Negative thoughts and emotions tend to last longer than positive emotions. Our brains learn to immerse themselves in negative talk and actions from infancy into adulthood.
The internal dialogue impacts your body’s ability to heal. For most patients, negative self-talk is the biggest obstacle in their healing process.
How Negative Thoughts Hinder Recovery
We first start by identifying common negative thinking patterns to undo the damage from negative self-talk.
Mental Filtering
Mental filtering is when we filter out the positives in any given situation and focus only on the negative.
Polarized Thinking
Polarized thinking, a major part of negative thoughts, occurs when a person sees things only in black or white, with no shades of gray. This pattern of thinking is dangerous for people recovering from peripheral neuropathy.
Nerves are the slowest-healing tissue in the body, taking 1-2 years to fully heal. If a neuropathy patient is not paying attention, they will completely miss their improvement.
For example, one of our patients had a follow-up reevaluation to assess their program. They stated there had been no change after three months, and it could be worse. After examining their lifestyle, we found that the patient slept longer at night. They went from only 2 hours to 3-4 hours before waking up.
Furthermore, they could walk for longer periods without increasing their symptoms. Lastly, they rated their symptoms 8 out of 10 when they first started. After the first three months, they rated their symptoms between 6 and 7 out of 10.
When we noted the changes, they said, “But my symptoms aren’t gone. They’re still here.”
The patient disregarded the small gains because they sought a full recovery in three months.
Dr. Coppola and I have treated cases for over twenty years. No one has ever fully recovered in three months.
The person saw their condition as “all or nothing,” but that’s not how nerves heal. Before you reach maximum healing, there are many shades of gray.
Overgeneralization
Overgeneralization is when we conclude because of one bad experience, all related experiences will be bad.
For example, we work with many neuropathy patients who have received treatment from other doctors who are not experienced in this field. As a result, patients end up with failed results. They conclude that nothing will ever help them because other treatment didn’t work.
Magnifying
Magnifying is when a person’s negative thoughts exaggerate the negative details of an event.
We have a few patients like this. No matter what they do or try, they think they are getting worse, even when we show them objective improvement.
This line of thinking is based on fear and is understandable. When someone has suffered for so long, they fear that every small change is a sign of their condition worsening. With peripheral neuropathy, the nerve repair does not steadily climb for improvement. The beginning stages are more like a rollercoaster with ups and downs.
Blaming
Lastly, blaming is when we blame ourselves or others for our physical or emotional pain. Blaming versus accepting responsibility for our actions have vastly different outcomes.
Unlike accepting responsibility, blaming gets you stuck in victim mode, where you are trapped in anger, guilt, or shame. It becomes detrimental because it falsely leads you to believe you are not worthy of great health or healing.
Steps to Neutralize Negative Thoughts
Science has shown a strong link between “positivity” and health. Additional studies have found that a positive attitude improves outcomes across a spectrum of chronic conditions and diseases.
There are simple steps to neutralize your negative self-talk.
Catch Your Inner Critic
Learn to notice when you are being pessimistic.
For instance, when your inner voice says something negative and deflating about your recovery, ask yourself, “Would I say this to a dear friend or child?” If the answer is no, then do not say it to yourself.
You are just as worthy of encouragement as your friend or a child.
Clear the Bombs
Negative thoughts create a minefield. To move forward, you must change your negative minefield into neutral, safe territory. Replace a negative thought with a positive one whenever you realize you’re thinking negatively.
Ask yourself, “Is this thought helping or hindering my recovery?” If it is hindering, be gentler with your language.
For example, change “Will I ever recover from peripheral neuropathy” to “Since many people have already recovered, I have every reason to believe that I can too.” Your brain starts laying down new pathways to help facilitate everything you are doing to heal.
Repeat!
Repeat your positive thoughts repeatedly, both out loud and to yourself. Write them down and post them around the house where you will see them regularly.
These three steps neutralize the negative thoughts, but you need to drop your cortisol levels and expunge the damage from those thoughts.
Rewire Your Brain for Recovery
In other words, you need tools to rewire your brain.
Breathe out the Negative Thoughts
Research shows that breathing exercises decrease inflammation, deliver more oxygen to cells, especially nerve cells, and elevate mood.
It also improves the quality of sleep, which most peripheral neuropathy patients need. Furthermore, it improves your immune system and vibrational emotions like joy, contentment, hope, happiness, and love.
YouTube has many videos on breathwork. Find one that resonates with you and fits your schedule.
Meditation
Research shows that meditation helps eliminate negative thoughts and stop the negative feedback loop.
Harvard Health also shows that meditation trains the brain to achieve sustained focus, which helps thwart negative thoughts and emotions when they occur. You can use guided or transcendental meditation (using a mantra or a sound to quiet the mind). Both techniques are effective.
Positive Affirmations to Defeat Negative Thoughts
Positive affirmations help you change your thought patterns from negative to positive ones.
Dr. Coppola and I have two variations of healing mantras (Affirmations for Healing and Healing Affirmations), and our Midnight Mantras video incorporates both breathwork and healing mantras.
Gratitude Journal
Acknowledging the good things in your life, even small things, has a powerful impact on your emotional well-being and healing capacity.
Begin every morning by reciting three things you are grateful for. Maybe it is your beautiful pet that snuggles beside you or your supportive family, or perhaps it is a lovely, sunny day.
Recite these thanks out loud and keep a journal of them. On challenging days when negative thoughts creep in, refer back to the journal when your symptoms might be getting the best of you.
Nature vs. Negative Thoughts
Get back into nature. Most people are cave dwellers, spending most of our time indoors with the shades drawn.
Research reveals that spending time in nature not only improves emotional states but increases physical well-being by,
- Reducing muscle tension
- Decreases the production of stress hormones
- Reduces blood pressure and heart rate
Furthermore, studies show that being in nature or viewing scenes of nature reduces emotions like anger, fear, and stress and increases positive feelings.
Go outside and just sit in nature.
So, spend your days this new year on a more positive and peaceful train of thought. It will make a world of difference.
Struggling with Neuropathy?
Dr. Coppola and Dr. Monteiro’s dedication to combating neuropathy is deeply personal, stemming from Dr. Monteiro’s experience with her mother’s severe chemo-induced neuropathy. This personal journey fueled their commitment to develop a systematic, drug-free approach to reversing neuropathy.
They founded the San Antonio Neuropathy Center, where they’ve successfully treated over 18,000 patients over the past two decades. Their acclaimed book, “Defeat Neuropathy Now in Spite of Your Doctor,” along with their neuropathy product line, stands as a testament to their expertise and innovative solutions.
Recognized as leading neuropathy specialists in America, Dr. Coppola and Dr. Monteiro offer a beacon of hope for those diagnosed with this challenging condition. If you or a loved one is seeking relief from neuropathy, reach out to us at 844 400-0101 or email us through our contact page – Click here.
Your path to healing can start today.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.