02/04/2026
Our recent post - A thoughtful read on the stories we live by.
January 29, 2026
Choosing the ones that help us grow
Humans are made of stories.
Not just the big life events, but the quiet, repeated thoughts we carry every day — the sentences we tell ourselves about who we are, what we’re capable of, and where we belong.
Over time, those thoughts become beliefs.
Those beliefs become patterns.
And those patterns quietly shape our lives.
Some of these stories support us.
Others keep us stuck.
What many people don’t realize is that we have more choice here than we think.
For example, a story like “I’m behind,” “I’m not good enough,” or “Something must be wrong with me” doesn’t just affect mood — it affects behavior, physiology, and energy. The body responds as if those thoughts are facts. Muscles tighten. Breath shortens. We withdraw or protect ourselves.
But a different story — “I’m learning,” “I’m allowed to take up space,” “I’m capable of growth” — creates a very different internal response. The nervous system softens. Breath deepens. Possibility opens.
One set of thoughts contracts us.
The other expands us.
And the body always knows the difference.
As we move into a new year, many people describe feeling that life is accelerating — more change, more uncertainty, more invitation to evolve. In my work, I often hear clients say, “Something feels different. I feel called to be more myself, but I don’t know what that means yet.”
What I gently remind them is this:
We are more than the stories we’ve been repeating.
Not “more” in a striving or better-than way — but more in the sense of spaciousness.
More awareness.
More depth.
More truth.
Beneath every role, identity, or old belief is something steady and constant — a core self that existed before the conditioning.
I often refer to this simply as the I AM — the part of us that is present, aware, and whole before any labels are added.
In simple terms, it’s the steady part of us beneath the noise — the calm awareness you feel in moments of stillness, nature, prayer, or a deep breath. It isn’t something we have to create. It’s already there. Healing often begins when we slow down enough to notice it.
When people reconnect with that place, something interesting happens.
The old stories surface.
Not because we’re failing.
But because we’re ready to choose differently.
This is where growth begins — not by forcing change, but by pausing long enough to ask:
Is this belief supporting me?
Does this story still fit who I am becoming?
Sometimes the shift is surprisingly simple.
A small reframe.
A new sentence.
A moment of awareness.
Over time, those small shifts create meaningful change — emotionally, mentally, and physically.
At Healing Waters Health Center, we see this every day. Whether someone comes in for energy-based therapies, stress support, or simply space to slow down, much of the work is about helping the body and mind move out of old survival patterns so clarity can return. When the nervous system settles, people naturally begin to rewrite their inner stories. They don’t force growth — they allow it.
And often that’s when healing happens.
Because when we choose thoughts that support us, our whole system responds.
We feel lighter.
More grounded.
More like ourselves.
So when an old story shows up — one that feels heavy or limiting — pause.
Notice it.
Breathe.
Get curious.
If it isn’t helping you grow, you don’t have to carry it forward.
You can set it down.
And make space for something truer, in the flow.
Susan
