Welcome to week 2 of Somatic in September! I hope you enjoyed bringing somatic awareness into your daily life by first and foremost focusing on creating a self care practise.

Consider the following video as I discuss the theme for this week.

THE POWER OF THOUGHT

This week we are going to consider the power of your thoughts. Within your brain you have an area known as the Reticular Activating System (RAS). It acts as a filter which influences your perception on life. The expression “what you focus on grows” comes from the actions of the RAS. Whatever you fill your mind with will have a profound effect on how you view the world, yourself and others.

To learn more about the RAS, CLICK HERE.

Thanks to neuroscience, we are learning all the time that our habits create the life we lead. If we live a life of fault finding, feeling we are the victim, negative and dissatisfied with life, our soma will begin to feel a greater level of tension, anxiety, inflammation and dis-ease. However, if we become selective about what we allow in to our subconscious mind, we can create fantastic benefits. Neuroscience has shown that by switching to an empowered and educated mindset, we can actually change our health, right down to a cellular level. In actual fact thanks to an ever growing area of science, known as Epigenetics, we know we can switch certain genes on and others off.

Last year I attended a fantastic neuroscience conference in Melbourne with Dr Norman Doidge, the best selling author of the books, The brain that changes itself and The brain’s way of healing. He is one of the leading experts in the world with over 35 years of neuroscience data behind him. He is a leader in the area of Neuroplastic healing. He has shown in recent years research and findings to support how the power of our thoughts affect our genetics. Our emotional and mental health plays a massive role in whether certain genes will be triggered and switched on, creating diseases, disorders, pain and other issues. He has revealed in his decades of neuroscience research and data that the power of our thoughts can change and vastly improve our health.

To learn more about the Power of Healthy Habits, CLICK HERE.

So during this week and beyond, could you start to consider what you allow to feed into your mind? Could you look at the quality of your thoughts and see if they are empowering and positive or are they dis-empowering and negative?

Remember, what you focus on, grows.

If you a regular reader of my blogs and also part of the Total Somatics Community and within my online program, you will know Dr Sarah Wilson ND and I have discussed many health related topics which tie into the Total Somatics Approach to Health & Wellness at www.TotalSomatics.com. We are both very passionate about raising awareness of Mental Health issues. We created a podcast which discusses stress and anxiety. It is a detailed podcast, so you can gain information and hear something new every time you listen to it. Take time out of your day this week to listen to this 51 minute podcast. Taking an hour out of your week to learn about mental health and proactive measures is very important.

Enjoy the podcast below….

Reach Out To Others

As I mentioned in my video above, on Thursday 12th September 2019, it is R U OK? day in Australia. Even if you are reading this outside of Australia, could you still adopt this awareness to others? It is a day to ensure we connect with others we care about and help them share their worries and problems. A problem shared is a problem halved. By actively listening to them, we can be just what they need at that particular moment in their life. If their RAS has been focused on feeling lonely and invisible, your empathetic, loving and caring manner will help them more than you could possibly imagine.

So in conclusion for this week, could the following be in your action plan?

• Become selective about what you listen to, watch and read.
• Notice the power of your thoughts, are they empowering or dis-empowering?
• Be mindful that your RAS can change how it filters, so once your start focusing on positive, “can do” approaches in life, you will see opportunities, positive connections, healthier mindset and a calmness from within.
• Create time to listen to the podcast Sarah and I have created to discuss proactive approaches to stress and anxiety.
• Reach out to others and connect. Ask others R U OK? Deep connections can only be made face to face.
• Remind yourself throughout your week of what your RAS does - What you focus on, grows.

Have a fantastic week.

Take care,
Heidi Hadley xx
www.TotalSomatics.com