Change the Channel

By Rena Greenberg

Do you spend countless hours fantasizing about “pleasuring” your body with food only to have the fantasies culminate in a binge you later regret and suffer over? What if you could control the destiny of your body in a way other than relentlessly scolding, depriving or denying yourself? What if the way to alter your body and your life’s destiny was to change the channel in your mind?

Think of your body and mind as a broadcasting receptacle that can receive any station. Instead of identifying with the multitude of stations that you are picking up on, begin to observe them. Listen with a fresh ear and you will begin to see yourself with new eyes.

Most likely your inner stations are not broadcasting news, country, rock or classical music. Since you are part of the human family, your stations are likely to include broadcasts of criticism, suffering, complaining, fear, judgment, regret or resentment.

Often, when barraged by a particular station, it may feel as if you are a victim of its belief system. Here is what some of your inner stations may sound like:

The station of criticism:

“You never do anything right.”

“How stupid you are for what you just said or did.”

“You’re going to pay for what you just ate.”

The station of trying and hoping:

“I hope I don’t have a really hard time today.”

“I’m going to try not to eat chips today (but make no plan that insures my success.)”

The station of judgment:

“She sure is a snob.”

“I look like an elephant in this dress.”

The station of suffering and victimhood:

“People are always taking advantage of me.”

“I’m sick and tired of the way people treat me.”

The station of regret:

“Why did I eat that?”

“I should never have let myself get to this point.”

The station of resentment:

“She has it so much easier than I do.”

“I have to work so much harder than he does.”

The station of fear:

“Something bad is going to happen.”

“I have to keep myself incessantly busy so I don’t have to feel this anxiety.”

Sometimes the pain of listening to these inner dialogues may become so great you’ll do anything to shut the inner voice off. That may be when you make a beeline for the refrigerator or the fast food drive through.

The moment when your inner voice becomes unbearable may be exactly when the thought of sinking your teeth into a sugary, fattening “treat” may seem like the best option you can think of. Why? Because in that moment you have an awareness that for even a brief period of time—it could even be seconds—your mind will shut off as you experience the pure sensual “pleasure” of sugar, salt and fat melting in your mouth. You have a memory of that being true.

Unfortunately, what you block out in that moment in time when you shut off the voice that was incessantly chewing off your ear and focus on the new full-color mental movie of eating whatever your weakness may be—chips, pizza, donuts, French fries, bread, cookies—is the way you are going to feel moments after you complete your binge.

What is predictable is that no sooner than the sugar, salt and fat combo begins to wreak havoc on your digestive system, your inner broadcaster will immediately land on the station of guilt and shame. And it goes like this:

“Eeeks! What have I done?!”

“I can’t believe what I just ate! After I was so “good” all week! I am pathetic!”

See the cycle? Great! Because awareness is the absolute first step in ultimate success. We can’t hurt ourselves consciously. It is only what is stored, unexamined, in the subconscious that can cause us to fall in the same potholes over and over again.

Now, let’s take a look at the solution because it’s right at your fingertips. The fantastic news is that not only aren’t you your body, but you aren’t your thoughts either. If you were your thoughts how could you be aware of them?

Since you can observe your thoughts, you aren’t them. You are the Thinker of the thoughts. The reason why this hasn’t always seemed apparent in the past is because you are conditioned to identify with your thoughts, not with yourself as the Thinker.

Identifying with your thoughts is not only the cause of suffering but the cause of making bad decisions.

When you realize that you are the Thinker, not the thoughts, it also becomes evident that there are an infinite number of channels that you can choose to turn your inner dial to. It may be helpful to actually imagine a radio dial, like the one in your car, and visualize that you are physically changing stations. Here are some stations that you may want to try out:

Station of unconditional love and forgiveness:

“I am beautiful exactly as I am and so is everyone else.”

“I can have my heart’s desire—I am worthy.”

“I release the past completely.”

“When I remember the past, I take with me only the positive things I have learned about myself, others and life, and let go of the rest.”

“I choose to focus only on the love I have given and received.”

“Everyone is doing the best they can at this particular time.”

“Tomorrow will be a better day because today I am thinking new thoughts about it.”

Station of creativity:

“What fun way can I get my needs met?”

“How can I joyfully begin to create what I desire today?”

“How can I express my life force energy in a positive way?”

Station of wisdom:

“All my emotions move through me like the weather.”

“I don’t have to act on every thought I have.”

“I can enjoy the smell of food without needing to eat it.”

“Before I eat anything, I can remember how it will likely make me feel.”

Station of gratitude:

“I am blessed and I am a blessing to others.”

“My inner light shines wisdom and compassion to myself and everyone around me.”

“I am safe and protected.”

“All my needs are being met.”

“I appreciate the kindness of others.”

Station of power:

“The power to create the life I want lies within me.”

“I love, accept and respect myself exactly as I am.”

“I trust that everything is happening as it’s supposed to and that I am exactly who and where I am supposed to be.”

“My true power lies in embodying the highest expression of myself in each moment.”

When you find yourself stuck on a channel that will not likely take you down a road of lasting happiness and fulfillment, it’s important to realize that the only true power you have is the ability to choose a new one. Would you scream and yell at the radio because it’s playing country music when you prefer to hear classical? Though that image may seem absurd to you, it’s no more fruitless than scolding yourself for thinking “bad” thoughts.

Simply reach into your inner mind and change the dial. Move your focus to a more uplifting station—one that raises your consciousness and brings out a much more resourceful and wise part of yourself.

How can you tell when you have slipped onto a dark station? It’s simple—you will feel it. Though you are not your body, your physical self offers a great feedback system—one of feeling. If you feel constricted, it’s time to change the dial. When you feel expanded, turn it up!

You choose your thoughts and your thoughts create your feelings. Your feelings, in turn, propel you towards certain behaviors.

When you take right action your feel good and your thoughts tend to affirm that. When you take actions that are contrary to your desired life goals, your sense of constriction and emotional pain increases. What a wonderful feedback loop your body/mind is.

The only way to break a negative cycle is to change the input. Hypnosis and self-hypnosis are wonderful tools to help you to update your thinking to match your life goals. Can you be hypnotized? Absolutely!

You, too, can change your thought station to set yourself up to achieve every blessing that your heart desires!

Rena Greenberg, a Hay House author, can be reached at EasyWillpower.com. Her weight loss and gastric bypass hypnosis success has been featured in 150-plus news stories including USA Today, Woman’s World, The Doctor’s, CNN, Good Morning America and Nightline. PBS stations nationally aired Rena’s show, “Easy Willpower,” in August 2015. Her wellness program is sponsored in 75 hospitals and 100-plus corporations. She conducts hypnotherapy sessions with people all over the world on Skype and in Sarasota, FL.

 

This entry was posted in Tips and Tools. Bookmark the permalink.