WHAT SHAMPOOING YOUR HAIR HAS TO DO WITH HEALING
Today, I’m going to uncover a deep, dark secret. It’s a truth — or, you could consider it, THE truth. When it comes to health, healing and especially to recovery from chronic illness, you want to understand the meaning of the following three words.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Say, what?
It’s hard to believe that we need instructions on how to use shampoo, yet it’s there on every label. The directions tell us what to do with the shampoo, lather (how to work it into the hair), rinse (how to remove it from the hair), and repeat (how to use more shampoo). Good sales pitch.
Rebuilding the body from chronic illness to chronic wellness works much in the same way. It works instead with healing ACTION instead of selling a product. Here’s the bottom line:
Healing success stems more from taking action
than from what action you take.
Have you tried a new nutrition plan? A new fitness regimen? Are you practicing stress-relieving activities? Great! When I blog or post articles on various healing treatments, here’s a response I hear quite often – “I tried that, but it didn’t work.”
Really? Let’s break that down. Was it the treatment that didn’t work, or the “tried that?” What does “tried that” actually mean, anyway?
Here’s what it means to some.
1) I tried giving up bread for a week and felt no better, so clearly the whole wheat/gluten issue is a scam. It didn’t work.
2) I tried giving up my diet sodas for a long time and I still have pain, so that didn’t work.
3) I tried a new exercise program last week and woke up so stiff and sore that I’ll never try that again. It didn’t work.
4) I tried to meditate once. It was the longest 5 minutes of my life. It doesn’t work.
5) I tried EFT and did it a lot. It doesn’t work.
There are several problems with the statements above so let me tackle them one at a time.
2) The same goes for food additives, chemicals, preservatives, dyes, and artificial sweeteners. You may remove diet soda from your diet, but where else are you consuming these chemical elements? Is it just a little or a lot? You may be surprised once you start digging into nutrition labels.
3) Exercise is one of the most powerful healing treatment plans you can implement. But, it needs to be done gently. Start slowly. Look for ways to move gently with little or no impact to the joints. Have you tried tai chi, qigong, and/or restorative yoga? Have you tried it on a consistent basis? When it comes to exercise, practice doesn’t make perfect (there is no such thing). Practice makes health.
4) Meditation is a learned practice. It takes time, patience, and diligence. It also means different things to each person who tries it. Walking in nature can be a form of meditation. Prayer is meditation. Time alone at home, at work, or even in your car can be meditative. Taking the time to calm your thoughts can prove more valuable than you can imagine. But I urge you to do just that – imagine it.
5) EFT is a topic for another post, but just like any other healing modality, it takes time, patience, and diligence. In other words, lather, rinse, and repeat.
So, the statements above may be true, but the conclusions “it doesn’t work” are most likely false. We often jump to conclusions, right? How ‘bout instead, we walk to our conclusions? Or perhaps take baby steps toward our conclusions?
The biggest variable in the above statements is about time. What does a long time mean? What about a lot? Was that all in one week or over several months? Should we try a new activity for days, weeks, months or even years? Here’s the thing — rather than focus on the amount of time – focus on the ACTION. Focus on doing it over and over. In other words, “repeat.”
Think about the things you do regularly – over and over. You manage to feed yourself every day. Brush your teeth. Take a shower. Go to school or get to work. It’s simple!
What baby steps are you going to implement today? When it comes to taking the next step, all you have to remember is — lather, rinse, and repeat.
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And CONGRATS go out to Deborah– our big winner in the GoodOnYa bar giveaway! Hope you enjoy your tasty winnings!
Sue, those are such GREAT things to think about! .
Sue, those are such GREAT things to think about!
“Practice makes health.” — I like that. .
So glad you like, Barbara! You’re a shining example of healing in motion 😉
Great post! Yeah, why do people think that something is going to happen in a WEEK? I’ve read that it takes at least 4 weeks to make something routine…and that even sounds too short, however there may be a little impact by then that would encourage someone to continue.
Yeah, and that “repeat” with the shampoo is silly…not good to strip your hair and make it dried out!
Healing success is rather simple, too. It’s the actions we take regularly that provide the most success. Even small steps. Baby steps.
As someone who is now learning to walk again after a foot injury which confined me to the wheelchair, I can testify to the truth of this. I have to do small exercises consistently over a long period to achieve complete healing.
Thanks, Sue, great post!
Thanks so much for chiming in, Damyanti!
Wow…this is very enlightening for me..on all levels!! This applies to negative thinking about relationships, my health, work, everything. Thank you.. Im one of those that often say “tried that it didn’t work.” I’m now gonna focus on the routine of things and make the routine the goal..Thank you for this post, I really needed it!
Tiff, I’m so glad this met you where your needs were! I want everyone to experience the amazing feeling of success, so whatever I can do to encourage others to move forward is the basis of my intention. So glad you have a new focus! Please let me know how it goes.
As an American woman who by age fell through the cracks for care after moving to a new area, I have found myself ill and unable to get any “health” care for close to 10 years. It took 7 years to finally get a couple medicines that work and I can’t afford them in the US. I have to get them from Canada at a savings of approx. 3000% The last 3years I’ve been uninsured & family is unemployed! Your advise is very very fundamental to maintaining life while waiting for health. I propose,(yet to read EFT paper)that every suggestion be put to absolute use. Many times the sensation of death has come upon me, without my meditation background I may have just lost it!
Also, I, being older, couldn’t help but remember my “EST” training. “This is it & there is no such action as “trying”. We do it, or we don’t. In that Werner was right. I hated the training felt it was “cultish” and he was rude to individuals.
On the other hand, there’s you! Thank you very much!
Thanks for the comments, JD and I can relate to what you’re saying. When I first started out to find healing, it really wasn’t about healing. I was looking for solutions that would temporarily work until my doctor could figure things out for me. I found, however, that I was able to figure things out for myself. I no longer depend on any medical system to keep me well. I’m able to care for myself and keep myself healthy all through means that are doable, affordable, and functional. Blessings to you again, for chiming in here!