NOCEBO

NOCEBO

Your thoughts can affect the way you feel.  That's just a fact.  So be careful what you think and say to yourself.  

You've probably heard of the Placebo Effect. This is where you receive a treatment or medication and your positive expectations cause a favorable outcome whether or not the treatment or medication was real or not.  Well, the same pyschogenic process can happen in a negative manner.  If you believe that you are going to experience negative side effects or that the treatment you're receiving isn't going to work, there is a better chance that you are going to have a bad experience. That's the Nocebo Effect.

We can even "Nocebo" ourselves.  Let's say you're finishing a set of squats and you feel a small pain in your lower back.  If you freak out, start thinking the worst case scenario is unfolding and run home to lay on the couch for a week, you're probably going to continue to have pain and fear squats for the rest of your life.  However, if you stay calm, continue to move, think positively and not over react, chances are you will feel better almost immediately.  

Next time you start to head down the Nocebo road, turn it around and think positively.  You might surprise yourself how it affects your body.