The Power of Positive Thinking

Dear friends,

Are you worried about cold and flu season? Do you get flu shots? Are you afraid of getting sick?

So was I. Until I created an intentional shift in my focus.

I am trying something new: I am befriending my fears.

For two intense years, I feared germs and illness. My fear was borne of trauma that occurred when Paige was four weeks old.

When she was a baby, Paige caught a cold, which turned into pneumonia. She (and our family) spent a week in the hospital fighting it. It freaked me out, because I was afraid she was going to die. This incident sparked a fear of germs for me.

During the next two winters, I was determined to prevent any viruses or other illnesses from reaching our family. We washed hands, used Purell, disinfected shopping carts (and I mean thoroughly), minimized going out, avoided having people over, and required them to wash hands upon arrival if they did come. I started a regimen of Vitamin C, echinacea, multi-vitamins ... the whole nine yards, because I was intent on not getting sick. 

And do you care to guess what happened? 

At least one of us, if not all of us, were sick every single day for more than 100 days. Both winters! It was crazy! 

This past winter, I decided to change my focus. First, I realized no one died from the colds and flu in my family. Second, I experienced we could bounce back, and I always managed to scrape up enough energy to get through mine and my family's illnesses. Just barely, but I did it. And finally, I was just plain too tired and didn't have the energy to fight the flu anymore. I was done. And I let it go. 

The result? 

My recollection is we were not sick once. Not at all. If we were even once, I don't recall, and it wasn't notable. 

Once I stopped putting energy and attention on illness and attempting to prevent it, it simply was no longer a part of our lives. 

Last month, the kids caught a cold on our trip to Texas. I did not freak out or overreact. My husband and I caught it, too, took Cold Calm (a homeopathic remedy available at CVS), and it was over. No big deal.

This is a huge shift for me. Maybe I unconsciously attracted those previous viruses into our lives, just so I could be flooded with them, and know that we could survive no matter what. The illnesses, and most specifically my fear of them, lost their power over me. And I came through it feeling empowered and peaceful. 

Self-help author Louise Hay has written a great deal about body ailments and using our intentions and affirmations to rid our bodies of disease. She is a leader in how to become our healthiest selves. Her books are on Amazon.com.

I invite you to join me in befriending our fears, rather than fearing them and allowing them power over ourselves and our lives. Going with the flow feels so much better. We can let go of what we have no control over in the first place.

Let's be each other's support for freeing our energy for creative pursuits. Let's live and love in the present moment, and invite our fears to at least ride in the passenger seat. We may discover they end up in the back seat, and eventually at the side of the road. I hate to litter, but on the other hand, I think we will find the wind will blow them away, and we will see the fears for what they actually are: smoke and fog, a mere mirage.

Best wishes for a healthful, peaceful season:)

Love,

Carrie