Yes! Louise Hay tells me her #1 healing trick
This week in Sunday Life I get myself a mirror
photo by Charlotte Abramow
Louise Hay, the world’s biggest self-help publisher and author, is laughing at me. What’s your first thought when you wake up, she asks.
“Um, most days it’s, ‘Shit, I have so much to do’. Then I start composing emails and conversations in my head…” I stop and look at Louise’s face.
“OK. Correction. I used to wake up that way.”
This week Hay gave me a lesson in affirmations as she ate breakfast (scrambled eggs, three sausages and five prunes). (For more tips from my i/v with Louise click here.)
“Become aware of your self-critique and turn it into past tense,” she instructs.
This proves challenging. Yet highly entertaining for Hay. Hay’s 84 and I’m astounded by her energy and sparkle (her whole being is awesomely clear and bright) as she helps me switch my negative self-talkin’ ways.
If Hay didn’t invent positive-speak, she packaged and delivered it to the masses. Her first book, You Can Heal Your Life – which explains illness in terms of negative emotions in your body – has sold more than 50 million copies. When folk tell you your throat infection is about trapped creativity, they’ve read Hay. When they start quoting pretty much any self-help mantra they’re read one of her authors (she publishes Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer and dozens more).
I was born acerbic and I’m one of those people who protects their ego by taking the piss out of themselves before someone else can. “So I’ve got a lot of resistance to affirmations,” I tell her. (Dammit! Correction. I used to.)
So Hay shares her favourite trick after forty years of healing others and curing herself of cancer. “Get a mirror.”
What? I can’t look at myself in mirrors, I tell her. I never can. (I mean, could! Never could!)
“Every morning look at yourself, really look at yourself in the eyes and say, ‘Sarah, I love you exactly as you are’,” she says, reaching for my hand. “Just try it.” So, I do.
Every day this week I stare into my eyes and go through a Five-Step Process of Awkwardness Wonderful Awakening. Step one: Urgent Need to Run (it takes every iota of courage to stay staring). Followed by: Feeling Ridiculous; Sadness (when I realise how distanced I am from myself); Comfort, and finally, Alright, I Get It. This is squirmy to share, but after a week of telling my reflection I love it, I reach a point where it feels like that moment when you’re scanning a crowd of strangers and a friend’s face suddenly appears, smiling. They were there all along, calm and ready to greet you.
Affirmations get a bad rap. They seem self-deluding. And it involves talking in your head. But, let’s face it, that what we already do. It’s just that it’s generally negative and self-doubting. You realize this when you’re challenged to switch to positive affirmations, even just as an experiment. Hay says it’s a choice. You can either talk the bad stuff or the good stuff. “Affirmations make you feel better,” she says. They just do. You can make money or seek the perfect partner to feel better, or you can shortcut things and go straight to feeling better.
I like her pragmatism. A lot. I like her a lot. I’m in awe. She walks her talk vibrantly. And, yes, it is a choice. And we do intuitively know – even in the absence of concrete, scientific evidence – that what you put out there, you get back. It’s how life works. As a simple example – negative talkers are a downer and eventually stop getting invited to barbeques.
This week I noticed that committing to positive affirmations is a lot about becoming more aware of how you’re choosing to live. Simply saying, “I have a great job” got me more aware of the good aspects of my work. Which, in turn, got me more focused on enhancing them. I became more aware of being calm when sitting at my computer. And, oddly, I noticed my computer password I use each day had a really negative vibe to it. I’d never noticed and suddenly it felt really…down. Hay adds this:
“Mirror talking gets resistance out of the way”.
Yes, yes it does! You invariably squirm and struggle with your doubts and acerbic tendencies and overall disappointment with yourself when you tell your reflection you love it and “there are great experiences coming our way today”. But with practice, the resistance fades.
And so when you exit the bathroom and start your day everything does feel less awkward and, well…better.
I know many of you are Louise Hay fans…what have you taken from her teachings?
Also, will you try the mirror trick? Seriously, her words have shifted me a lot. I’ve become very aware of just how negative my self-talk is…
Great article Sarah… my favourite bit is “Affirmations make you feel better.” We overcomplicate and trip ourselves up so much on our quest for happiness that it’s nice to hear something so simple sometimes. We choose our feelings/ reactions, bad or good. Thanks for the reminder. ‘I feel amazing today!’ x
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Hi Sarah,
I have been reading your blog over the last few weeks. Reading your Louise Hay posts has inspired me to dig out my You Can Heal Your Life, as I have become more aware of my negative thoughts in regards to myself and others. I find myself saying to myself no think positive and slowly I am starting to think and react more positively.
