The Power of a Thought

Sometimes we can heal by getting hurt.

Eh?

Over Memorial Day weekend, my family took a trip to Bryce Canyon National Park.

This was my first time and it was incredible!

However, since I hadn't been before, I was unaware that the hiking trails are made of very fine sandstone - basically resembling super, super fine, packed sand.

My 12 year old and I had a conversation about shoes before we went.

He's in that stage where nothing fits for very long, and shoes are not only grown out of quickly but also get pretty thrashed from 12-year-old-boy daily wear.

So he needs new shoes.

Before our trip, I asked him if he thought we should get him some new shoes for the trip or new shoes after the trip.

He voted for after the trip (and I thought that was a great idea because I'd rather the old shoes get dirty).

We've had issues with him having a lack of traction on hikes before, and I didn't want to make that same mistake again, but...

Well, I made that same mistake again.

So the poor kid slid and fell 3 times over the course of 2 days and scraped up one leg, then the other, then one arm.

Just one more slide on his second arm and he would have covered all his bases. (we were able to laugh about it later)

So here I am, feeling like a terrible parent with each slip, but also having to navigate the situation to help him move past the pain and anger he felt after every fall. (For the record, he wasn't angry at me, but thought that something was wrong with him... when really - he's just a 12 year old boy that likes to be in the land of make believe while he hikes... with crappy shoes.)

Now, over the course of my nearly 30 years dealing with my own health issues, and 12 years of dealing with a kiddo that sees the negative in everything and can't admit when something positive happens, I've really had to hone the skill of mindset shifts.

Which is a skill I see as so incredibly important that all my coaching programs start with awareness and mindset.

Healing simply cannot happen if your mind is working against you.

But the super cool thing is that, while some thoughts do just happen, we have the ability to actually control our thoughts.

And we can choose to reframe situations to work WITH healing, instead of against it.

This includes physical healing as well as mental healing.

For my son, who, in the moment of distress from falling, suddenly just wants to flag down a helicopter and give up all the good and magic he's experienced or yet to experience on the 99.8% of the hike that didn't include slipping and getting scraped up, this means I have to jump in and help him reframe the situation STAT.

"This hike sucks and I'm never doing this again" is suddenly reframed to "these scrapes are proof that I'm not afraid of adventure and that I did something super cool".

The key to reframing a situation is that the reframe, or new thought, has to feel true.

You can't take away the truth of the pain, or your mind and body simply won't believe you.

But suddenly, my son went from anger and sadness to feeling empowered and alive.

It's incredible the kinds of shifts you can feel when you simply choose to change your thoughts.

So what I offer you today is that you take a look at just one thought or mindset that might be holding you back in your health journey, and that you find a way to reframe that to something more helpful and healing.

It doesn't have to be a huge shift, just something that feels more empowering.

This is a powerful skill that can be learned by everyone and can be used in countless ways to improve your life.

I would love to hear a story of a time when you were able to reframe a situation and find healing from that. Send me an email and tell me all about it!

Hugs & Smoothie Smiles,

Coach Camille

PN, SSR

P.S. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit Bryce, I'd highly recommend it! Take good hiking shoes. ;)