Apparently the phrase was first coined in the 1950’s, It caught on and was intended to mean, according to the “Phrase Finder,” — “an important and obvious topic, which everyone present is aware of, but which isn’t discussed, as such discussion is considered to be uncomfortable.”
Perhaps the elephant in the room refers to something we are in denial about, or something that would be too embarrassing to talk about, or maybe something we would prefer not to address.
So the elephant keeps taking up space, blocking our movement, and causing us to go around it. By not attending to it, we may also be neglecting real living.
Is there something in your life calling on you for your attention, something that would improve your life if addressed? And perhaps, it wouldn’t feel at the moment like it would improve your life, but in the long run, it would. Does this involve just you (perhaps a decision) or your relationship with another or both? Are you willing to explore the elephant in your room?
I heard once that DENIAL is an acronym for “Don’t Even Notice I Am Lying.” Most often, the elephant keeps growing and taking up space.
Why not take this blog as a directional arrow? Address an issue, decide to work through something, and improve your life. Be a little courageous!
When the desire to eat becomes overwhelming, you can overcome emotional eating by staying conscious of your choices.
OPTIONS:
1. Talk to yourself. Tell yourself, “This feeling will pass whether I eat or not.” The discomfort will not last forever.
2. Take time out. For ten minutes, resist the urge to eat and ask yourself what is going on. Allow yourself to feel your feelings and even to write about them.
3. Call someone. A brief phone call to a friend or relative may provide the emotional connection that you need.
4. Create a list of alternative activities and post it on your refrigerator. When the eating mood strikes, refer to your list.
5. Plan to have healthy snacks available, already prepared. Remember to choose what you eat consciously and remain in control of your choices.
6. Feed your heart. How are you doing? Indulge in a massage, a walk in nature, a group event, or some other satisfying way to stay in touch with your heart and to celebrate yourself!
In the years that I have studied alternative energy care, I have learned much about foods and what is helpful and healing. What follows is a list that you might find interesting and that I have prepared from former notes in the hope that you will be inspired to eat a healthy diet.
Almonds: high in protein.
Reduce inflammation, used to treat bronchitis.
Rich in protein, fat, zinc, potassium, iron, B vitamins, and magnesium.
Apple: Cleans teeth and strengthens gums.
Lowers cholesterol levels; detoxifies body.
Antiviral action; protects from pollution by binding toxins and carrying them out of body.
Asparagus: Encourages the flow of urine, useful as diuretic.
Acts as a tonic to the liver.
Aids digestion.
May help control symptoms of PMS.
Helps treat tumors and cysts.
Cabbage: An excellent anti-inflammatory.
Contains lactic acid, which acts to disinfect the colon.
Reduces the pain of headaches and rheumatic disorders.
Anti-cancer, draws out infections.
Soothes eczema and other itching skin conditions.
Red cabbage leaves are the basic ingredient of a good cough syrup.
Carrot: has energizing and cleansing properties.
Anti-inflammatory and antiseptic.
Contains calcium to encourage health of skin, hair, and bones.
Helps treat eye problems.
Helps respiratory conditions and glandular disorders.
Taken daily said to help regulate the menstrual cycle.
Celery: helps to reduce high blood pressure.
Purifies the blood. Helps arthritis and rheumatic disorders.
Celery seeds have anti-inflammatory properties.
Celery clears uric acid from painful joints.
Acts on kidneys as a mild diuretic.
Corn: is stimulating and cooling to the body.
Used in Chinese medicine for treating urinary and kidney problems.
Helps with prostate and cystitis issues.
Cucumber: has diuretic, cooling, cleansing properties.
Anti-inflammatory; helps with lung and chest disorders.
Soothes heartburn and acid stomach.
Cucumber juice acts as a kidney tonic.
Cranberry: is a natural antiseptic for the urinary system.
Improves health of circulatory system and aids in treatment of kidney stones. Used to treat and control asthma.
Crushed cranberries, boiled in distilled water and skinned, can be added to a cup of warm water to overcome an asthma attack.
Figs: contain a powerful healing agent.
Soothes mucous membranes, esp. in respiratory system.
Anticancer, contains a bactericide. Eases constipation.
Garlic: cleanses the blood and helps to create and maintain healthy bacteria population.
Helps reduce fever, acts as antiseptic, antibiotic, anti-fungal, decongestant.
Tones the heart and circulatory system. Boosts the immune system.
May help reduce high blood pressure.
Grapefruit: cleanses digestive and urinary systems.
Reduces appetite and breaks down fats in body.
Aids respiratory system. Helps to balance the nervous system.
Lowers cholesterol.
Honey: soothes inflammation. Helps retain calcium in the body.
Helps to balance acid accumulations in the body because of potassium it contains. Antifungal, natural remedy for hay fever symptoms.
Mix with apple cider vinegar to relieve arthritis.
Lemon: is a blood purifier, improves body’s ability to expel toxins.
Antifungal, antacid, antiseptic, aids digestion. Excellent for treating infections. Drink lemon juice in hot or warm water first thing in the morning as a liver tonic. Strengthens the immune system.
Olive: is an antioxidant, anticancer.
Olive oil can lower cholesterol levels and slow down aging process.
