Epigenetics
Epigenetics is essentially the study of the “behavior” of our genes. This behavior refers to the changes that occur in genes and how they act in response to their environment. Just as you react to stimuli in your surroundings, weather, other people, emotions, and so on, your body, at the genetic level, responds to its environment in much the same way.
One example might be a person who suddenly goes into remission from cancer with no clear medical explanation. Stories like this are becoming more common. One possible reason is the ability to positively and confidently tap into the mind and cultivate awareness. This awareness can create either a hospitable or inhospitable environment for your body, depending on your thoughts and emotions.
Have you ever known someone who is sick all the time? Someone who worries for years about getting a terrible disease, only to see that fear eventually become reality? Or the opposite type of person, who is so “busy” that they feel they cannot afford to get sick, and somehow they rarely do. The bottom line is that you can greatly affect your health simply by how you think. Constant negativity, distressed emotions, anger, and irritability are a recipe for poor health and an unwanted lifestyle. People who live this way often perpetuate a cascade of situations that create the perfect environment for things to go wrong, physically and emotionally, leading to a never-ending cycle. Because this pattern usually builds up over time, the person often has no idea they are creating it within themselves and instead chalks it up to “bad luck” or blames external situations and other people.
There are many ways to help reverse this pattern. Ultimately, you will want to get to a better mental and emotional place. This can be done by reshaping relationships, practicing meditation, and taking a more engaged approach to how you manage different aspects of your life. Letting go of a victim mentality and assuming responsibility for your actions, even when you feel you did nothing wrong in a given situation, puts you in a position to take better care of yourself. It shifts you from reaction to action. The specific approach will differ from person to person, since everyone has a unique set of circumstances; however, this is the baseline from which most self-help techniques operate. Self-management is key to a healthy and happy life.
Epigenetics is essentially the study of the “behavior” of our genes. This behavior refers to the changes that occur in genes and how they act in response to their environment. Just as you react to stimuli in your surroundings, weather, other people, emotions, and so on, your body, at the genetic level, responds to its environment in much the same way.
One example might be a person who suddenly goes into remission from cancer with no clear medical explanation. Stories like this are becoming more common. One possible reason is the ability to positively and confidently tap into the mind and cultivate awareness. This awareness can create either a hospitable or inhospitable environment for your body, depending on your thoughts and emotions.
Have you ever known someone who is sick all the time? Someone who worries for years about getting a terrible disease, only to see that fear eventually become reality? Or the opposite type of person, who is so “busy” that they feel they cannot afford to get sick, and somehow they rarely do. The bottom line is that you can greatly affect your health simply by how you think. Constant negativity, distressed emotions, anger, and irritability are a recipe for poor health and an unwanted lifestyle. People who live this way often perpetuate a cascade of situations that create the perfect environment for things to go wrong, physically and emotionally, leading to a never-ending cycle. Because this pattern usually builds up over time, the person often has no idea they are creating it within themselves and instead chalks it up to “bad luck” or blames external situations and other people.
There are many ways to help reverse this pattern. Ultimately, you will want to get to a better mental and emotional place. This can be done by reshaping relationships, practicing meditation, and taking a more engaged approach to how you manage different aspects of your life. Letting go of a victim mentality and assuming responsibility for your actions, even when you feel you did nothing wrong in a given situation, puts you in a position to take better care of yourself. It shifts you from reaction to action. The specific approach will differ from person to person, since everyone has a unique set of circumstances; however, this is the baseline from which most self-help techniques operate. Self-management is key to a healthy and happy life.
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