Changing Emotional Pathways.....

    I recently viewed an older CBS Sunday Morning prime time special called "Forever Young."  It aired on November 29th, and it's well worth watching for several reasons. Interestingly, it verifies a few  things I'm trying based on my own research, including the benefits of fasting and keto. Of course, I'm not trying to stay "young," but I'd like to stay healthy and, if possible, reverse damage I've done with gluttony, a poor diet, and lack of exercise.  I recently dodged a bullet, insisting upon a colonoscopy that resulted in the discovery and removal of two large precancerous polyps. Health-wise, everything else seems good, though borderline, according to blood work. I must lose more pounds to control blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and cholesterol. However, it is also essential to monitor my thoughts as well. I must maintain a healthy outlook.  One of the interviewees shown in the special said that negative thoughts shorten one's life.  That really stuck with me because I tend to revisit the past, and it's not always positive. I'm much better than I was, but I still have lapses.  Emotional obsessions focusing upon regrets, bitterness, anger, envy, and jealousy impact health. How does one begin controlling emotional health? We can start by letting things go, particularly those things we cannot control. We all know that. The question is, how to do it? Sometimes one needs to change their emotional map. If you've spent time languishing on a path of resentment, you must replace that path with another that is fruitful and positive. Begin to intervene the moment the mental journey starts by creating a new branch in the path leading in a positive direction.  Reinforcing the positive with real action is very helpful. For example, when thoughts turn to self-recrimination and regret over past mistakes, replace each with positive actions that compensate for those regrets. First, of course, identifying the specific regret is essential. If you cannot change things, or make up for them, try to find another way to compensate or somehow "make amends." If you regret something that you failed to do for your child, for example, correct it by providing the same to a child in need at a shelter or a school. Making amends is a central part of the "Twelve Steps and Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous." In my view, these steps guide new path-making when old emotional maps dead-end one's life. Although I am not an alcoholic, I find the AA teachings along with the Serenity Prayer very beneficial.  Oh, by the way, eating compulsively is an addiction, so the twelve-step program helps expose and alleviate the issues driving the compulsion.  The traditions and steps help remove life's stumbling blocks, emerging primarily from negative thinking.  Our ability to apologize and communicate honestly without blaming others for our mistakes is indicative of emotional growth promoted through the twelve steps.  Here's to finding new ways of thinking and living on our pathway to improved health.