We often share the idea that we're always feeling our moment to moment thinking. That's the way we see it anyway. That our experience in each moment is created by what we're thinking ABOUT what's happening, not by what is actually happening.
We came across a graphic that explains this that we like. It's from Stephanie Harrison who has a website thenewhappy.com. She has an uncanny knack for creating artwork and graphics that illuminate aspects of how life works. They illustrate how our seeing from a new perspective can make our lives happier.
Join us to hear more.
Isn't that so often the way it works? There's what life brings us, or shows up in my life. Then there's what I focus on, like the tone of voice that someone used, or a word they chose to use. And then there's the story I tell myself based on that tone of voice or word that I'm focusing on.
What Stephanie says about this is that our brain's attention is like a flashlight that illuminates only certain parts of our experience. And once they're illuminated, we focus more on them than the other parts of what's happening. From there, we tell ourselves stories about the parts we focus on, which are often far from the more balanced truth of all that's happening. And our experience feels so real in that moment that we take them to be the full truth of the matter.
From the narrow perspective of what's happening, we create a reality (that isn't completely true) and make decisions and actions based on it that deeply impact our lives and our health.
As events repeat themselves, we repeat our interpretation of them, and we create habitual responses to them. This is where the food part comes in. If the story we're telling ourselves doesn't feel good, we look for relief. We look for some way to feel better. And, for some of us, that is food.
Almost all poor food choices and eating disorders come out of our desire to feel better in the moment. They're short-term fixes, but it's the best we see to do. So, when we recognize that we're always feeling our moment to moment thinking, we begin to see that it isn't eating (or shopping or having a drink) that will bring us the lasting sense of well being we're looking for. We begin to see that by exploring what's behind the feelings we want relief from, we can put an end to the habitual cycle of short-term relief and the habits we've developed.
The more we see that life works from the inside-out, that is, we experience what we're thinking, and not the outside-in, that what happens in our lives creates the feelings and experience we have, the less we find ourselves feeling stress and pressure that we need relief from.
Seeing that life works inside-out takes us upstream and we see the fuller picture of what's happening, we get a more balanced view, and from there, our stories lead to more productive and happy outcomes.
Let us know if you have any questions about this or would like a free 30-minute consultation to explore how this understanding may help you find a new happy in your life.
The recipe this week is a Quinoa, Corn & Avocado Salad. It's a delicious, light but satisfying salad, perfect for these last warm days of summer.
To your Amazing Health,
Connie and Bill
Quinoa, Corn and Avocado Salad (Serves 2-4) from Forks Over Knives
- 2 cups cooked Quinoa
- 2 cups fresh or frozen corn, thawed
- 1½ avocados, diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved, or large dice fresh tomatoes
- ½ medium red onion, diced small
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
- Zest of 2 limes and juice of 2 limes
- Salt free seasoning to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
Combine everything in a large bowl and mix well.
Serve and enjoy.