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It has nothing to do with eating, drinking or exercising.

I tried it last year, and it made a huge difference in my life. I am happier, calmer and enjoy life more.

My diet was developed by Emmet Fox, a man who died four years after I was born, 1951.  He was a contemporary and friend of “The Power of Positive Thinking” author Norman Vincent Peale.

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine gave me one of his books, “Around the Year with Emmet Fox.” When I got to December 29, I found his “seven-day mental diet.” 

Here is some of what he had to say about negative thinking, aka “Stinkin’ Thinkin.”

A negative thought is any thought of failure, disappointment, or trouble; any thought of criticism, or spite, or jealousy or condemnation of others, or self-condemnation; any thought of sickness or accident; or, in short any kind of limitation.

He goes on to say: ….you shall not dwell upon negative things.  It is not the thoughts that come to you that matter, but only such of then as you choose to entertain and dwell upon.

Personally, the reminder about this diet couldn’t come at a better time for me.  For one thing, I am just beside myself with the moral code and especially, the disrespect of women, of the new leadership of this country. A mother, I tend to worry about my 40-year-old-plus kids.  Further, at times, my new kitten is driving me crazy. For example, Katie delights in yanking leaves off my beloved African Violets and playing with them.  You should see the barricades I have up so she can’t get to them.

When I first tried this diet last year, I started taking stock of my thinking.  I could not believe how much time I spent each day obsessing, projecting, judging and scaring my socks off with fear. 

Here are some of the tips and tricks I have used to stay on my mental diet when obsession, etc. comes:

1.       I stop, look, listen and smell. I envision a large red stop sign. Then, I look at my surroundings (I have not seen a boogey man, yet), listen (generally, I don’t hear anything) and finally, I smell for such things as booze, pot or fire.

2.       I take deep breaths and let them out slowly. (A trick I learned from a yoga teacher who used to say, “Change your breathing and you change your thoughts!”)

3.       I do something physical such as take my dog for a walk, shovel snow, bake a cake, snowshoe

4.       I write or draw

5.       I think of peaceful tranquil scenes – the snow on Mt. Garfield and the Book Cliffs (desert mountains), which are near me, is incredible today.

6.       I remember the slogan the British people used during World War II – “Keep calm and carry on.” Another slogan I often use is “Let go and let God.”

7.       I do some yoga poses, including bending from my waist (known as rag-doll pose) or spreading my feet wide and putting my head on a block.  Both of these poses bring blood to the brain.

8.       I sit on my couch and look at the large locust tree framed by my living room window. Then I meditate. 

9.       I say, “God bless so and so” when someone is really “bugging me.”  I sometimes say a few prayers for those people. 

I hope you try this diet.  The way I look at it is the world has enough bad stuff already.  I don’t need to contribute anymore. 

Copy write – Elizabeth J. Wheeler, January 9, 2017

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