A Healthy Mind Comes First

On our journey to wellness, often the biggest battle we have is to fight is against the thoughts that keep us from becoming our best selves. There are a lot of internal and external voices competing for our attention and, somehow, the loudest ones- the lies that feed our fears and tell us we're unworthy and unable- get the most play.

If we are going to truly pursue wellness- which is a whole effort involving our minds, bodies and spirits- we have to first start with our minds. No amount of eating well, exercising and taking supplements will lead to sustainable results if our motives aren't right and we aren't coming from a place of self love and victory. No lifestyle change is going to endure if it's constantly being pecked at by lies and defeat.

So many of my clients come to me in what they believe is a state of failure. They've lost their battles against food addiction. They've hated themselves to skinny and back to unfit time and time again. They've let everything in their lives take precedence over their own health. They've given the lies way too much power and helped reinforce them by living in defeat and fear.

The truth is, when we surrender and reach out for help in rewriting the messages in our minds, we are never in a state of failure. The first step to VICTORY is always a white flag. "I can't do this alone. I need help. And, with that help, I will succeed."

I have battled with weight and self image and false identity, as so many women have. And, truly, it wasn't until I was willing to surrender it all that things turned around for me. As a person of faith, I surrendered my health to Jesus and I believed that he could help me by flipping the script in my head, showing me how loved and cherished I truly am, and demonstrating how to live in victory. It all had to start with the battle with my head and I learned that I have to surrender regularly- sometimes multiple times a day- to keep my thoughts aligned with God's.

We are so beautiful and beloved in God's eyes. We are perfect. Today. As we are. There is no fear or shame with God. There is only love. He believes we are worthy. He has a rich plan for our lives. He wants us to WANT to be healthy so we can live in the fullness He has planned for us.

When we can embrace who and whose we are, and we let that truth pervade every thought, the wellness of our minds, bodies and spirits is possible. Surrendering is a necessary first step, but it isn't a single event. Surrendering is a constant process. Take the lies captive, dismiss them, and replace them with truth.

Beyond the struggles that so many of us have with weight and food and self image, I have also struggled to fix my mind on beauty and truth during my hardest moments. In our most difficult trials- which, for me, has been holding my son's hand through his battle with cancer and letting it go when he left for Heaven- we sometimes lose our discipline of surrendering our thoughts. The voices that perpetuate lies and fear get even louder. Darkness closes in and we can lose our way. We can lose our motivation to push forward. We can lose our hope.

Fitness of the mind, which is so closely linked to fitness of the spirit, relies on discipline. It requires intentionality. I've found that a few things have helped me to keep my mind fixed on God, especially during the darkest times. Here are the truths that have been revealed to me recently: