There has been a certain saying that I have used for over 20 years and it has come up in a couple of situations over the last few weeks, which inspired me to write this article.
Here is how it all started.
Last week a friend put herself down, another one got frustrated with his tennis game, another was anxious about a job interview, and I caught myself thinking negatively about my body image.
What I was reminded of was an amazing women’s camp I went to in Colorado years ago.
We would wake up, do yoga, have breakfast, take a hike or a run, bike or go for a swim. The afternoons continued with much of the same. All the activities included a physical coach as well as a psychologist or life coach. We worked on the technical and mental aspects of life and athletics.
In the evenings we would sit and listen to a guest speaker. They were from all walks of life and came with a variety of education and specialties. The one thing all the coaches had in common was, at some point in their life they had been high level competitive athletes.
One night, a coach told her story of becoming an Olympic Marathon Runner and Eating Disorder Survivor. Her story is one of life and near death that was so impactful I get chills every time I recall it. As she was telling us about how she laid in a hospital bed, weighing in at 87 pounds at 5 foot 9 inches tall, clinging to life, barely able to listen to her counselor who whispered in her ear,
“You have the controller, change the channel.”
I realized right then, I too, had the controller and I can change the channel any time I want. The power in that was life altering.
Negative self-talk is toxic but if we are conscientious of it and “Change the Channel” to a more positive and caring “channel” we can begin to heal ourselves, reach our goals and be better at anything we put our minds to!
I do not want to oversimplify her fight but one of the many tools she has in her tool box is, she “Changed the Channel” began to think positive, love herself and eventually made it to the Olympics!
Now that is a show I want to watch.
~Michelle