To help myself I am going to post Louise Hay on my blog also. V xx
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Lovely post Sarah and great advice.
And what was your old negative password (now you’ve changed it I guess we can all know it!). Never heard of a negative password before!
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August 21st, 2011 at 10:10 pm
My boyfriend just passed on a good tip. He uses the destination of his next holiday for his computer passwords. (And it makes you plan your next holiday as soon as you return from your last!)
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August 22nd, 2011 at 9:33 pm
Love your boyf’s tip!
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August 23rd, 2011 at 12:08 pm
Kirrilee, I’m totally going to steal that.
xx
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You know, I just realised that in order to remember it, my email password contained (see..past tense..
) my ex boyfriend’s name…probably unwise. My old housemate loved Louise and I recently started following her on twitter. She’s a gem. I think that it just goes back to the power of positive thinking a lot of the time. I used to use her affirmations on my body parts but since I moved away from my friend, I don’t have her book within easy reach now. You really are lovely just as you are too!
PS. You look great on the eat yourself sexy poster, I run past it and it is great motivation
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You know what, I’m going to actually try this. For some time now I have had this overwhelming feeling that I need to learn to LOVE MYSELF. I do not value myself enough. So much so that it is tangible. I can see very clearly that when I am conflicting with my partner on certain issues, it comes down to me not loving myself and my own insecurities. I am also so aware of the inner voice that spouts negative affirmations day in day out: I have realised that I walk around expecting people to not like me, to not think I belong, to talk and tease me behind my back, to think that I am not good enough. This is terrible!! And I know that this lack of self-confidence comes from the fact that I was bullied in school and had a mother who used to scream at me every day, saying things like “you don’t have any friends”, “you are on the outer”, “you will never have a boyfriend”, “you are a LOSER”. Not nice, hey? The thing is, I had many friends, but they weren’t the “cool” people mum wanted me to be friends with. They were beautiful people with the kindest hearts and gave me the courage to be myself. I am still friends with them! I am a mostly happy, well-adjusted, successful person in my opinion. I didn’t crumble under my mother’s soul-crushing taunts, but instead I got the courage to be who I want to be. However, after breaking down emotionally in front of one of my best friends about a year ago, I have realised that I have been holding onto the effects of bullying from my peers and my mother, like some sort of emotional and psychological cancer that has been growing and growing inside of me. I have one side of me that is very strong, confident, happy, motivated and centred with a great perspective on life – I get told a lot that I seem very “grounded” and “calm”; yet on the other hand I have this negative voice getting louder and louder so that I can see it really holding me back from being comfortable and happy in my own skin to the point that I want to be. I have a deep yearning to regain control over this and learn to love myself again!! I really want to love myself! I really do. Thank you so much for talking about this topic Sarah. Like you say, we sort of know intrinsically the things that will make us feel happier in terms of self-affirmations. I certainly do. However, it is my own negative inner-voice that has won every time in any of my efforts to find the courage to learn to love myself. No more I say! I am going to finally put more effort into this self-love mission – I have to! I don’t want to live this way anymore! I deserve better.
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August 21st, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Heather, the fact you know it’s there… and that it’s annoying you…you’re 70% if the way. x
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August 21st, 2011 at 2:25 pm
An acute awareness of the problem, yet state of unsureness about what to do next can be an incredibly painful place to be. Sometimes it flattens me, other times it motivates me. I’m not entirely sure that I’ll ever push through the said 70% mark (case in point… I need to be saying here… “I have pushed through the 70% mark”!), but in many ways I’m just very grateful for having the insight to get this far.
As well as Louise Hay, I rather enjoy Abraham, or Jerry and Esther, Hicks for positive stuff.
Best of luck
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August 21st, 2011 at 6:45 pm
Hey Heather, I dont know you or your mother so I hope you dont mind me giving you some unsolicited advice. My mother sounds just like yours, and she was a textbook malignant narcissist – violent and completely selfish and capable of the most insane rage and insults, yet able to make it look to outsiders that she was a devoted mother and loved us. Anyway, there is an amazing book called Will I Ever Be Good Enough? Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers by Dr Karyl McBride. Its amazing, it helps you learn to be positive and feel worthy again when you have grown up with a mother who damaged you psychologically. I thoroughly recommend it, is was instrumental in my healing.
