Imagining You
When you think of yourself, what are the first three words or images that come to mind?
Do you think of yourself as strong, athletic, statuesque, or frail, injured, out of shape?
How we imagine or visualize ourselves has very much to do with how our bodies morph and grow. Mental Imagery can be defined as pictures in the mind or visual representation in the absence of environmental input.
For our purposes here, we are using mental imagery to attain our health and wellness goals. However, don’t stop there.
You can also use mental imagery to attain other goals in life.
Let’s start with the most important, our body, which is our vessel to carry us through life
to attain all of our other goals, dreams and desires.
Practice seeing an image of yourself in your most desired state: lean, strong, muscular, healthy, free of disease or pain. This pairs well with focused breathing. How about spending a few minutes a couple times a day practicing diaphragmatic breathing and seeing yourself as you desire?
If you are struggling with weight loss, picture yourself at your desired weight or size.
You’re wearing an outfit you’ve always dreamed of wearing, and look amazing.
You’re performing an activity you’ve always wanted to do or try with success.
If healthy eating is a struggle, picture yourself eating nutritious foods that heal the body.
If exercise and self-care are not your cup of tea, picture yourself performing an exercise with a smile on your face and a feeling of accomplishment.
If you are struggling with pain or disfunction, picture yourself agile and limber.
The aches or pains you’ve been dealing with are no longer present in your body.
You are performing tasks and activities with ease.
You’re back to your sport, competing and winning.
Mental Imagery is a like a muscle. The more you practice, the easier and the more quickly you will see the images. Practice by closing your eyes and breathing deeply. Choose an image of yourself at your most desired state.
The more vivd the picture, the better. Hold on to that image for just a moment.
Go back to this image often throughout the day.