How our Belief System can bring us down

Today I feel like talking about something that I am confronted with every single day, especially since I started to work as a Holistic Health Coach: the challenge in realizing that deeply ingrained beliefs can be wrong, and that our ego, our culture and the comfort of our little lives make it very hard for us to accept it.

When I started my journey into health and fitness, I was a totally different person from the one I am today. I remember reading things that would shock me, things that I found to be absurd and dangerous. I remember being extremely skeptical when confronted with ideas that would challenge the paradigm I believed to be the absolute reality. I was in denial because yes, this information was pushing me outside of my comfort zone and threatening the way I was living my life.

Whatever the topic, the first time you have to question one of those deeply ingrained beliefs, your ego will resist it. And that's understandable, because yes, it is SCARY to realize that maybe, something we were completely sure of is... not correct after all. It is confusing and induces many more questions leading to insecurity.

The Ostrich Approach

Many people prefer not to deal with the realities all around us and the necessary changes that are required. They prefer not to know about what is actually going on - like the ostrich putting its head in a sand hole.

Life is too hard already, right? But this is just denial. It might be easier in the short term to close your eyes and go on living in a falsely reassuring "reality". I strongly believe that this can only last so long, and that at one point, life ends up challenging those same people in a way or another, for them to re-think it all.

A Concrete Example: Dietary Fats

For decades, we have been told to avoid fats, especially saturated fats. FAT = DEVIL. These are the ones that are making us sick, that are increasing our cholesterol levels and putting us at higher risk of heart disease.

For years and years, I bought only low-fat foods, thinking I was doing something good. And I know many people did the same and are still doing the same.

Today we can see things moving in the right direction. Avocados and coconut oil can be found everywhere. Today we know that this was all based on badly run research, and even national recommendations regarding fats are discretely being changed. Today we know that low-fat foods are toxic, that the way they process those foods to reduce the amount of natural fats is harmful, that trans fats are harmful, and that the end result is nothing but dead and toxic food.

This is only one tiny example. I personally realized that MANY commonly believed "facts" out there are actually very questionable, and that we cannot deny the evidence anymore.

Be Open-Minded - But Also Skeptical

Thanks to the internet, it is more difficult to hide what is really going on. Of course we have to be very careful in how we document ourselves online. That is the downside of the internet: you can find great insightful information and a lot of... noise. Be ready to accept that there are many things you are convinced of that can be false, and that you have to open up and accept that yes, if evidence is there, you will have to shift your belief system.

Are you a skeptical person? Don't change - this is essential! Be skeptical of new information, but also of your own beliefs. Use your powerful mind, be critical, reach your own conclusions, and most importantly: NO TABOOS.

Whether it is about health, political games or corporate interests - I strongly believe that we have to accept that things are changing and that what we have been considering as "Holy Truth" might just be a big fake. And that's ok. We are evolving, growing, and it is quite empowering to realize that and to take better decisions for ourselves, our loved ones and the rest of the world.

I hope this can help some people to open up a bit more. You can be as skeptical as you want - just don't reject or deny what is actually going on. Accept that things change and that hopefully this is all for the best.

In Love and Happiness,

Stephanie