At any rate it helped me to learn how to stop repeating my mother’s negative smack talk, and start to listen to my own inner loving voice. I have an amazing therapist too, who helps. You might like to give this a try? Growing up with an emotionally abusive mother usually means you are ill equipped to look after and love yourself, through no fault of your own, and sometimes you need help learning those skills as an adult.
Either way, good luck, and dont forget that you are deeply loved by the universe just for being you. xx
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August 21st, 2011 at 11:59 pm
Heather, I really feel for you. My mother wasn’t quite as bad (and is much better now), but many of the things your mother said to you, my mother said to me growing up (you don’t have any friends (like your brother), you’re not athletic, you’re not pretty, you’re self-centred, your worst feature is… (never “Your best feature is…)…she even told me that I “ran funny” after I became a successful athlete and competed for my country (!) and she refused to come to any of my races!), and she didn’t attend any of my graduation ceremonies! I plugged on in life, just like you, gaining a fair bit of compassion and balance in the process (and a whole lot of independence) and “succeeding” in life on the surface, but still being incredibly self-loathing, assuming that everyone won’t like me and that I’m not worthy, and ultimately have been very sad inside. You wrote this out so beautifully! I realized at some point that my mother hated herself and projected that onto me. That helped me to forgive her and take the first step towards peace. I read Louise Hay’s book after Sarah mentioned it a while back and have been feeling a bit discouraged at how difficult it is to change self-talk (I also have a good therapist), but by plugging away I think this method of affirmations will do a great deal of good in replacing the pessimistic voice (which fundamentally stalls the process with the negative belief “I can’t be fixed! I have been carrying this anchor around for so long.”). I hope you find healing and thanks so much for putting into words what I think is not an uncommon experience -very brave! I’m curious to check out Mia’s book suggestion – thanks!
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August 22nd, 2011 at 1:51 pm
Hey Stephanie, definitely check that book out – it is aimed at daughters of women with narcissistic personality disorder, but has some amazing exercises in it (very Louise Hay!) which I think would probably be helpful for any females with mother issues. It is centred on principals of forgiveness and nurturing yourself, which I think is so helpful.
Unfortunately we live in a very pronatalist culture, so while abuse and parents with personality disorders/ addiction/ mental problems etc arent uncommon, it is a very taboo thing to talk about. It is so great you talk about forgiving your mother, you sound like you are doing excellently with your healing! Good luck with all of it!! xx
August 22nd, 2011 at 9:42 pm
Thanks so much Mia. I actually downloaded the book on my kindle yesterday – very interesting!! I realized a while back that my mother had her own pain, and to her credit she has made a significant effort in recent years to be more loving and understanding. It has been easy to forgive. Good luck with all of your work! Your contributions here are wonderful. xx S
um… i really do hate to be a downer but sarah you post a lot of pics of yourself up here. it does make this mirror challenge sound a wee bit of a stretch….
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August 21st, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Really? I don’t see the “Sarah” in the pics when I look in the mirror. Completely different concept.
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August 22nd, 2011 at 9:18 am
Nicely put Sarah, some people just don’t get it, but that’s ok, we should assist those who don’t!!!
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August 22nd, 2011 at 12:28 pm
I agree Sarah. My mirror and my camera have 2 completely different ideas of who I am. I’m not sure that either are anywhere near the truth.
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August 22nd, 2011 at 6:00 pm
So true Sarah, the mirror and the camera see 2 different people in my life, and I know that the mirror may help heal me, whilst the camera will just show my performance.
Wonderful piece this week, thank you…
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Hi Sarah..not sure if you have a Syd equivalent of The Age, but in the M magazine today, there is a very complimentary write up on both you and your new show (got a 3* rating). Congrats!
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August 21st, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Oh & btw, one of your billboards is up in Carlton. Unfortunately not the best position – cnr Lygon St & Cemetry Road West! But you look fantastic.
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August 22nd, 2011 at 9:35 pm
I keep hearing my mug is all over Sydney and Melbourne. I’m glad I’m up here…no bustops, no billboards…no MUG!
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August 22nd, 2011 at 10:22 pm
If I may requote you here – “I was born acerbic and I’m one of those people who protects their ego by taking the piss out of themselves before someone else can. “So I’ve got a lot of resistance to affirmations,” I tell her. (Dammit! Correction. I used to.)”….isn’t this exactly what you have just done again with your response?