Olive oil can treat constipation.
Use to treat patches of eczema, dandruff, and psoriasis to reduce itching and encourage healing. Olive leaf is natural antibiotic.
Onions: cause the body to “weep” which releases toxins.
Increases blood circulation and relaxes muscles.
Helps to reduce serum cholesterol. Works as an antibiotic, draw out infection. Strengthens the lungs.
Potato: helps detox the body; relieve inflammation and pain.
Potato skin contains chlorogenic acid, which can help to prevent cell mutation causing cancer. Encourages healthy blood circulation.
Eaten daily, potatoes can help to prevent premature aging and heart disease.
Can help ease irritable bowel syndrome.
Vinegar: helps to make more efficient use of calcium in the body and to encourage strong bones, hair and nails.
Antiseptic, astringent, antibacterial, antifungal.
Apply apple cider vinegar to skin to treat athlete’s foot, ringworm, and eczema.
Walnuts: are soothing and a natural digestive aid.
Walnut bark is astringent and cleansing.
Strengthens the gums and acts as an anti-inflammatory.
Fresh walnuts and walnut oil can encourage circulation, and because they are rich in potassium, help keep the heart healthy.
Walnut oil added to salads is said to help irritable bowel syndrome.
NOTE: This information about varying foods is provided to encourage you to research what is important to you. It is not medical advice and is NOT considered to be a substitute for seeking medical attention.
Thoughts and beliefs are the basic elements of our life creation,
and without knowing it, we can allow our individual beliefs to hold us back.
On a daily basis, we make all kinds of assumptions and attachments to things and people that may not be good for us. Some of this is based on old beliefs. So it makes sense then, that by changing our old, unhelpful beliefs, we can attract new and better experiences and circumstances into our lives.
We have both empowering as well as limiting beliefs. Some beliefs support us and some undermine us.
So be sure to ask yourself, what thoughts do I accept as true about myself?Because those thoughts will shape your life.
You see, your strongest beliefs will always play out in your life experiences. And what are your strongest beliefs?…
They are those thoughts that begin with “I am,” such as “I am kind”; “I am smart”; but also—-negative statements, such as “I am lazy.”
All “I am” thoughts are your strongest and also your most limiting or empowering thoughts because they relate directly to your sense of self.
If I believe “I am worthy” or “I am smart,” I will have a different experience than if I believe “I am worthless” or “I am powerless.”
Think about your thoughts as you would radio waves. If you tune your radio dial into a specific station, you will pick up that station. If you tune your life into “I am powerless,” you will pick up signals for that station.
We all engage in self-talk throughout the day (those words we say to ourselves in our heads). They’ve been referred to as the “Inner Critic” or “the Judge Within.”
If you are saying to yourself “I am powerless,” these words will want to validate themselves. Now in turn, imagine that these thoughts are magnetic so what do you think they are likely to attract? Yes, they’ll attract experiences to prove them right.
So the most important benefit of being positive is that this attracts positive experiences to you.
Remember: “I am worthy. I create for myself a wonderful life. I am happy and at peace.”
Each of us in our lifetimes creates an ADAPTIVE SELF. Carl Jung, famous Swiss psychiatrist, referred to this self as your “persona.” This persona, or adaptive self, is a mask that you create and wear to adapt to your environment and to feel safe.
It is this adaptive self that might cause you to abandon who you really are at the core (for example, maybe dismiss what you really want or need). Over time, you can begin to feel numb and empty, depressed or just lost—-acting a certain way but longing all the time for something else.
Maybe you act happy and wear a smile when deep down you are sad or depressed about life. Or you wear the mask of anger because you’re afraid to feel your sadness.
We’ve all worn masks. For example, you’ve made contracts with yourself through your beliefs as to what is available to you, how you should act, what you need to do, be, and have—-you’ve done all of this in order to survive. We’ve all done it.
In this blog, I’ll share a story about a client whom I’ll call Max.
I met Max when he was in his mid 30’s. He was an interesting man, pretty well adjusted as far as his work life and personal life, but in sharing his life story, he commented on how hard it was for him to share his emotions with anyone.
In looking back at his childhood with him—-trying to figure out his adaptive self, he recalled a very important event—-this was his grandmother’s funeral when he was 8 years old. He was very close to his grandmother, and at the funeral, he began to cry. He remembers his father saying to him sternly, “We do not cry in this family.” (Can you imagine saying this to an 8-year-old?)
Even though as an adult Max understands that what his father told him was detrimental to his psychological and emotional growth, as a child he really trusted his father’s “rules.”
It is his father’s rules that created Max’s adaptive self or mask that he’s been wearing since then. As he put it, even though he knows fully well as an adult that crying is not a sign of weakness, he has to overcome his guilty feelings when he lets himself feel sad in front of someone.
So, I reminded Max that it is important to look back at old contracts he has made with himself, to dig them up, void them if necessary, and/or rewrite them. Max did this exercise and created a mantra for himself–“I feel and honor my feelings fully.”
What old contracts do you have that need to be voided or rewritten? Exploring and removing your adaptive mask can help you “course correct” and move toward more authentic living on your journey.
Is there an “elephant in your room”?