We know it is better for our physical and mental health to think positive thoughts instead of negative ones. What we might not realize is how quickly and decisively our thoughts impact our well-being.
The Finger Growing Game is a simple and fun way to demonstrate to yourself the power of your thoughts.
The first time you play the game, it is eye-opening. The second and third time you play, it will likely be to verify the original results. After that, playing the game occasionally serves as a helpful reminder of why we need to manage our minds as best we can.
The Finger Growing Game
- Open your left hand, palm up, and look at the bottom of your palm; locate the first line there.
- Open your right hand, palm up, and find the same line at the bottom of the right palm.
- Match-up the right and left palm lines and then bring your palms and fingers together.
- Compare your hands to see which hand has slightly longer fingers.
- Now, hold up the hand that has shorter fingers and let the other hand rest in your lap or at your side. If your fingers are the same length on both hands, just choose one of your hands to hold in front of you.
- Focus on the hand you are holding up and repeat in your mind, “My fingers are growing, they are getting longer, longer, longer, and still longer. My fingers are becoming longer, longer, longer, longer, longer, longer, longer.”
- Now, compare your hands again by matching the two lines at the bottom of your palms.
Do you notice a difference? Three-quarters of individuals who play this game do. They discover that their shorter fingers have become longer. It is not an optical illusion. People who have expertise in working with human energy can explain this phenomenon.
An Explanation
When you look at your hand and think about your fingers growing longer, the thoughts increase your energy flow in the direction of growth. This opens or expands the finger’s joints, making the fingers longer.
You can make your normally longer fingers shorter by focusing on that hand and thinking, “My fingers are becoming shorter, shorter, shorter, etc.” Your body’s energy will listen, and the joints in that hand will compress a bit, shrinking the fingers.
Why It Matters
It takes time and effort to train ourselves to let go of negativity and entertain thoughts that are more positive. There are days, especially when struggling with symptoms of a mental health disorder, it hardly seems worth trying.
However, what we think about ourselves, others, and our world is continuously affecting our physical body, and our physical health in turn impacts our mental status. Even if we cannot tame our thoughts immediately, we can hold the hope that it will happen and do what we can to bring it about. This includes the options of getting counseling and taking medication.
Source: Master Chunyi Lin, Spring Forest Qigong, Level 1: for Health, Learning Strategies, 2000.