I actually felt excited for you when I saw the billboard, as I know how much this show means to you and felt a little sad when you mocked yourself. Please accept the compliment that you do look fantastic (and not just on the billboard!).
I think there’s a big thing about being ‘cool’ too, for me at least. I have some muso/arty friends and I get the sense that being dark and broody or just plain negative is kinda…’cool’ wheras affirmations are kinda, daggy! But who wants to be cool anyway? I’d go daggy, being uplifted and uplifting anyday if it makes me feel better.
This is great timing too as I am watching a broadcast of an Abraham Hicks workshop. Its all about creating your world through your feelings and thoughts, that your life is a reflection of your vibration and/or what you think. If you are interested Sarah, heaps of stuff on youtube. I resisted a little at first, as the lady Esther who talks, channels a non-physical entity called, Abraham. But regardless of how she gets the information, bit by bit the teachings have seeped in and changed my life.
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August 22nd, 2011 at 9:26 am
Caitlin, I think you’re a beautiful person but I suppose it takes one to know one. I’m also myself & if that’s daggy I’m daggy…… you want to know something else I’m comfortable with it.
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August 22nd, 2011 at 10:03 am
Hey Matthew, thanks! oh I am also very daggy, always have been and I perhaps I didn’t word things very well in that post. Funny cos I went away from it thinking, there’s no such thing as ‘cool’ anyway, its a concept made up by advertising and held on tight to by those who don’t know how to be themselves yet. And to be yourself is the ultimate! So lets be ourselves and if that means daggy, always
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August 22nd, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Oh gloriously said Caitlin, love it! No such thing as ‘cool’ for sure! I am trying to be mysef more and more so important especially as I’ve got three kids watching everything I do, and not particularly listening when I’m trying to teach them something! Well said !
Great column today Sarah. I always smile and say hello to myself in the mirror first thing every morning (only because there is no one else in the house to do so!). But it gets the day off to a happy start.
I don’t, however, think the photo you have used matches up to what you are saying. Ok, so you might say it’s just a random photo, but all I see is a girl who looks like she is already madly in love with herself, loving herself even more.
I have read many comments on this blog from people telling you how beautiful, stunning, radiant etc. you are, and I don’t think you have ever responded or acknowledged these compliments. Until now, I have probably seen this as a sign of vanity, but after reading that you struggle to look at yourself in the mirror, I actually think you are a very humble person.
Thank you for this insight.
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August 22nd, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Anna, thank you. x
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Great stuff, Sarah. Working on how we address ourselves is something that we could ALL use a little improvement with!
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Its a wonderful concept, and affirmations do truly work. When I was in a particularly dark place in my life, I used to see a kinesiologist who then trained me to become one. The affirmations I use with my clients also combine breath techniques and some say they still use the same sheets of paper for years afterwards. Good on your for looking in the mirror as well as persevering. As for the computer passwords… its one that got me recently as well. In fact I’ve recently updated all my passwords to help in the manifestation of the reality i want.
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Sounds like a very wise woman. Must have been a thrill to meet her.
Were you nervous ?
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Lately I’ve been doing a lot of EFT tapping which is similar… you tap various meridian point while stating “Even though I have *insert problem* I deeply and completely love and accept myself.” Usually the problem is that I miss my ex-boyfriend or I feel lonely, and it does help. But it’s actually really awkward telling my reflection that I deeply and completely love and accept it. Which, frankly, is the best reason to do it that I can think of! Oh to get to a place where I genuinely love and accept myself! I’m looking forward to it, but for now enjoying the journey.
I looooove all your delicious Louise Hay tidbits Sarah!! Sending big universal love and thanks to both of you. xx
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August 22nd, 2011 at 9:38 am
Mia, never try to look for that silver lining somewhere else, you will never find it there, it has & is always with you, you are that silver lining, you’re the one who makes life beautiful not someone or somewhere else, it’s you!!!
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Thank you so much Sarah for sharing more wonderful advice from Louise. I will definately be trying this. I think another key is consistency in repeating affirmations…well with me at least but I can see me making this a daily habit. I have read a book of hers a while ago which I had borrowed from a friend but I now will be getting a copy all for myself!
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Oh i love reading your articles..articulate and creative.
How wonderful to meet Louise Hay.
Years ago I was given a little book, “You Can Heal Your Life” with listing ailments linked to body parts. In my search for ‘inner peace’ I was drawn to the simplistic ideals of living with affirmations running around in my head.
