"When you think of manifesting, chances are your mind goes to attracting love, a promotion, or something material (I personally wouldn’t turn down a new purse or car). But did you know that visualization and manifestation also play a major role in your physical health too? Most of us take for granted what our bodies do for us on a daily basis until our health takes a turn, and we don’t think to lean into our manifestation practice to improve our well-being. Based on the Law of Attraction, like attracts like: Whatever you give your emotional energy and attention to is what will come back to you (even if it’s subconscious). In the same way that you can use the law of attraction to make your dream career a reality, it can also lead you to optimal wellness.
It may sound like a bunch of hocus-pocus to wish for weight loss or clear skin and then it *magically* comes true, but there’s way more to it than wishing and wanting. The mind is so powerful, it can actually tell the body what to do–it’s not magic; it’s science. On this week’s episode of The Everygirl Podcast, manifestation expert and founder of the Superhuman app Mimi Bouchard explained that she cleared her skin through visualization: “When I was meditating on it intensely, my keratosis pilaris (bumps on my arms), completely went away. When I’m not meditating enough, it always comes back.” Likewise, she shares how she used to struggle with weight and eating habits until visualization finally got her out of a binge-and-restrict cycle. Still skeptical, or ready to learn exactly how to attract weight loss, healed symptoms, more energy, or clear skin? Keep reading for five steps to manifest better health.
1. Change your thinking
Your thoughts and behavior create your reality. So when we put out low, negative energy, we draw in negative experiences. The good news? We can raise our vibration simply by developing an awareness of how we think—our unconscious, automatic thoughts—without criticism or judgment. The trick to flipping the script whenever we’re not feeling our best is noticing how you react to things in your environment and what triggers you to revert to self-limiting thoughts. For example, if you believe you’re too “fat,” too tired, or are weighed down by symptoms, your body will continue to respond. To break the patterns and actually change your body, choose new thoughts.
For example, instead of “I’m too tired to deal with this,” replace that thought with, “I can handle anything that comes at me.” Instead of “I’m not happy with my body,” replace that thought with “My body is always evolving to serve me and become the best it can be.” To change what is happening in the body, you need to reprogram what the mind believes.
2. Release negative emotions and stress reactions
I repeat: Your energy creates your reality. And let’s face it: We experience stress more often than not, and when we do, we’re in a constant state of “fight-or-flight.” According to Dr. Joe Dispenza, a researcher, author, and educator who uses his knowledge of neuroscience, epigenetics, and quantum physics to help people heal their physical bodies through visualization and meditation, it’s the mismanagement of emotions and the hormones of stress that result in illness, chronic conditions, and diseases. “Thoughts are the language of the brain, and feelings are the language of the body,” Dr. Dispenza explained on The Ed Mylett Show. “And how you think and how you feel creates your state of being…so you have a choice: you’re either defined by a vision of the future, or you’re defined by the memories of the past.”
Whether or not you realize it, you can hold onto experiences, stress, memories, and trauma in different parts of your body (think: the hips, jaw, neck, and shoulders) if they’re not processed. When you replace those survival emotions (think: fear, anxiety, pain) with heart-centered feelings like kindness, compassion, and gratitude, they work with your body to elevate your emotional state. In fact, Dr. Dispenza’s research shows that when you practice feeling those elevated emotions of joy, gratitude, and love for 10 minutes three times a day, you change your mood, break the stress response, and teach your body to feel safe enough to be in the present. Then, the parasympathetic nervous system, which drives your body’s “rest and digest” response, can step in to restore and repair your body. Try going for a walk, cuddling with your pet, or journaling for those 10 minutes to let go of those emotions not serving you.
3. Engage in meditation and visualization
Sure, being still and quieting your mind takes work. But it’s when you’re present and in a mindful state that you’re able to fully imagine yourself in better health, signaling your brain to make it happen. Dr. Dispenza stated that the act of picturing doing something is just as good for your brain as actually doing it. “It turns out that the act of mentally rehearsing something—when you’re truly present, your brain does not know the difference between what’s going on out there and what’s going on in here,” he conveyed on the School of Greatness podcast. Moreover, studies have shown that meditation can lead to rapid changes in gene expression. In other words, we have the ability to affect our genetic destiny, and our health is not predetermined. In Dr. Dispenza’s book Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, he pointed out that just by mentally and emotionally embracing better health, we can signal our genes to make new proteins to change our bodies before it is made manifest.
4. Practice gratitude
Positive psychology and mental health researchers have established an undeniable connection between gratitude and good health. Dr. Dispenza says that there are about 1,200 different chemical reactions that gratitude sets in motion that help heal and restore your body. It’s no surprise, since being thankful helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, and improve their health, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
Moreover, the Law of Attraction states that when you have an abundance mindset by focusing on what you do have (AKA gratitude), you’ll attract more things to be grateful for. So to manifest better health, acknowledge your body for its capabilities, such as laughing, breathing, or healing from injuries, and cultivate gratitude for it by expressing appreciation for its functions, like strong legs that carry you throughout the day or arms that enable you to hug your loved ones. Then, visualize and feel what it’s like to achieve your best physical form. Start or end your day by giving thanks in a journal or mentally; it will rewire your mind to overcome the feeling of lack that hinders your body from repairing itself.
5. Emulate the healthiest version of yourself
Start by reflecting on and identifying who you want to be (read: your healthiest self): What would they be doing and eating? What are their habits? Who would they surround themself with? Then, start showing up as if you are already that person. Approach every situation and decision—no matter how big or small—as your most physically fit self. Acting like your future self will help you align with and become them. “When you’ve ‘experienced’ an event numerous times by mentally rehearsing every aspect of it in your mind, you feel what that event would feel like before it unfolds,” Dr. Dispenza illustrated in Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself. “Then as you change the circuitry in your brain by thinking in new ways, and you embrace the emotions of an event ahead of its physical manifestation, it’s possible that you can change your body genetically.”
Similarly, Laura Day, a practicing intuitive and New York Times Best Selling Author, advised participating in activities that you want good health to bring you, no matter how insignificant they may seem (think: drinking water first thing in the AM). “Your energy will absorb the ideas and practices to increase health,” she said. “You don’t have to start a big exercise program or diet. Make tiny moves that have the energy of health and make them delightful.” Try making a new recipe with your go-to protein or seeking out groups you can join or hobbies to engage in that involve people also striving for better health. Day warned to be careful not to make your pursuits punishing. Instead, focus on adding habits your healthiest self would commit to (what you focus on grows!).
