Wellness Wednesday

My last 3 posts about health (one, two, three) have all been about transforming my mind in order to transform my body. I am beginning to understand so clearly that this is not a battle in my fat cells, or a battle of the will, this is a battle of my mind.

In the last 8 months, but especially the last 8 weeks, I have come a long way in understanding victory or defeat lies in my choices.
My choices rely on the thoughts that are at the forefront of my mind.
I need to be aware of the origins of my thoughts, truth or trash.
I need to use truth to stay out of denial and to see myself and choices realistically.
I need to take captive of the trash and take it to the curb (or farther!).

I was beginning to realize how incredibly intentional I was going to have to be in order to produce the fruit of self-control.
Intentionally discipling myself, understanding the truth of what God wants from me.
Intentionally inspiring myself, understanding the truth of how God really sees me.
Intentionally motivating myself, understanding the truth of God's idea of healthy.

I am slowly beginning to see transformation. Not so much in my external body, but in how I see my body and treat my body. I know the external transformation will follow shortly.

I have been confident before.
And failed.
I have wondered over the last 8 months, will it be different this time?
I've had hope in my willpower before.
And failed.

But.
This time I have a secret weapon.

It's science. 
God told us about it in Romans 12:12.
The secret weapon is that God made my brain so that I personally have the ability to renew it, and change it! Duh, right?!
I obviously understood that to some degree, but it took a counselor speaking at recovery last Friday night for me to really grasp what that meant.  

What we meditate on changes our neural pathways, in simpler terms, changes our thinking. This ability to change neural pathways is called neuroplasticity - the plasticity means MOLD-ABLE!  
What you think about works in your brain a lot like real life roads/pathways. The pathways that get increased traffic (thoughts you think frequently) soon get paved, added lanes, is well maintained and eventually it turns into a super neuron highway. Whatever you don't think about often enough (even if it is truth) turns into an old country dirt path with growth covering it, full of potholes and ruts that isn't easy to travel and gets overlooked or avoided. 

My understanding of my brain thus far was close, more like that my current neuron pathway was like a Nascar track, sponsored by LNEGM (Lori's Negative Emotional Coping Mechanisms). I felt like, in order to think/live healthy, I would have to somehow free myself of that centrifugal force and drive through the field, in the ruts, driving until I could find a healthy super highway. I was out there driving just about every overgrown road you could find, covered in weeds, just there long enough to use it to search for the healthy super highway. That was never going to happen! So I would get tired and go back to the easy loop da loop. But now I know I need to intentionally choose the right roads that will lead me to the right place, stick to them no matter the conditions, taking care of them because those are my every day routes, and that is how I will CREATE the healthy super highway. 

I feel like my mind has been blown! 

At the beginning of the talk, the speaker gave out modelling clay without telling us why. I formed the letter L for Lori. As he talked about the character defects we have that just can't seem to let go of, it transformed into L for Lazy. By the end of the evening, once I realized my brain was just as mold-able as the clay, the L transformed again, and now it stands for Lovely.

:)