DEAR Louise

DEAR LOUISE
Louise L. Hay is a metaphysical
teacher and the best-selling author of numerous
books, including
You Can Heal Your Life, Empowering
Women, and I Can Do It®. For the past 25 years, she has assisted millions of people in discovering and using the full potential
of their own creative powers for personal growth and self-healing. Louise’s works have been translated into 29 different languages in 35 countries throughout the world.
Dear Louise,
First of all, I’d like to let you know how much I admire you and all the work you do. You’re truly amazing.
My question to you is this: I’ve been suffering from anxiety (obsessive thoughts) since I was 13, depression for seven months, and I’m on an antidepressant.
Please, if you have any advice, let me know. I would truly like your help, and so would my two-year-old daughter and my husband.
- C.V., Canada

Dear C.V.,
Thank you for your kind words and loving thoughts. My first reaction to your question is, what sort of foods do you eat? What is your diet like? I ask this because if you’ve always eaten the standard American diet (being close to our borders, you might eat like this), your symptoms are understandable.
As Caroline Sutherland, noted medical intuitive and nutritionist, recommends:
“Removing dairy, wheat, corn, soy, yeast, sugar, and caffeine from the diet can make a big difference in the emotional reactions we have.” So many people have adverse reactions to these foods. If I had your issues, this is the first approach I’d take.
On the metaphysical level, anxiety
comes from a lack of trust in the process of Life—a strong feeling of not being good enough. As usual, the answer is love and a willingness to love yourself and to trust Life. Look into a mirror a lot and say to yourself: I love and approve of myself. I trust Life to take care of me. I am safe and loved by Life itself.

Dear Louise,
What do dark circles under your eyes mean? Do you have any affirmations?
Thank you so much!
- D.S., Los Angeles

Dear D.S.,
According to the book Healthy Healing by Linda Page, dark circles under the eyes are usually caused by an iron deficiency, liver/kidney malfunction,
or food allergies. This can be healed by a change in your eating habits. See the suggestions in the letter above! It’s always a good idea to periodically
have your diet checked by a good nutritionist. I’ve learned over the years that most problems in the body have to do with food and thought. So many of us have been raised on junk foods, fast foods, prepackaged foods, a diet high in fat, white flour and far too much sugar and, even worse, sugar substitutes. Eating natural foods, proteins,
grains, vegetables, and some fruit can make a tremendous difference in how we feel and look. Of course, the thoughts we think also have direct influence on how we feel emotionally, and the experiences we attract to ourselves. Of we want to live into a healthy old age, then we must educate ourselves on how to take care of our bodies and how to think so that we can always fell good abut ourselves.
Affirmations to use: I see myself with eyes of love. I am willing to learn how to take care of my body. I am the more precious person I know.
Write to me and I can send you a list of daily affirmations I’ve composed just for the body!

Dear Louise,
I’m 35 years old, and I feel as if life’s slipping away. I know I’ve come with an important mission and don’t understand why I feel so stuck and unable to move through the addiction to sugar and alcohol. I feel that there’s some part of me that doesn’t want to change, but which part? I want more than anything to change. Where’s the resistance coming from?
I’d love to know what gentle nudge (or firm kick up the arse, as we say in Ireland!) you can impart. I’ve just begun to work with your affirmations, so I feel a deep resonance with you.
With sincere thanks, love, and light to you.
- G.M., Ireland

Dear G.M.,
One of the primary ways we mask our fears is through addiction. Addictions
suppress the emotions so that we don’t feel. I see a small child within you who’s frightened to look at all those things that happened to you when you were little. It would be best if you could work with a therapist on these issues—someone with the experience
to guide you into a place of safety. If this isn’t available to you, then do some mirror work.
Mirror work is simply looking into your own eyes in a mirror, and saying out loud: “I love you, I really love you!” Do this first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Do it often during the day. If uncomfortable feelings come up, just feel them, and let them pass through. Then repeat, “I love you, I really love you!” If something happens that’s unpleasant for you, immediately go to the mirror and say: “It’s all right, I love you.” If something wonderful happens, go to the mirror and say: “Thank you!” Acknowledge yourself for the good in your life. Look into your own eyes and say: “I forgive you, and I love you!”
Forgive other people in the mirror, too. Use the mirror to talk to other people. Tell them the things you’re afraid to tell them in person. Have a mirror on your desk, or inside your desk, or keep a small one in your pocket
to use at any moment. When you do this consistently, you can make great changes in less than a month.

Questions for Louise? Write to: Dear Louise Column, c/o Hay House, Inc., P.O. Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100 (letters may be edited for length and clarity). Due to the volume of e-mails Louise receives, she can no longer respond via the Internet.