OVERCOMING THE FEAR OF GETTING SICK

Looking back into my early childhood years, I remember one thing very vividly: 

I would get sick A LOT! 

I wasn’t a sickly child, but it just seemed that if there was a bug going around the school or someone in my family was sick, I would for sure be the next victim. I especially dreaded catching a cold. Or even worse, a cold accompanied with a COUGH! And it would all start with a little tickle in my throat, which became  a scratchy throat, which would then snowball to a mucousy stuffed head causing this annoying  drip in the back of my throat, which caused this horrible nagging cough and one restless, torturous night after another! Ugh!! It was pure hell!!  

Grandma babysitting me cause I'm sick...again!! (Age 6)

This fear of “getting sick”  followed me into adulthood and manifested in the spring of 1996 when I came down with flu-like symptoms after a tick bite and was later diagnosed with Lyme disease. My worst nightmare was unfolding before me. I had become chronically sick. Slowly over many years, my healing journey led me to holistic and alternative therapies and thankfully, I am now healthy and well. Part of my healing process was learning how powerful our minds are.  Our thoughts have a huge impact on our physical selves. (Read I Think I’m Getting the Fear  about my fear of getting Lyme disease before I actually got sick!)  

I have also learned that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, begins with a thought.

The fear of getting sick...is a thought! The fear of even catching a cold...is a thought!  Don’t believe me? Well, then think about this for a moment. What is the first thought in your head if someone,  who is obviously sick, sneezes or coughs in your direction? Or if you’re introduced to someone who just blew their nose on a very used tissue and goes to shake your hand?  Do you want to embrace this person and get closer to them? Or do you back  away because your thoughts are telling you “I don’t want to get sick”?  

The phrase”catching a cold” or “catching your death of cold” or even “you’ll get sick if you ( fill in the blank)” is a learned  negative thought pattern that has been in our Western society for generations. As a young child, I remember my mom telling me “Wear a hat or you’ll catch cold” or button up or you’ll get sick!” or “it’s too cold to go out, you’ll get sick! “  My mom learned this from her mom and her mom learned this from her mom and  so on and so on. And, like most kids, I believed in the powerful  words of my mom which seemed to come true! 

This negative thought pattern stayed with me until I became aware of my thoughts and I realized I had a “fear of getting sick and catching a cold.”  As soon as the seasons changed,  I believed that I was going to get sick. And I would! But what I didn’t realize was that I was seeing myself as a victim. A victim of my own beliefs!  When I began to dissolve the fear of seeing  myself as a victim to a  “cold”, I became stronger and healthier! (Read Are You a Victim of your Thoughts  about being aware of your thoughts and releasing negative thought patterns.)

Changing negative thought patterns to healthier empowering thoughts is not easy but it can be done little by little, one day at a time. One first step is to ignore the messages that are in the media that suggest that  you will get a cold during cold season! Commercials for cold and flu medications would have you believe that when weather gets colder (that’s cold or flu season ), there is no escape - you will be the victim of a cold or the flu. Well, if you think about it enough and the fear of getting sick is subconsciously looping around in your mind, chances are you WILL get sick!

The concepts of “cold season” and “flu season” are negative messages that you can choose to ignore. You can choose not to get a cold! You can choose to reject the idea that there is a season dedicated to sickness. Does the weather affect your health? Only if you believe it! (Are people living in cold climates always sick? Is there a cold season during the  rainy season in tropical regions?) 

I am an independent piano teacher and make a living teaching children so it is not uncommon for many of my students to come to their lesson  with runny noses, coughing and sneezing in my face, blowing their nose on used tissues, and playing the piano with sticky fingers, etc. When I was still dealing with chronic Lyme symptoms, I would be terrified that one of my students would infect me and make me even sicker.  I used to call my students walking Petri dishes! (I kid, I kid!!)  But since I’ve changed my perspective, I’ve changed my tune. Now when a student walks in with an obvious cold, I smile and say that I don’t get colds anymore! And the mom always asks,  “What do you do so you don’t get sick?

And this is what I tell them:

I  believe that getting sick, like catching a cold, starts with the fear of getting sick. Since I’m working on overcoming this fear, I need a few healing aids to help me stay in a healthy frame of mind and body:

The first thing I do is wash my hands!! They say that washing for about 20 seconds kills germs so I hum  the song “Happy Birthday” when I wash my hands and that seems to do the trick!

