Body and Mind

          " The trouble with always trying to preserve the health of the body is that it is so difficult to do without destroying the health of the mind." ~G.K. Chesterton

           Most of us know the HOW to being healthy. Eat your fruits and veggies, eat whole grains, stay away from sugar, processed foods, convenience foods with chemicals and preservatives. Take your vitamins. Exercise. Sleep at least eight hours a day at the right time of day, and drink at least 8 glasses of water, 8 oz. each. Watch your portion control. Don’t starve yourself. Stop eating fast food from particular places I won’t mention. Stay out of the sun. Wait, or was that get more out in the sun? Take regular trips to the doctor, regular vacations, regular trips to the bathroom, eat regularly on a regular schedule. Remember to socialize, to have a love life if possible. Follow a hygiene regimen. Take care of your skin, your eyes, ears, nose, throat, feet, your teeth, your insides, and your outsides. Take time to be intellectual. Exercise your brain. Play. Walk the dog. Stay out of debt, because debt causes stress, and stress is soooo bad for you. Stay away from beauty magazines because they will negatively affect your self worth. Love yourself just the way you are but not without doing all of these lists of things you must do in order to make yourself loveable. Breathe deeply. Take a deep breath now. Tell yourself you can do it all. Do you believe that? No way.

          Do we understand the WHY behind being healthy? To possibly improve our life span, and of course more importantly, to improve the quality of life that we live. I’m here to tell you that following all these rules, and giving yourself a headache over them will never truly improve your quality of life. Many people would say we should die young and die happy, rather than prolong the misery of trying too hard to live perfectly within the boundaries we create for ourselves. Others will tell you that living a restricted life is the only way to avoid all human suffering and age perfectly and beautifully. Now I’m here to tell you there is a balance.

    
          This sounds like common sense. That's because it is. That's just it. I know firsthand from working over a decade in the health food industry on a very people-oriented level, that people are always looking for something new, exotic, exciting, or even painstakingly difficult to change their health forever and always. People surprisingly want restrictions. My father would often tell us growing up, "Moderation in all things. Even moderation." Sometimes I have to laugh thinking of all the diets that exist today, or that used to be popular but now we know better...or at least we think we do. If we followed every whim of diet advice that confronts us today, there would be nothing left to eat! I am not a fan of following extremes. 

 

Description of my Unbalanced Life

          I learned this the hard way. I lived a very restricted lifestyle for a few years when my husband and I were newly-weds, living in Georgia. It was in an effort to save my failing health. Let's face it, you don't really get into health studies unless you have a good reason. It was during this time in my life I really started to delve into the abundance of ideas that could contribute to helping me feel better. I'm thankful to know the options that are out there. I'm thankful for what I learned during that time. The problem was, I am a most regimented person. I would pile one limitation on top of another, until I became quite paranoid at the thought of most things I consumed, or put on my body. I had reactions to everything, and felt so vulnerable all the time. Even when I felt physically well, my thoughts were constantly on the defense. 

          My poor husband tried to be patient with me. I would make the same food all the time, because it was what was safe. Most of the time, my healthy cooking lacked in the realm of flavor and enjoyment. I was still learning how to cook, and I really appreciated all the home-cooked meals my own mother used to make for me growing up. My heart longed to have and create that feeling of home in the food I made, but I was so self-absorbed in my own health agenda, I refused to bend. I was afraid to bend. Connor and I used to argue the most over pancakes. (Sometimes we still do.) He had such good memories of white fluffy pancakes, smothered with syrup and butter for breakfast. I looked at that meal like it was poison. Especially first thing in the morning, at the beginning of a new day you want to start off right. “Why can’t you just be more balanced?!!!” Connor would say. "Why can't you just have white fluffy pancakes sometimes?" He would often gently try to tell me he thought I'd be healthier if I would have some mental flexibility. He was right.
     
         Much later on in our married life, after making a gradual shift towards allowing myself to approach some of what I was afraid of, I made Connor white fluffy pancakes as a surprise one spontaneous morning. His face lit up. He felt so loved. I loved him so much. I even ate them myself, with syrup and everything. This might not seem like a big deal, but for us it was. He gave me a card with a picture of heart shaped pancakes on the front. I still keep this picture on the face of my phone, so I can be reminded of what is important to me. Putting ourselves aside for the ones we love dispels contention immediately.

          I know for some, the problem is exactly the opposite. Things get too difficult to keep track of, so they bag it all together. This is what I would call a passive extreme. The mentality of, "If I can't be consistent, than why try at all?" There are countless mental roadblocks, and addictions that keep us from living a more balanced life. All of us have thought at one time or another, "I don't have time to be balanced." Honestly, there are times this is true, but what matters most is how our decisions impact those around us.

          Ultimately, over the years I found that I cared more about my relationships, and my mental health than I did about being physically amaranthine. (Notice this is very similar to the meaning of my name.) I guess I was born with the predisposition to avoid mortal suffering. 

"The fear of suffering is much worse than suffering itself." The Alchemist