent” and I can communicate with each system whenever I choose.
- My body believes every word I say and think and tries to follow my directions.
- What personal virtues, or positive attributes, do I want to incorporate more fully into my life?
I am very excited that Janet Nestor has contributed this week’s post for our weekly #SpiritChat. Janet is a published author of two books on wellness and healing. Janet “works with clients concentrating on personal empowerment and positive living via various Energy Psychology techniques, Mindful Lifestyle Training, Soul Detective work, energy healing and cognitive and insight oriented discussions”.
Janet and I invite you to join our discussion of “Nurturing Wellness through Radical Self-Care”. Please join us and the #SpiritChat community on Sunday, March 17th at 9am ET/1pm GMT on twitter. I also welcome you to leave a comment for Janet below in response to her post, or to ask any questions. Thank you. – Kumud
Connect with Janet on her blog: www.mindfulpathways.com
Connect with Janet on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Pathwaystowholeness
Connect with Janet on twitter: www.twitter.com/JanetNestor
Update: Transcripts for the live chat ~ Nurturing Wellness through Radical Self-Care ~ bit.ly/sc-tr-031713 (full) and bit.ly/sc-tr-0317-qa (QnA only) ~ share and enjoy – Thank you!
Questions asked during the chat are listed below. I invite you to answer in the comments ~ note that you can share your answers in the comments in your twitter feed. Or you can click on the link at the end of each question to answer it and engage with the community. Do try it 🙂
Ready? Q1. What image(s) or feeling(s) does “wellness” evoke for you? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313274998133510144
Q2. What area(s) of your Life feel like they need nurturing right now? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313276466701930496
Q3. If we know that self-care is important to wellness, why don’t we practice more of it? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313278475614175232
Q4. What is the connection between affirmations and healing ourselves? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313280317807017984
Q5. Negative thoughts often invade our mind. How do we minimize their impact on our wellness? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313281768675483649
Q6. How can mindfulness create a better self-care practice for us? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313283261038227456
Q7. In what practical ways can we raise our energy levels, nurture wellness? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313284922943082496
Q8. I will nurture wellness, radical self-care by – share three actions… #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313286646927876096