At the time I was trying to rid myself of such pains, I was going through one of the most heart-wrenching moments that life can deal. In hindsight, her book helped me focus on me but with outer influences it was a hard battle to win …alone.
Ten years on I have found Louise again and i am in a much better place, reading her updated edition of “You Can Heal Your Life” with the gorgeous coloured pages and illustrations …i have found ‘ME’ again.
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I have the opposite problem. I love looking at myself in the mirror!
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August 21st, 2011 at 8:23 pm
And do you also have a mirror on your bedroom ceiling?
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August 22nd, 2011 at 9:42 am
Mia, your being sarcastic, that’s naughty of you……. don’t worry, I do the same!!!
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August 22nd, 2011 at 10:44 am
Having two Mia’s (at least one other apart from me) on the site is very confusing…
Sarah, are you having a boring weekend? You must have changed your twitter background about 20 times!
But I do love the bunny in the bowl.
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August 22nd, 2011 at 9:37 pm
I’ve got a program that uploads a diff artwork each day…I tweeted about it…forget the name now!
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I dig her book out twice a year and am amazed each time…ALL my problems come from not loving myself enough. Like some of your lovely readers I do EFT too.
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I loved this piece, Sarah. It was very well put together and very honest. You’re much more disciplined than I am in putting new ideas into practise!! Thank you!
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Louise is a wise old soul.
I am from an Asian background and my family is ridiculously traditional. My parents (particularly my dominant father) had brought me up with a lot of negativeness. Apparently they think being negative and talking down to their offspring will spur their children to want to become better. This of course had led to the lack in self confidence throughout life. Funnily enough after I met my husband, he brought me to my attention how negative I am towards myself. Then I slowly started to change. By having positive affirmations to myself or things I do, does start to turn things around and suddenly life ain’t so sour anymore!
I will definitely try some mirror talk starting tomorrow!
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Sarah I absolutely love how you reveal so much of your vulnerability in order to share your lessons, and this is a particularly meaningful piece.
Can I please ask that you consider not swearing in your articles – I’m a bit of a swearer myself – so it’s not the prude in me asking this, more that I find it a distraction (in that it calls me to consider why you would want to put that word in there). You have a great style and share your learnings and stumbles and goodness in a really accessible and compassionate way. X
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Yes, positive affirmations have had a very bad rap in my house too. I’ve seen too many people ward off anything uncomfortable with them, squeezing themselves into a very brittle tight corner where only good things can be known and expressed.
But when when another down-talker gives the mirror a go and reports back positively, it does give me pause for thought. I’m thinking I might try it myself. Tomorrow maybe!
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It’s so nice to be able to read on the good things in life instead of morbid sensationalism which seems to dominate all our media toooo much these days.
I think this article is so beautiful & I thank you Sarah for sharing this with us, the world is finding new meaning other than what has been presented to us for far toooo long.
The change of human consciousness is so evident, more people seem to be getting in tune with themselves & the world around them in an honest holistic way, it’s so prevalent now. We all feel it but we don’t know or understand what it is & when we are shown a small portion of it we become elated over our new discovery which has been there all along!!
I’m good friends with a Yoga teacher, who is exactly the same as Louise, she’s a fair bit older than myself but with a vivaciousness of an eighteen year old. I love her love, understanding & passion.
My grandfather used to say “keep it simple stupid”, & what have we done?…. complicated our lives to the extent of not knowing who we are anymore.
My grandfather was born during the start of the industrial revolution; he could see how we were making things more complicated for ourselves way back then.
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Thanks for sharing this Sarah. I tried out the affirmation in front of the mirror this morning and I felt so awkward! But I’ll keep at it because I know I need to stop all my negative thinking.
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August 22nd, 2011 at 9:38 pm
it does feel weird, doesn’t it! But there’s also something …friendly about it, don’t you reckon?
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Great article Sarah. I certainly agree that affirmations when used frequently certainly create an awareness as to where your thinkings at. When I have an ailment, I often pick up her book & check out what she has to say. If it resonates or hits a cord with me, I reflect and if any changes can be made, I try and follow through.
As a Holistic Counsellor we look at the whole person, not just whats going on inside a person’s head, hence, physical ailments are very often sign posts as to what is going in a persons deeper emotional world. The illness is energy which has become blocked and stuck in the body and has manifested into an ailment.
