Mind Over Matter

A few days ago, I picked up my annual cold for the season.  Didn’t last long – a little in the throat and then two days of runny nose, sneezing, and a leaking eye.  Yes, just one eye - strangely, only the right side of my face was leaking. Not unusual for me, but definitely weird.

Anyway, my typical cold includes a lot of leaking – from the designated side, or course – sneezing, and blowing.  It’s not a big deal but is a bit uncomfortable, especially when I’m around other people. Plus the COVID thing – one sneeze and everyone runs!

On Saturday, during the height of this experience, I went to the climbing gym with my son.  I leaked the whole way there. I even threw some tissues in my shorts expecting more drainage while climbing. But the next time anything leaked was on my way home.

Let the flow return!

But why was it silent for 90 minutes?  I didn’t take any medicine, and that rarely works anyway.  Unless it’s NyQuil – which basically makes the real me nonexistent for 48 hours. Is there anything worse? No, thank you.

Mind over matter really does work. It just takes a shifted focus or distraction. What we focus on gets bigger and everything else gets smaller. I focused on climbing, learning from Mitch, and “sending” my project. Which I did. And I forgot about the cold.

I think most of us know that distraction changes our focus and can actually mask any discomfort, pain or even anxiety we have. You don’t feel it if you don’t think about it.

Distraction is easy, but it does prove that you can control your mind with the right focus. The challenge is how to focus on what we want, not what we have if what we have is not what we want.  Read that one again!

Barny, from How I Met Your Mother, said it best: “When I’m sick, I stop being sick and be awesome instead.”

The only way out is by being proactive. Choose what to think about by taking action, or a little more difficult, purposeful thought, through positive imagination, meditation, reflection, and prayer.

What are you thinking about that you want to stop thinking about? What negative thoughts are festering in your mind that you need to replace with positive, motivating, and inspiring thoughts?