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Avoiding Junk Food for the Spirit


Have you ever thought about the effect negative thinking must have on the spiritual body? It’s sort of like junk food for the spirit.

 Finding a job after the Recession wasn’t easy, but I finally found one that looked hopeful and I felt I could handle. And I loved the work, but felt out of place and inept, and started having stomach pains from self-generated stress. It would have been so easy at that point to climb aboard the train of negative thoughts we all ride to try to make ourselves feel better.

You know the routine: a supervisor seems a little sharp because we didn’t understand a procedure, so we scheme how to get even or teach them a lesson. These negative thoughts seem to feel good, even fun for the moment. We get the same false sense of elation when we complain or rationalize some action and the adrenaline is pumping. This is junk food for the spirit. The immediate rush seems justified, but deep down we know too much of it will mean trouble.

This may take the edge off our frustration, but hurts us in the long run. It ratchets up the tension, disrupts our health, often bringing headaches, stomach problems and more, yet it does nothing to change the cause of our anger, embarrassment, or self-pity.

But I know if we can catch ourselves soon enough and make the mental effort to keep our outlook positive, it helps us feel better too. Anger or worry can bring on headaches, but when the stress goes away the headache often does too. So I tried using positive thinking, every day, many times, to change my focus. It started with a little prayer of gratitude before I left home. At work, even though I felt anxious, I was determined to smile and be pleasant to the other employees and my boss. Gradually this worked its magic and I turned my thinking around.

Avoiding Junk Food for the Spirit
Avoiding Junk Food for the Spirit with Positive Thoughts

It can be even more advantageous to nurture our spiritual bodies with positive thoughts and words as to feed our physical bodies with nutritious food. If we can make what we say and do to others encouraging, even healing, it helps make their days and ours go by harmoniously, peacefully and productively. If we’re aware that negativity is like junk food for the spirit, we can consciously start to replace the space it’s occupying with more helpful thoughts and words.

I still rely on positive thinking today, though it isn’t easy to stay on the straight and narrow and takes time to change old habits. I still need to remind myself to think positively, so I always say that little prayer of thanks each morning. The rewards are sweet.

Next time those negative thoughts creep in, I highly recommend a nutritious snack of comforting, constructive thoughts. And every day offer some of those positives to your friends, co-workers and family. They’ll really appreciate it, and you’ll soon begin to discover a new, happier, and more confident you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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