I believe it is so important when ill to consider the emotional aspect and not just accept that it may be bad luck or genetics etc. That said its all about balance and there is place for all of this in the world.
My own journey through life threatening illness, has certainly show me that the emotional was a major player in manifesting the diesease.
Thanks again, enjoy you day!! xoxo
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I love this article Sarah.
I’ve recently discovered Lousie Hay and I think she’s absolutely brilliant. I listen to her evening meditation podcast as I go to sleep each night and since doing it, I’ve slept much deeper and woken feeling more positive. I’ll try the mirror thing this week.
I was a little sceptical on affirmations to begin with, but they really have made such a difference.
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The journey indivduals take, and ultimately society as a collective, the pendulum swings a little too far one way. Over exuberance versus under exuberance……doesn’t matter what the label is. The window of opportunity opens a little or the mirror turns towards us during, more often than not, times of pain and suffering , we look in the mirror more fully, we see a little of ourselves, we cringe, we accept, we get a little wisdom if we choose to be mindful and change slowly starts. The pendulum swings a little closer to the middle. It’s ongoing, the pendulum doesn’t stop, the mirror doesn’t go away. If I look after my pendulum or take care of my mirror as opposed to trying to control or change the collective pendulum then everything seems to go along pretty serenely.
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Just noticed you have added a new photo. You could easily pass as Megan Gale’s older sister (not sure how old either of you are, so hopefully no offence). And LH looks amazing for an 84 yr old.
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August 22nd, 2011 at 9:47 pm
Sh*t, just googled Megan Gale and she is 36. Sorry Sarah. If it’s any compensation, you are both still hot!
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How wonderful you met Louise Hay.
She’s truly inspirational (as are you, Sarah).
Her book, You Can Heal Your Life, taught me the power of forgiveness.
As an angry young woman, I thought holding grudges related to others’ “bad” behaviour was powerful. Forgive and forget? No way!
But a situation that resulted in me becoming so stressed and anxious I broke out in an eczema-like rash, prompted my friend to hand me his well-read copy of You Can Heal Your Life.
She wrote of the power of forgiving your “tormentor”, imagining seeing them happy and successful, to imagine yourself wishing them well and for all the success they could want.
Even as an exercise of “in one’s head” imagination, it was so difficult, but the sense of relief and empowerment was almost immediate.
I decided how things would be, I was no longer simply reacting to what was happening around and to me.
The penny dropped, I finally got the true meaning of forgiveness.
The book that changed my life.
Thanks Louise Hay.
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Thanks for sharing this Sarah. I tried out the affirmation in front of the mirror this morning and I felt so awkward! But I’ll keep at it because I know I need to stop all my negative thinking.
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I just want to add (in response to an earlier comment) that there is nothing wrong with loving yourself sick (hehe) or similar terms. As long as you’re not arrogant about it, or putting anyone else down to feel that way, what on earth is wrong with it?
Australia is very good at playing ‘tall poppy’ to anyone who has the gall (the nerve!) to acknowledge that they might be good at something, or successful in some way, and I think this is quite a pervasive and negative attitude, which should be emphatically thrown by the wayside.
Bring on self love! Accept compliments with confidence, not by deflecting and shirking them. And…at the risk of sounding like a major hippy dag (hey, I grew up in Byron, I’m allowed
), instead of just *thinking* something nice about someone else, actually tell them!
Peace, love and mungbeans, haha.
x Amy.
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August 24th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
You only love yourself as you do others, no more no less!!!
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Putting a positive spin on things makes a huge difference!! I have a 5mth old baby who needs to be offered food every 2hours (or be tube fed, so currently going 2hrly) but instead of doing the ‘I’m so tired/dont want to get up/is it that %#}{{}^++€ time already grumble, I have made a conscious choice to bounce out of bed and enjoy the extra time with my girl….it has made huge difference to my energy levels and connection with her.
Despite that, I do use negativity about myself as my first line of defense…so off to have a chat to the mirror
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I taught a Society and Culture class today.
Right now we are focussing on personal identity and how we form it.
Most of my students are female Asian Internationals and they could not really relate to the idea of body piercings and tattoos as popular forms of self expression.
But one student commented on how routine it was for young Koreans to undergo plastic surgery. This led to a discussion on self-esteem and I mentioned the Mirror trick. So many faces lit up all at once. They ‘got’ it straight away …
Gorgeous !!