If I get a tickle in my throat, I gargle with ¼ cup apple cider vinegar ( I use raw, organic and unfiltered vinegar)  and ¼ cup warm water a few times throughout the day. I also find spraying my throat every 3 hours with Zicam really works great too.

If I get a scratchy throat and start sneezing, I add Yin Chiao Classic  by Planetary Herbals, to the Zicam and/or apple cider vinegar routine. This herbal supplement was recommended to me by my acupuncturist, Lauren Daniels of TLC Acupuncture and is a wonderful boost to the immune system.

And last, but far from least,  Lime Medicine Tea is my best remedy for overcoming not only the fear of getting sick, but the viruses as well. I usually  make a few batches and by the time I finish the second batch, I feel great!  Lime Medicine Tea is a recipe from the Amazon. ( Read Lime Medicine Tea for the amazing story and recipe.)  Lime tea  is a natural blood cleanser, detoxifier  and has an alkaline effect on the body.  In other words,  it brings you into a healing state.

These healing aids help me to feel  strong, protected  and empowered.  And the fear of being sick  is slowly becoming a memory.  A past experience.  And who knows, maybe, one day, just the thought of good health and balance... will be all I need to stay in a state of wellness.

It’s just a thought...

WHAT IS A NEGATIVE THOUGHT PATTERN?

“Being healthy is a natural state, and the means for achieving it are within the grasp of each one of us”

                             ~ from the book, Your Erroneous Zones, by Dr. Wayne Dyer

Right at this very moment, you might be swimming in a self-destructive pool of negative thought patterns – and NOT EVEN KNOW IT! Dr. Wayne Dyer, my personal guru, (only kidding!) extensively examines these self-defeating behaviors in his bestselling self-help book, Your Erroneous Zones. 

Here's a funny side note about this book......I had labeled myself of being “out of it” for years. Well, here is a classic example of how this erroneous self- labeling came true.

Back in the late 70's, I remember seeing Dr. Dyer on talk shows when Your Erroneous Zones first came out but I didn't pay much attention to what he and the book were all about.  I was indeed “out of it!” For years, I thought that the title of this book was “Your Erogenous Zones” and Dr. Dyer was some kind of New Age sex therapist!

Thankfully, labeling myself as being “out of it” is in my past and I am now aware of all the “I'ms” that are useless and self-defeating. (See You Can Change Your Thoughts for more on how negative thoughts can affect you). When you label yourself with a negative description, you are putting energy into this thought process. Your thoughts will manifest and become reality.

“All labels come from an individual's history...You could be negating yourself by identifying with your trademarks, rather than your own potential for growth.” - Wayne Dyer

So how are you labeling yourself?

“Here is a typical list of “I'ms” that may be included in your self-portrait.”

• I'm Sick.                                   I'm Fat.                                    I'm Lazy
• I'm Afraid                                 I'm Nervous                             I'm Stubborn
• I'm Forgetful                            I'm Anxious                             I'm Tired Easily
• I'm a Loner                              I'm Hostile                               I'm Accident Prone
• I'm Shy                                     I'm Careless                           I'm Not Musical
• I'm Bored                                 I'm Short Fused                     I'm Not Athletic
• I'm Apathetic                           I'm Vindictive                          I'm Irresponsible
• I'm Unorganized                      I'm Immature                           I'm Sloppy

~from the book, Your Erroneous Zones by Wayne Dyer

And I would like to add a few more to the above list:

• I'm Ugly                                        I'm Too Short                              I'm No Good
• I'm Unlovable                               I'm a Loser                                 I'm Unhappy
• I'm a Nervous Wreck                    I'm Pathetic                                I'm Too Old
• I'm Out Of It                                  I'm a Mess                                 I'm a Nitwit

                                                                           

And my personal mantra for years:

I'm Not Good Enough!

Are any of these “self-portraits” in your daily thought process?

We have learned to accept these labels as normal and acceptable – but are they really? When you label yourself as sick, tired, old, afraid, ugly, fat, or lazy, etc., you are, in fact, creating more of what you don't want.

Your present thoughts create your future experiences. This is how powerful your mind is. And you have the power to change your past self into a newer, better you! But, first you need to be aware of your thoughts. Be aware of those unhealthy “I'ms” and replace them with what you do want! This is what I did and it works!

