Becoming The Giant
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Becoming The Giant
Healing the past and forging the future may sound like tall mountains to climb, but it may just be possible with a little mindful time travel
One of the most unique and fascinating features of being human is the fact that we use our brain to shape the environment around us to into something useful. What goes on in our heads literally has the power to make us or break us.
It's no surprise then, that even though exercise and a healthier diet have been proven beyond doubt to positively affect our mental states, people who are struggling with this aspect often have a hard time merely getting to this potential remedy. Or in fact, any remedy.
The physical and the mental are elements of the same thing - they are what makes you. And when it comes to fitness, it's never just one or the other that can point the way to improved health for body and mind. If both aren't humming along in harmony, all our efforts to improve either will only go so far.
I’d like to take a moment of your time to talk about a powerful technique that helps to clear the cobwebs from long ago and enables us to actually create a better tomorrow.
First, a look at the past.
Rescuing the child
A few years back, a close friend of mine suggested an interesting exercise.
This came up after I had voiced to him that the most significant chunk of some of my emotional struggles at the time stemmed from early life trauma. Starting at around age 7 and into my late twenties, my life was cesspool of shit. It's really the only fair way to describe it without going into too much detail.
My friend suggested that I get myself into a relaxed state, breathe deeply a few times and then let everything be still. This stillness being achieved by means of focusing only on my breath. Those of you who may have tried meditation would recognize this part as the start of most forms of meditative sessions.
But instead of staying in that state for as long as possible, I was to imagine myself as a child as vividly as I could conjure up. I should imagine my child self in a traumatic situation that actually happened and view the situation as someone outside of it. Then, I should imagine my current adult self walking over to my child self, picking him up and comforting him. I was then to carry my child version away to safety and unconditional love.
I couldn't really explain why, but this immediately made sense to me on an intrinsic level. I gave it a try and honestly felt better immediately. I continued practicing this daily with each session's scenario being a different traumatic experience that I rescued my younger self from.
After a little while, there was this odd feeling of being able to just breathe a little deeper. It felt like some weight had been lifted from my shoulders. There were no other changes made during this time. Only the "rescue sessions".
This did not change the past, but it gave me a tool to not allow it to affect the present.
My friend inadvertently introduced me to purposeful visualization.
Creativity as transformative power
Visualization techniques like the one mentioned above are nothing new. In fact, the ability to imagine things repeatedly and then somehow bring it to a certain form of fruition has been used since we were translating memorized images onto cave walls. The greatest works of art in history exist because of this unique ability in our species to channel mental vision into reality.
In more modern times, athletes use visualization as part of their training. They tap into this powerful tool by consistent practice until it becomes habit. This ‘rehearsal’ of sport-specific mental imagery is practiced to enhance movement and concentration, build confidence and reduce the negative effects of competitive pressure such as over-analyzing.
The good news is that you don’t have to be a pro athlete to harness and benefit from this natural gift. Almost anyone can tap into this power, and not just for the good of athletic performance, but quite literally any goal that you really desire.
Designing the future
The skills and techniques used in visualization can be used to imagine success in job interviews, exercise, sports or any other activity that can be seen as challenging or even stressful. Unlike the first example, where envisioning ourselves as changing the past in order to find peace in the present, here we are taking an active role in influencing what is ahead of us.
The best part of this practice is that there is no need for special equipment, financial investment or even finding a quiet space to perform it in (although that does help). You can visualize what you want to bring into reality for yourself from anywhere at all.
Some guidelines to keep in mind:
Be clear and specific
The more specific you are in your visualization the better. Imagine your future where you have already achieved your goal in clear detail. Create a mental vision of this as if it were happening right now. Engage as many of your senses as you can:
Who are you with?
What are you feeling?
What do you smell?
What do you hear?
What are you wearing?
What is around you?
Speak it
Be mindful of your words. We can speak things into being the same way as we can visualize them into bring. Use positive language such as “When I get that new bathing suit” instead of something like “If I can fit into that bathing suit". 'If' statements are your mind's way of protecting you from disappointment, which actually doesn't work. So just go for it!
Keep at it
Practicing visualization at night or in the morning is best. Your mind is at its most open to receiving and processing suggestion before or just after sleep. And you don't necessarily need to go into a state of meditation. You can just do it 'on the spot'. While visualizing, try not to linger on any thoughts that are not aligned with your desired outcome. Adding some affirmations such as “I am healthy, I look amazing and I feel great” are also helpful.
Believe
The most important part of these exercises is to experience the feeling of already having what you desire. It's crucial to establish actual belief because us humans have this way of not really believing something until we have detected it with one or more of our senses.
The bottom line
Since time travel hasn't been invented yet (ok, according to conventional wisdom anyway), we can't go backwards to fix what's still eating us today or forward to get a glimpse of what lies ahead. I've also watched enough sci-fi flicks to understand that this is never a great idea anyway.
What we can do is take control. We have the ability to take charge of how the past influences today and take action to give ourselves the best possible tomorrow.
By performing some fairly simple mental exercises, that ball and chain you've been dragging along your life path may not necessarily disappear completely, but neither will your spirit and your desire to move forward to a better future. And that's always worth at least a fair shake.
Until next time,
Always envision yourself at your best!
Got a question or comment? Drop me a line in the comments section below or feel free to contact me on any of my socials. I always love to hear from you.
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Disclaimer: this article is in no way meant to treat or replace any method of treatment of physical or mental health conditions. It is based on personal experiences of the author as well as current studies that are available to the public. Always consult with a medical professional.