We all tell ourselves little stories. Some are harmless. Others quietly erode our health,
energy, and joy. One of the biggest truths we must face on the healing journey is this:
our thinking is rarely accurate. Much of what we tell ourselves is not fact—it’s habit.
And habits, left unchecked, can run our lives.
When our self-talk becomes
distorted—full of “I can’t,” “I have to,” and “that’s just who I am”—we end up trapped in
cycles that keep us unwell. If we truly want excellent health and wellness, we must
change our thoughts and our habits. They are intertwined. You cannot sustain one
without shifting the other.
“Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become
your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your
habits become your values, your values become your destiny.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Sometimes the most convincing lies we tell ourselves are disguised as preferences or
identity: • “I do my best work at 3 a.m.”
• “I’m just a night person.”
• “I can’t live without my nightly dessert.”
• “I need background noise to concentrate.”
They sound harmless—but they often go against our body’s natural energy patterns.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Taoist masters lived with energetic awareness,
aligning their lives with the natural flow of yin and yang.
The Taoist Daily Rhythm:
• 3–4 p.m. — Slow the body down, focusing on light, simple tasks.
• 8 p.m. — Bedtime, aligning with the growing yin (moon) energy.
• 2 a.m. — Rise with the first pulse of yang (sun) energy.
• 2–5 a.m. — Mental and creative work in quiet stillness.
• 5 a.m. — Tai chi or energy practices, then breakfast.
• 7–7:30 a.m. — Begin focused work.
• 2 p.m. — Transition into yin-aligned activities and early dinner.
If we fight nature’s cycles, we deplete ourselves. In our culture, “night owls” often just
stay up through yin time until yang rises again—then wonder why they can’t sleep.
Modern neuroscience offers insight into why these self-deceptions can feel so
convincing. The brain is not a perfect reporter of reality—it’s a pattern-maker,
designed to reinforce what it already believes.
The brain is a master at confirmation bias — once it believes something, it filters the
world to confirm it. If you’ve repeated “I’m a night owl” for years, your brain has built
neural pathways to support that identity. You feel more alert at night partly because
your mind expects it. Neuroscientists know that thoughts are mental constructions,
shaped by: • Neuroplasticity — Repeated thoughts strengthen specific neural
pathways, making them feel like “truth.”
• Emotional tagging — The amygdala marks emotionally charged thoughts as more
“real” in memory.
• Selective attention — The reticular activating system (RAS) filters input, letting in
only what supports your current belief.
This means many of our daily thoughts are predictions and patterns, not facts.
If you want to change your life, you must change your thoughts and habits. This
requires looking honestly at your influences: • The friends you keep — Do they lift your
thinking or drain it?
• The news you watch — Does it fill your mind with fear or possibility?
• The books and articles you read — Are they expanding your perspective or
reinforcing unhealthy patterns?
When you surround yourself with influences that reflect your desired state of being,
change becomes natural. New thoughts take root. Better habits follow. Truth: If you
want a better life, create better habits. If you want better habits, feed yourself better
thoughts. “You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow
where your thoughts take you.” — James Allen
Reflection Questions:
• What “truth” have you been telling yourself that might actually be a lie?
• Which habit in your life feels out of alignment with your body’s natural rhythm?
• What one small change in thought or habit could you make this week to move
closer to the life you want?
