Who's in the driver's seat of your life? Today's article marks the completion (for now) of our series on clues that everyday life might be undermining your health. If you've been counting, I originally announced 7 signs and today's article is the 6th. Let's just keep the last one a secret for now and focus on today, ok?
So who's in the driver's seat of your life, anyway? If you are a normal, healthy adult and your answer to this question is anyone other than you, then listen up. Chances are you think of yourself as being more at the effect of others than at the wheel yourself. Another way to put this is that...
... you tend to think of yourself as a victim. And that's not typically the way a healthy, empowered, self-actualized person thinks!
Now before anyone gets too excited, let's consider a few things. First of all, it's unlikely that any one person reading this article feels like a victim all the time, in every area of their life. Some may find that their victim button gets pushed in relationships, others in finances, others in health, and so on.
"But I am a victim," you might say. "I have this awful health problem, I'm broke, and my significant other just ran off with a woman young enough to be his daughter."
Ok, fine. So maybe your life isn't perfect at the moment. But that fact does not make you a victim. Perceiving yourself as a victim is a matter of attitude, not circumstance.
What makes you a victim is this:
- Your belief that you are powerless to pull things together and move forward.
- Powerless to get out of the rut.
- Unable to see that some aspect of what's going on, unpleasant though it may be in the short term, could be for your long-term benefit.
- Unable to see that -- even on a subtle level -- you might have actually played a part in engineering this chaos just for the learning opportunity.
So how do you shut off the victim channel in your mind? Here are a few little tricks:
- Increase your tolerance for living with uncertainty. You really don't know how it's all going to work out in the long run, and this little blip on the radar may actually be a good thing. Ride the wave.
- Build something worthwhile in another area of your life to boost your confidence.
- Stop beating around the bush and figure out what you need to learn in order to make the situation better.
- Identify and acknowledge any contributions you've made to creating the conditions you don't like.
- Listen to inspiring music or read inspirational literature. Go to church, if that's something you do.
- Turn your worries over to a higher power.
- Strengthen your faith that that higher power ultimately has your best interests in mind. Find peace in your faith.
- Hold your head up high and meet the new day with gratitude and appreciation.
You'll feel better! Honest!
Too busy to deal with all the fuss? Maybe time isn't the problem. Maybe it's just a matter of managing your energy. Take the Less Stress; More Time mini-course at WordCures.com.
Elizabeth Eckert can help you explore how simple everyday choices create health — or undermine even the best of intentions. With a background that ranges from energy medicine to structural bodywork to developmental psychology, this "Stick-To-It Coach" has the experience to support you in creating the healthiest possible expression of — you!
Take our free Less Stress; More Time mini-course!
Comments (1)
I confess that I have been playing the victim in my mind for a long time in my marital relationship. I have been waiting for her to change before I could be happy in the relationship. I got impatient and angry then depressed over the situation. After I talked with Elizabeth privately I began to see things from a different perspective. Her insightfull advice really helped me change my attitude. I realize now that I my thoughts and behavior have made the situation worse. I must take the action steps she has written in this article and change my heart and mind immediately. Thank you, Elizabeth, for once again guiding me in the right direction.
Posted by George Lowther | November 28, 2007 1:02 AM
Posted on November 28, 2007 01:02