The Fasting ZoneSample

DAY TWO: What Total Well-Being Means

Fasting provides your body, mind, and spirit with many benefits. Medical science is recognizing more and more the innate connection between these inseparable facets of our being. What we eat affects our moods and, to a certain extent, even our attitudes. What we think affects how our bodies digest food and impacts the way we handle stress. And our spiritual well-being is influenced by our physical and mental health.

Toxic emotions such as anger, resentment, fear, anxiety, grief, and depression can create excessive stress, whereas positive emotions such as gratitude, joy, love, and peace actually relieve stress. The physical effects of reprogramming your thoughts begin with your heart. Your heartbeat varies from moment to moment based on your emotions and attitudes.

When you experience stress and negative emotions such as anger, frustration, fear, and anxiety, your heart rate variability pattern becomes “more erratic and disordered,” and it sends chaotic signals to the brain. The result is energy drain and “added wear and tear” on your mind and body. “In contrast, sustained positive emotions, such as appreciation, love, and compassion, are associated with highly ordered…patterns in the heart rhythms” and a significant reduction of stress.

Focus Thought

It is important to understand that your thinking patterns and emotional responses affect your body. God desires for you to be totally well, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.