Visualization For A Healthy Life
It’s easy to find yourself bombarded with external advice on what it means to be healthy. There are so many people in the world telling you to go running, or do pilates, or stay on a certain diet. But what if, for a moment, you turned inward? What if you started to visualize what health meant for you?
Visualizing What health Means For You
Health isn’t just about how we exercise or what we eat, it's about how we envision our entire well-being, from the inside out. And that's where the magic of visualization comes into play.
Close your eyes and let your mind settle. What does it feel like to be healthy, in every fiber of your being? What is it like to feel nourished and satisfied?
In a world that's always buzzing with external advice, taking a moment to quiet the mind is hard. It takes practice. But it’s also worth giving yourself the chance to see what your body tells you. The process of visualizing and meditating is a really powerful way to get in tune with what health means for you–not what someone else says is healthy. You get the chance to find what makes you feel good.
We often take in information about health and well-being, and we don’t often stop to think about what our body really needs. Instead, we often stick to the default template of what we think health looks like. What’s worse is that those external expectations often put even more pressure on our bodies to live up to and perfect those so-called standards.
But when you’re not influenced by external expectations, health can look very different from what you see in society every day. You might be surprised at what your body is telling you. It’s so easy to ignore your body’s signals when there’s an onslaught of external information telling you how to eat and exercise and stay healthy. The truth is, your body knows what it needs. It’s just a matter of discerning what it is.
Making the vision a reality
Once you’ve visualized how it feels to be healthy, you can start to visualize and understand how to manifest that in your physical body. Imagine the activities that bring you joy, the foods that make you feel alive, and the practices that soothe your soul.
Being healthy is all about how we feel, the energy we radiate, and the joy that emanates from every fiber of our being. If what you are doing in your daily life doesn’t make you feel that way–even if it’s what you’re “supposed” to do to be healthy–then chances are you shouldn’t be doing it.
Remember that we are all different and unique people. We’re not the same, and our paths to health should reflect that. What’s healthy for one person might not be healthy for another. It might not be bad, necessarily, but it also might not be what makes you truly feel good.
Visualization is what allows you to see what your mind and body will tell you when given the freedom to decide what it needs and wants. That’s why it’s worth taking a few moments, as often as you can, to check in with yourself. Quiet that external noise, calm your mind, and get in touch with how your body feels, both physically and emotionally. Think about what it would feel like to eat something that makes you feel good, or what it feels like to do an activity that makes you feel good.
Once you know the end result of what you’re looking for, it becomes easier to identify what doesn’t make you feel that way. If certain foods or activities don’t match what you know health feels like for your body, it’s a clear sign it is not what your body needs in that moment.
Visualizing your way to health doesn’t happen overnight, but it absolutely can start now! Visualization and meditation take time to practice, but you can always get better and better at checking in with yourself and understanding what makes you feel your best. Go ahead and try it, let your unique vision guide you!
–Jill