One Resolution for a Healthy New Year

When thinking about what healthy resolutions we should take, most of us gloss over the most important component to enable a healthy lifestyle: our brain. How many of us have set resolutions for ourselves just to quit halfway through January (if not sooner)?

This is why I decided that my resolution for this year is to do everything I can to understand and help appease the voice in my head with some tried and true methods I have used to get through 2020. Here are some of the reasons I want to do this:

1- Your thoughts have a direct effect on your reality

If I have learned anything last year, it is that my thoughts create my reality. Now, you might tell yourself this is insane, but there is science to back this up. Take the double-slit experiment as an example. In this experiment, electrons pass one by one through a plate pierced by two parallel slits. They first pass through either one of the slits without any interference. This is when they are being watched. On the other hand, when they are not being watched, an electron can be seen passing through both slits simultaneously and ends up interfering with itself which creates a wave or "interference pattern".

What does this mean? Why do the electrons behave differently when they are being watched from when they aren’t? I happen to be a huge fan of quantum physics (yes, total nerd) and one of its fundamentals is that all is energy. I am energy, you are energy and our thoughts are energy.

So, when these electrons are being watched, they are sensing this energy of someone’s presence. When they are left alone, they are sensing a different kind of energy or perhaps the absence of it (I am by no means an expert on the subject).

All I can say is if the somewhat subtle energy of being watched can make a difference in how particles behave, imagine how the thoughts in our heads can change the way we behave and in turn how our lives unfold. Sometimes it is like we have this tiny observer in our brain telling us that the electrons will go through either slits and will never create an interference pattern because we have never seen it happen therefore that is reality. Having this mindset of not believing something unless you see it in front of you can seem reasonable, but ultimately will defeat you. This is what brings me to my next point.

2- When your thoughts are good, your life will mirror them. The same can be said about the opposite

Alright, enough science. Ever heard of the expression “When it rains it pours”? This could not be truer when it comes to our thoughts.

I consider myself lucky. Ever since I can remember, I have been a dreamer. I do have to admit, after many failures in my life I could have given up many times but I have not. Why? Because I do not let my thoughts destroy me.

I am sure we all know this person: Life is terrible. Their job is terrible. Their kids are terrible. “Why is this all happening to me?” they ask.

It just seems like this person can never catch a break. Now, let me have a talk with this person. I do not want to be the one to break this to you (a pun! I deserve a sticker) but it may have a lot to do with your thought pattern.

“How dare you?” they may exclaim. “I work so hard and all I get are these little brats running all over the house and I am constantly exhausted-”and so on and so forth.

I understand your frustration. I would say that you even have a right to be frustrated, it hasn’t been easy for you! But the fact of the matter is; you are not helping. Let it out and move on. Negativity will eat you up. It is not easy to get out of it because it is a cycle. When you keep telling yourself (and others for that matter) that life is terrible, life will be terrible. You asked for it, you will get it.

All you can do is notice your thought pattern. Do you notice that you tend to be a negative person? The last thing you want to do is to beat yourself up about it, even though that is the first thing you will want to do. I told you, it is a cycle.

Instead of beating yourself up, notice the negative thought. Then try replacing it with a good one. A great way to do this is to practice gratitude.

Now, you may think you have nothing to be grateful for. The great (or grate? Ha! Another sticker for me) thing about gratitude is that there are infinite reasons to be grateful, the world is filled with abundance as long as you are willing to see it. You just need to start with one small thing. It could be your morning coffee or your cat or the fact that you woke up happy. When you start finding things to be grateful about you will automatically feel better about yourself and that in turn will help you find even more to be grateful about. The important part is that you do this every day. Positivity is a cycle too, you know?

Unfortunately, this is not a quick fix. But I can guarantee you that it will make your life increasingly better over time.

3- Having good thought patterns will help you achieve your goals

Often, when people fail, it is because they have some unresolved issues that they are not willing to deal with that alters their perception of reality. I can tell you firsthand this has been true for myself and is something I am still actively working on (it is an ongoing process).

For some of us, it can be really hard to achieve anything if we are not willing to conquer our fears. When I say this, I do not mean to go out and do something extreme like skydiving just because you are afraid of it. You may actually not want to do that if your instincts tell you not to. What I mean is ask yourself hard questions like “What is stopping me from living my full potential?” or “What unresolved issue must I face in order to do this?”.

This will be different for everyone because everyone has their own experiences and life has given us unique scars. A good method to really dig deep into the seemingly bottomless pit that is the self is meditation.

I have started meditating in March of 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic hit my city and I have never been the same since. Not only because of this lifechanging event that has forced me and billions of people across the world to put their lives on hold, but because I really got to know myself in a way I never did before.

Honestly, you can start small. I actually recommend that you start small because if you are anything like me, trying anything new feels daunting at first and you will simply avoid doing it.

Try this method initiated by the Heartmath Institute. Can you spare 3 minutes out of your day? That is all you will need.

Adopt a receptive posture while sitting down. Make sure your arms and legs aren’t crossed and your back is straight. Hold one hand onto your heart and start slowly breathing in and out. Concentrate on your breathing. Once your breathing is steady, shift your focus on your heart center.

While slowly breathing in through the nose, close your eyes and think about something that makes you feel grateful (aha! I bet you didn’t see that coming). The feeling of gratitude is an ever so powerful feeling. The more you feel it, the more it will appear in your daily life.

Literally do this for 3 minutes every day. That is all that is needed. This method is supposed to align your heart with your brain and help you find inner balance.

For the skeptics out there, just give it a try! You have nothing to lose and so much to gain.

I am now confident that I will emerge out of this pandemic much more successful and happier than I ever was before. I am already there just by posting this article onto Vocal (Gasp!). Time to make like an electron and wave. Peace.