Replace I am sick with I AM HEALTHY! Replace I am tired with I AM ENERGETIC! Replace I am unlovable with I AM LOVING and LOVABLE!  Changing negative labels is not easy. It takes a lot of work and patience. It is a daily process. But it can be done. If I can do it, anyone can!

Start creating your future self-portrait with thoughts of abundance, love, good health, compassion, forgiveness, thankfulness and joy. You can change your thoughts! So why wait? 

Start today. Start right now!

Remove those self-destructive "I'ms"  from your life and replace them with messages of self-approval. You have the power to help yourself create a future of good health and well being. 

You have the power to change your life. You have that power! The choice is yours! That's right! It's all about choices. Choose healing thoughts today for a healthier and happier tomorrow.

You are so worth it!

And in the next Healer Dealer Diary – The Damaging Game of Playing the Victim.

THE ROOT OF NEGATIVE THOUGHT PATTERNS

I have recovered from chronic Lyme disease, (Multi-Systemic InfectiousDisease Syndrome) through holistic and energetic therapies. Some of these therapies addressed not only physical symptoms, but cleared unresolved emotional issues that were affecting my health. For the first time in my life, I became consciously aware of my thoughts and realized that I was burdened with daily negative thought patterns that plagued me since I was very young.

So when did my thoughts start becoming my own worst enemy? As I look back, even though I had a relatively happy childhood, I began to develop mood swings, including episodes of anxiety), as early as the age of 6. My cranky moods were unpredictable but many times came out during festive occasions like family outings, birthday parties, shopping trips, etc.

Here is a picture of me, pouting, while at the zoo with my childhood friends.

Moody me!

My mother had taken me and my girlfriends to the local zoo to celebrate my 7th birthday. For some reason, I wasn't happy. And I certainly wasn't going to fake a smile for the picture. I remember being downright miserable. But for what reason – who knows? After all, I was only 7. So why do I look so...ungrateful? Why am I acting... like a spoiled brat!

Yes, unfortunately, I acted like a spoiled brat on many occasions! I was an only child for the first 8 years of my life. As an only child, I was around adults more than children. I received lots of adult attention which is not necessarily a good thing. Not all of this attention was loving and nurturing.

Being sensitive and intuitive, I would sometimes be overwhelmed with negative emotions that were confusing and disturbing. I remember being overcome with fear, insecurity, guilt and feeling isolated many times. These emotional tidal waves seemed to come out of nowhere. And I had absolutely no control over them. And being a young child, I couldn't verbalize these thoughts to my parents. I would act on them. The negative thoughts that I was feeling became negative behavior. My negative behavior, like acting like a spoiled brat, was the direct result of these negative emotions and ultimately feeling bad about myself.

Already, as a young child, I was beginning to feel the twisted thoughts of self-criticism, unworthiness and guilt. I had terrible guilt for thinking that I was the cause for these troubled thoughts swirling around in my head. After all, these bad thoughts belonged to me so I must be a bad kid. Right?

According to motivational author, Louise L. Hay, “when we are little, we learn how to feel about ourselves and about life by the reactions of the adults around us.” - from the book, You Can Heal Your Life.”

As a child, I had absorbed both positive and negative thought patterns from my parents. Even though my parents were loving and devoted parents, they were not aware of their thoughts. They were not aware of the negative influence and impact that these thought patterns would have on their children. They in turn, absorbed both positive and negative thought patterns from their parents. And so on and so on.

Positive thought patterns of love, thankfulness, forgiveness and compassion are healing and uplifting emotions. But negative thought patterns are a whole different story. These damaging patterns can be passed down (unintentionally) and absorbed from one generation to another and may be the cause of much strife in our society.

Research has proven how powerful your mind is but the concept of inherited thought patterns is still in its infancy. More research is needed for this concept to be accepted in mainstream philosophy. But until then, it is up to each of us to be responsible for our thoughts, words and actions and to be a positive force for ourselves, our children and our society.

The key is to be aware of your thoughts.

By identifying negative thought patterns, dissolving them and replacing them with positive loving thoughts, we can live happier, healthier and more productive lives.

To be cont.

Stay tuned for "So What's a Negative Thought Pattern? on the next Healer Dealer Diary!