Thanks Sass
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Frog prince,
The reason why Asian women can’t relate to tattoo and piercing as self expression is because our culture relates these to negative stuff like gangsters and delinquents. I have a tattoo myself. My dad didn’t speak to me for months. Apparently i disgraced my family. My family has been in Australia for over 20 years. But my parents refuse to accept the culture here. Which is quite sad really. I think overall Asians have more body image problems. They can’t accept individuality. Most have to conform to media and the asian culture’s perception of a person.
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sarah you are just the best! thanks for being you and for writing this. i just love your blog and your writing. thanks!!!
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I love that photograph of you and Louise. She is sparkling. I’ve really enjoyed your last articles on her. I’ll give the mirror trick a whirl. Thanks for sharing it. xx
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Great post Sarah,
I actually shed a tear when I read the line “you’re scanning a crowd of strangers and a friend’s face suddenly appears, smiling. They were there all along, calm and ready to greet you.”
I am my friend…I just forget that so often.
I’ve loved Louise Hays work for many years, it’s provided solace on many occasions. Lucky you to have met her!
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Sarah
You are and certainly come across in every way as a very positive person yourself. So enjoy that! Really!
Best wishes
Happy travels
Live Long and Prosper!
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Everytime I do this it feels like I’m lying to myself.
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[...] probably not going to stop mentioning her anytime soon… ha. Anyway today she linked Sarah Wilson whom I have read before… but today the link was super special! It is an interview with none [...]
[...] affirmation tip from the Queen of Affirmations Louise [...]
[...] Ja! Louise Hay forteller meg hennes # 1 healing trick av Sarah Wilson. Ok, så jeg hadde et kort blaff av Jelly når jeg leste at disse to fantastiske kvinnene hadde hengt ut, men jeg ble fort over det. Louises tips til Sarah er så sant, og så nyttig. Jeg skal begynne å gjøre det også. [...]
Ok, there is a FANTASTIC series of articles in New Scientist that came out yesterday on the very topic of healing yourself of disease! It all supports Louise’s theories. Here you go…
http://www.newscientist.com/special/heal-thyself
Interestingly enough, they have concluded that the placebo effect works even when you know its a placebo, you just need something to believe in. And the placebo effect is remarkably strong, if you believe you will be cured, your chances are much higher. Contrariwise, the nocebo effect (when you believe a drug will give you bad side effects) also works, and can cause death.
It really IS all in the mind!
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September 9th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
no its not all in the mind. some maybe, but don’t believe all the hype. how many positive thinkers have not cured themselves of cancer? very dangerous influence on people vulnerable and looking for an answer. i know two very young women who took this route and are certainly not on the road to recovery.
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[...] The beautiful Sarah Wilson is lucky enough to meet with the love of my life Louise Hay, and tells us exactly what she eats for breakfast: a cup of peppermint tea, scrambled eggs, 3 [...]
[...] Louise L. Hay, the world’s biggest self-help publisher and author and shared this post: Yes! Louise Hay tells me her #1 healing trick. It’s something that has done a lot for me on my path to self-acceptance and unconditional [...]
Wow Sarah! … I’m soooo jealous you got to meet and talk with her – that would have been awesome
Thanks for interviewing her – I will definitely start some mirror work today.
I love her work and it seriously help me through depression and anxiety last year. I have had a list of affirmations on the back of my toilet door that I read ALL the time!
I also manifested other physical ailments including a foot problem that my doctor said would take at least 1 year to heal. I focused on a specific affirmation and it was gone within about 3 months.
She rocks and so do you sweety!
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Just found your blog and just wanted to say that I too was inspired by Louise Hay and believe that affiramation do help us heal. I was diagnosed with Lupus in 1990… and very ill for many years… but to make a long story short… Heal you Life was my bible – the affirmation in the back of the book was on my desk at work..on my wall in my bathroom and with me always.
In 2004 going for my yearly blood tests…. the doctor was a bit puzzled as they took extra blood for they had newer tests for Lupus as my results for the first time had come back with no markers for Lupus ZERO…. and my doctor had never seen this before…
Our bodies are constantly talking to us…the secret is learning to listen… and yes to love ourselves… the mirror exercise is a very powerful one and many cannot do it…looking into one’s own soul can be frightening…but once done so powerful…for we begin to really see who and what we are… loving peaceful spirits…exploring the world in these bodies that house our souls.
Love Louise Hay and the power of her book… I think I have probably given away at least 15 copies over the last 20 years.
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