Before we talk about the emotions we’re all feeling during this pandemic I’d like to share a crazy study done by Baylor University that went like this:
An orthopedic surgeon wanted to find out which of two surgeries, debridement or lavage, would work best for patients with arthritic knees. In order for a research study to be complete, a control group had to be added for the placebo effect. What’s a placebo?
A placebo is when there’s a fake treatment or sugar pill given to see how it compares to the “real” medical treatment. So in this instance, the doctor did debridement surgery on the first group, lavage surgery on the second group, and a pretend surgery with just skin incisions on the third group.
The results? The patients that had the pretend surgery did as well as the debridement and lavage groups! Why? Because they thought they were getting surgery that would heal them! Their thoughts were in the belief they would heal with one of these surgeries and so their knees responded to that thought belief and they healed! (Mosely, J.B. A controlled trial of arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee. New England Journal of Medicine,347, 81, 2002 July II)
Why am I telling you this crazy knee surgery story about people healing themselves with just their thoughts? Because these people healed their knees without surgery, imagine what you and I can do to heal ourselves during a pandemic with just our thoughts!
Our thoughts are energy that creates emotions. Emotions send messages to our cells. This is epigenetics.
So what are your thoughts during this pandemic? If they’ve been like my thoughts of fear, anger, confusion, frustration, grief….then you’re not alone. So, let’s change our thoughts right now!
What You Can Do During This Pandemic to Change Your Thoughts, Resist Disease, and Heal.
#1. Feel what your body is asking you to feel.
If you feel fear or anger, feel them. If you feel confused, frustrated, or grief, feel those as well. This is your body’s natural fight/flight/freeze response. It’s uncomfortable, but if we don’t allow ourselves to feel them then they may get stuck in our body. Crying, screaming into a pillow, and banging on the bed are healing methods that work.
#2. Express your emotions in words by writing them down.
Get a piece of paper, journal, notebook, and just say it. Be honest with yourself. Don’t pretend that all is well if it’s not. We’re in a pandemic. This is a new experience for all of us. So give yourself permission to express yourself with no limitations.
#3. Sit quietly three times a day.
Just listening to yourself breathe slowly 10 times changes your body’s biochemistry. Do the wonderful relaxation response.
#4. Laugh.
Yes, laughter heals you! And it immediately changes your thoughts. One of the most important ways we can heal ourselves is to bathe ourselves in happy endorphins also called, feel-good hormones. I have a friend who sends me daily pictures and videos of what to laugh at during a pandemic and after I laugh I feel so much better.
The truth is, if we continue to have these thoughts of fear, anger…we are decreasing our immune systems and opening ourselves to possibly getting sick.
Thoughts are energy-creating emotions and emotions tell our cells what to do. Whether it’s the cells in our knees or our entire immune system.
Try these 4 simple changes and let me know how you feel by replying below.
Please share this with all your friends and family so we can all heal together.
With love and health,
Jackie