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BIG BAG OF ROCKS Imagine what your day would be like if each morning you strapped a 50-pound bag of rocks to your back and carried it with you wherever you went. Pretty exhausting, eh? Well, that's what many people do when they live their lives focusing on the negatives in life... constantly seeing the glass as half-empty and themselves as incapable of success or victims of their surroundings. Just as a bag of rocks would wear you down and impact your health and wellness, so too does the emotional baggage that many of us drag around each day. The impact on your entire life, especially your health, is huge. In truth, nearly all of us fall into negative ways of thinking and acting at least some of the time. We load ourselves with preconceived ideas and perceptions that have little or no relationship to reality. These become the bag of rocks we carry around with us -- negative and false beliefs that keep us from creating a truly rich and fulfilling personal and professional life. This baggage often takes a heavy toll on our health as well. Studies have established that our thoughts and emotions have a huge impact on our body. One recent study showed that negative thinkers get more colds than more optimistic personalities. But the common cold is just the tip of the iceberg -- other studies have found a correlation between persistent, self-degrading thoughts and life-threatening illnesses, including heart disease and cancer. While the mind-body connection is not readily testable in the traditional scientific sense, the correlation has been observed and admitted to by many prominent thinkers over the centuries -- enough so that it is worth considering. Where does this baggage come from? And more important, why are we all so attached to the unhappiness that keeps us from living a life full of vitality and excitement and that may literally be making us ill? I took this question to Lauren Zander, who coaches groups and individuals on how to live life to the fullest. Childhood Decisions -- Adult Impact Zander explains that although people often hang on to their emotional baggage for life, they create it when they are children. During those years, people form their "truths" about life -- about themselves, their talents and the world. The ironic result is that as adults, people operate on assumptions they may have made as eight-year-olds. And, asks Zander, "Would you put a child in charge of anything? Especially your life? Would you trust your life decisions to an eight-year-old?" But we do. As an example, Zander talks about a very bright and capable woman she worked with -- she had a bright career, two terrific children and a happy marriage. In spite of her abilities, she held herself back from success because she inwardly was "embarrassed by herself." When she and Zander pursued how she came up with this clearly erroneous belief, she recalled how in first grade she had an "accident" in a classroom. The teacher yelled at her and, standing in a puddle on the floor, she was humiliated. She also remembered being angry with the teacher in what was clearly an intimidating situation. In the end, she lost confidence in herself and hid quietly on the sidelines in many situations for fear that those whom she thought she could trust would summarily dismiss her. And, 35 years later, she was still holding herself back based on a six-year-old's perception and choice. According to Zander, during childhood many of a person's beliefs about others, including their parents, are formed. Zander recalls how she resented her father because she believed he had no interest in her. Time and again when she wanted to talk with him, he was watching sports on TV. At about age 19, she decided to investigate this "truth" about their relationship. She walked into the den as the TV was blaring and told her dad she would like to talk to him. Much to her astonishment, he replied, "Sure, honey -- turn off the TV so we'll have quiet." He wasn't disinterested. He just didn't know she needed him. FABRICATED "TRUTHS" Flawed thinking is hardly surprising. Children misinterpret events and their feelings about them all the time because they are far too immature to see the bigger picture or its more subtle and complex aspects. Children also can't see that there are many choices about how to handle a given situation, and that taking a different path would change the outcome. Instead, they assume the choice they made is the only one, and however it turns out, it lives forever in their minds as how it is. Some examples of how it is thinking: "I am a sickly person." "I am helpless." "Good things don't come my way -- I'm not lucky." "I'm unlovable." And the favorite of many -- "I'm not good enough." These become the basic tenets people live by because they don't stop to investigate where they got this picture of themselves... and whether it is really true. UNCOVERING YOUR ROCKS To determine if you are carrying baggage from childhood, says Zander, ask yourself if there is something in your life that is hurting you or holding you back. Is how it is thinking getting in the way of your professional success, health, romantic life or your relationships with family, colleagues and friends? If so, she says, you need to deconstruct the assumptions and thoughts that got you there.
This is how you will begin to see that how it is thoughts are nontruths. Once you identify that you have these nontruths in your life, you then can begin to let go of them so they will no longer clutter your life. In doing so, you are taking the first vital step to changing your thinking and your life so that you can create the success and fulfillment you deserve. Tomorrow in Daily Health News... replacing the untruths with new truths and possibilities in your life. HEALING FOODS
What's going on here? (Read on... ) COUGH IT UP It's been the stuff of urban legend for eons: Coughing during a heart attack may save your life. Surprisingly, a recent study appears to lend some credibility to this legend. The study, presented at a 2003 meeting of the European Society of Cardiology, involved 115 people who had previously fainted or nearly fainted because of heart problems. These individuals used the cough in 365 instances in which they thought they were going to faint. Symptoms disappeared in 292 cases. The theory is that coughing vigorously when the heart begins to fail can keep a person conscious long enough to call for help. So is it true or isn't it? To get to the heart of the matter, I talked with Bruce D. Charash, MD, chief of the cardiac care unit at Lenox Hill Hospital and clinical associate professor at New York University School of Medicine, both in New York City. The Theory In three out of four heart attacks, a person is at home, often alone. Circulation ceases, the person faints, brain damage rapidly occurs, followed by death. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, can keep the heart and brain going for approximately 10 minutes, which is hopefully long enough for an ambulance to arrive. "Cough CPR" According to the study: If you experience sudden symptoms, such as dizziness, faintness or shortness of breath, and CPR is not available or you are alone, the idea is to lie down and cough vigorously to stimulate electric activity in the heart and keep it going. The coughing acts as a kind of do-it-yourself CPR. A typical adult should lie down... cough about once every second... stop every five coughs... and take two slow, deep breaths... until he/she can cough for 10 to 30 coughs. The Reality Dr. Charash makes several important points about cough CPR...
How long can you keep going with cough CPR? It's probably only buying you seconds, says Dr. Charash. On the other hand, if it gives people a sense that they can protect themselves, it's a good thing. First, however, call 911. Be well,
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