Whilst rooting through some of the papers and books under my bed (I know, I know!) I came across some old journals that I kept from my younger years and naturally, I stopped cleaning and became absorbed in my old scribblings. Lots of memories came flooding back, but one thing that really struck me as I browsed diaries from my teens and 20s were how so many of the same patterns and complaints kept emerging – yo-yo dieting, lack of confidence around my peers, not being strong enough in my work, worry about boyfriends… over and over, the years passed, but my internal dialogue remained the same.
The amount of times I would start a diet and then berate myself at the end of the day for unhealthy choices and mindless eating, or assume that others were more intelligent or together than me, or that my boyfriends couldn’t possibly really want to be with me. Looking back, I want to hug the old me and tell myself that the voices in my head telling me that I was weak-willed and a failure – were the voices and messages I’d unwittingly received from other people throughout my childhood –
and that they were lying…
All the magazines I’d flicked through showing me pictures of impossibly beautiful women and the advice columns I’d absorbed about how to be a better girlfriend – all the bitchy remarks in the playground and even the well-meaning but hurtful comments from parents and teachers…all sat within my subconscious for years, playing the same old record, convincing me that I just wasn’t up to scratch – and it didn’t matter what outward efforts I made to change things, I always fell short…
And of course I did – because my conscious mind (my willpower) was actively trying to make changes, it was only 5% of my mind… the remaining 95% was pulling in the opposite direction and all that negative self-talk (that was never mine to begin with) was always going to be dragging me down.
I wish I could have hugged my 16 and 22 year old self and reassured her that there was nothing wrong with her. I wish I could have told her that it was easy to make changes, as long as you work on the right level… that working with the subconscious to change the self-talk was the key that would unlock her from the prison of anxiety and low self-esteem
And in large part, this is what prompted my interest in hypnotherapy – and ultimately, why Papalona was born – because I know that life is even more difficult for my kids, that they are getting even more messages every day from social media telling them that they are not enough and that they have to strive even harder to be an unobtainable perfect…
and I know that these beliefs are ones that set them back, that stop them from achieving, and feeling happy and fulfilled and that they do not have to carry those burdens throughout their lives…
And neither do your children,
And neither do you…
If you haven’t signed up for our free 7 day Core Membership trial yet – what are you waiting for? Help cancel out the negative messages in your subconscious so that your entire family can feel good about themselves and live happier more fulfilled lives… https://www.papalona.com/product/core-membership/
