Attitude Affects Health

“It is far more important to know what person the disease has than what disease the person has.” ~ Hippocrates …

When it comes to assessing the maladies and afflictions we are faced with, often times we are simply too shallow… we do not dive deep enough and end up barely scratching the surface. We look at the symptoms–how we feel and how those maladies and afflictions affect us and our lives–and we try to put a band-aid on them. Rarely do we assess the “person” to determine who they are and how perhaps that may play into some of those symptoms we are seeing. We essentially treat the symptoms, instead of treating the individuals and the actual root causes of their ailments.

A perfect example of this is how a lot of children these days are prescribed medications and pills for ADHD, depression, obesity, and all sorts of things of the like. What before was once considered energetic, social, or creative, is now called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. But what is really going on with this energetic, creative young mind? And furthermore, what unique and authentic development might we be hindering in these children by putting them on such medication?

There is much more to sickness than what we physically see. Multitudes of research and studies have been done showing that a large portion of disease and sickness comes from our mental state. High blood pressure, ulcers, heart disease are a few examples of how our thoughts can affect our physical health. So why do so many of us fail to take the necessary time to “get to know the person” on a level that perhaps may shed more light on their symptoms and their root cause.

Healing comes from dealing with the root of the problem that ails us–whether that is physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. And when we afford others and ourselves the opportunity to understand who we are–beyond just our ailments–we create truly fertile ground for healing and growth.

Reflect throughout the day on how your present attitude might affect your health.

Questions to consider:

Have you ever experienced an ailment that you felt was a result of your own actions?

What thoughts might lead to health issues? What thoughts might help to strengthen our health?

How can having a positive attitude help us to avoid sicknesses and improve our lives?

For further thought:

“Just remember that sometimes, the way you think about a person isn’t the way they actually are. . . People are different when you can smell them and see them up close.” ~ John Green, Paper Towns