Immunity & Visualization
While we will not forget about January’s theme of Patience, we shall move into March with the theme of Visualization under this year’s umbrella theme of Immunity.
Fair to say most of us want to be healthy. I think that’s a pretty universal thought. But becoming and remaining healthy is an ongoing practice. It’s what we do every day that supports our immunity or not. And more often than not, that requires doing things we don’t necessarily feel like doing. I’ve come to find that the difference between pursuing a healthy future resides in the ability to do when you do not feel like doing. And the best way to overcome the mental or physical barriers we create for ourselves is to visualize doing the thing(s) and then feeling really good afterward. I did it today. It’s been quite gloomy and socked-in here in the valley and quite frankly has felt like groundhog day for over a week. It’s been more of a struggle to walk the dog or spend time outside in general. So, I used the minutes I was procrastinating to visualize myself in the great outdoors, with my fluffy pal, whistling in the rain, and gaining energy with every step until the inevitable point where bliss eventually takes over when I’m out there. We all know the hardest part is just starting. So why not start in your mind beforehand?
When I was 16, I played on a team where, before every practice and every game, we spent the 5 minutes and 30 seconds of Tina Turner’s “Simply The Best” visualizing. We sat in the dressing room, closed our eyes and pictured ourselves performing the best we could with the skills we’d been honing. I would imagine myself setting up my teammates, scoring goals, making great defensive plays, celebrating our win. By the time playoffs came around, we’d been harnessing the powers of this visualization routine without entirely knowing the impact it would have. We went undefeated against worthy opponents and won the honours of representing Ontario at the National Championships.
As I reflect on that time, I recognize a couple things that are important to note. I believe it was extra impactful because it was our captains who had the idea of this visualization ritual. It wasn’t our coaches, or parents, it was our peers. It felt like we could all buy-in to this practice a little bit more because of that. We had a great respect for our captains and so, we knew they only wanted great things for us that season. The fact that they were doing it alongside us brought us closer together as a team.
Now, while you might not be part of a sports team per se, you are a member of the team of your family, of your workplace, of your social circles, of your community. You are part of all of these teams in your life. And when you are feeling your best and taking care of yourself, you add value to these teams.
Maybe you’ve been feeling depressed lately, or have been perpetually ill or fatigued. While it may take time for these things to lift naturally, you can start by visualizing yourself when you are well and vibrant. It may feel forced or fake at first, that’s ok, it will get easier.
So, each day in the month of March, I will flood my ears with Tina singing the timeless lyrics of “Simply The Best” and visualize myself succeeding in the little things. The going outside everyday. The drinking water everyday. The exercising in some form everyday. The reading my book before bed everyday. The showing up as an empowered human everyday. As always, perfection is never the goal, but doing more often than not, is.
Finally, to circle back to that magical season, it was not a guarantee that we would win the Provincial Championship that year. But the point is, we were unwavering in our belief that we would be victorious. We’d seen it replay in our minds over and over again. So how could good things not unfold?
