How GOOD are YOU willing to LET it BE? This really is a profound question when pondered from the perspective of Blair Justice, Ph.D. in his book WHO GETS SICK?
Dr. Justice was an award winning medical writer and science editor for metropolitan newspapers before becoming a psychologist at the University of Texas Health Service Center in Houston, School of Public Health.
So, the question you just read is of the utmost importance when it comes to health and disease. Dr. Justice has written his book on how beliefs, moods, and thoughts affect our health. His references to other research alone, numbering over 300, support his own research that confirms that what we do in our heads (our thinking), as well as our behaviors, has a critical influence on our ability to stay well or to be sick.
Stated at its simplest, our health is controlled by our brain or nervous system, especially the thoughts we think! Dr. Justice builds a compelling case that our thoughts, beliefs, and imaginations aren’t totally invisible goods but rather electrochemical events with physiological consequences. WOW!
In other words, the body/mind functions as one unit. Think for a moment of someone you know who is constantly unhappy and negative. Research shows that they are a target for any and every kind of illness.
It has been said that a pessimist is someone who, when confronted with two unpleasant alternatives, selects BOTH!! Let’s face it, a person with a negative attitude cannot make clear, powerful choices about unpleasant situations. Their wiring (nerves) has been programmed to a “learned helplessness”. They feel little control of their life with no sense of purpose, meaning or competence. Simply, they can’t cope.
On the other hand, people who are happy, have strong coping skills based on feelings of control, lack of cynicism, a meaning in life, and optimism for a positive outcome. So the key is how we cope. Those of us with a “psychological hardiness” view problems with a positive outcome which in turn decreases the intensity of their impact.
Taking action to change the external problem, if possible, and decreasing the stress of the problem with some healthy behavior also makes for effective coping. Exercise, relaxation, massage, chiropractic, aromatherapy, herbs, prayer, stress management, meditation, yoga, healthy food choices, to name a few, are healthy behaviors that change our state to one of control instigating health and wellness.
