Healthy RGV Issue 114

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE · MAY 2018
Just as you should reach out to others you've hurt and tell them you're
sorry, you need to extend forgiveness to those who reach out to you.
It's funny because this can be equally if not more challenging sometimes
because we tend to want to hold on to our anger and our bitterness.
Except, guess
who it's hurting?
Yep, you. Refusing to forgive someone is like
drinking poison and expecting the other person
to suffer - it's just not going to happen. Instead,
all it does is fester inside of you where it leads
not only to emotional fatigue but to physical
ailments as well.
This is a BIG one. And the good news is, it
involves no one else but me, myself and I.
Well... actually, you, yourself and... you. The
slightly bad news is that this one requires work.
But, it is SO worth it in the end!
We all have limiting beliefs - things we believe
about ourselves that prevent us from going
after dreams, taking chances or achieving
goals. And 9 times out of 10, these beliefs are
100% false. Unfortunately, what begins as
an occasional doubtful thought becomes an
obsessive, repetitive thought until it becomes
so familiar that it becomes a full-blown belief.
You may start out just doubting that you can be
a public speaker... but the more you tell yourself
that you can't, the more you believe yourself.
Until eventually, you are absolutely positive that
you can not and should not be a public speaker,
and the thought of it absolutely terrifies
you. This might not be too big of a
problem... until you get that
dream job that you've
always wanted
and you
find
Don't worry if it takes a little while to undo
them. It did take awhile for those thoughts to
dig themselves into your brain, so it will take
some time for them to get out of there too.
But the more consistently and actively you
"retrain your brain," the easier it will become.
Love Yourself.png
Last, but definitely not least, it's time to start
loving yourself. For who you are now. Not
later, when you've lost the weight... not once
you get your hair cut... not once you buy a new
wardrobe or get a better job... NOW.
If ever there was something that you don't
want to put off until later, it's this. The way you
feel about yourself affects every single part
of your life. It affects how you work, how you
relate to other people in friendships and love
relationships and most importantly, it affects
how you speak to yourself every day.
Longing for a version of yourself that you used
to be is pointless. Time has passed, you have
changed, and that is okay. In fact, it's more
than okay. Because I'm guessing if you really
took a moment to think about it, you'd realize
that you've gained a lot of wisdom and life
experience since back "then." So,
it's time to stop being stuck
in the past.
It's time to stop holding on
to past grudges and extend
forgiveness. Remember,
forgiving someone does
NOT mean that you are okay
with what they did or that it
wasn't wrong. What it does
do, however, is release you
from the imaginary prison
you've had yourself trapped
inside (I'm guessing, for far
too long).
(Note: I would hope that this is obvious, but again,
please do not reach out to someone that is dangerous
in order to forgive them. Although it is indeed
healthier for you to forgive them and move on, you
can do so without actually speaking to them or seeing
them. Again, you can write a letter to them - that you
don't send - or have an imaginary conversation with
them out loud. The point is to get all those pentup
emotions out of you, so you can truly move on.
Without putting yourself in harm's way.)
out
that one
of your tasks
will be to give weekly
presentations to the rest of the
staff. Ugh.
This is only one example of thousands of
possibilities - limiting beliefs can be about
anything from our abilities and talents to our
physical appearance or what others think of us.
But, I'm guessing you probably already have an
idea of what yours are and even if you don't - it
probably won't take you long to figure them
out.
So, once you know what those limiting beliefs
are (dig deep!), you can start letting go of them
by challenging them when they pop into your
head instead of just mindlessly agreeing with
them. Speak truth over yourself, fight them off
with positive affirmations and if you're feeling
really brave, prove those limiting beliefs wrong
by going out and doing what they said you
couldn't do!
But, it's important
not to get too caught up with
who you want to be in the future either.
Although it is good to have goals and things to
work toward, make sure that you're not basing
your worth or your self-value on achieving
those things.
Love yourself for who you are right now - flaws
and all. You are a work in progress. A perfectly
imperfect human being.
Just the way you are.
By Jenn Baxter
33 HEALTHY MAGAZINE