Have you ever experienced being physically sick as an aftermath of emotional struggles and burdens? What happens to us emotionally can undeniably affect us physiologically. When the stress and burdens that we are going through start to push us to our limit, our body begins to absorb everything. This comes out in some form of physical illness.
For the past few years, I have been an advocate of natural healing. Natural healing is taking medicine when nature doesn’t offer an alternative. If there’s anything that I’ve learned about my body, it is that energy goes where attention goes. Listen to your body when it’s trying to tell you something.
The body serves as the unconscious part of us that senses and recognizes things the conscious mind may not be aware of. Our bodies never lie. Unfortunately, most of us fail to recognize this as we have been wired to become pill-poppers. It is almost a reflex for us to reach for medicine as soon as we feel some sort of physical discomfort.
While this may be a practical step, do you ever pause to address and think about where the root of the pain is coming from? The pill holds the power to shut down the pain and discomfort of the body but it is not powerful enough to target the root. We need to be aware of how our bodies are reacting to the circumstances we are exposed to. After all, understanding the body goes beyond fitness and strength-training.
When I was growing up, I spent most days inside our home. I loved arts and crafts. I was never the sporty type. As a young adult, I worked as a guidance counselor and adapted a “go, go, go!” mindset. I didn’t like being absent. I loved my job but I was always sick. I paid constant visits to the eyes-nose-throat specialist. I suffered from chronic sinusitis and laryngitis. Things turned for the worse when I was pregnant with Maia, my youngest child. I suffered from severe nausea. To further complicate things, after roughly three years of breastfeeding, the breast cyst that I had was not decreasing in size. I was worried about my health as some members of my family had the big C.
I knew I had to do something for my body. I had to be proactive. That was when I finally peeled myself away from work and took an entire year to myself. This did me wonders as I stopped paying the doctor a visit. I also got to know yoga, and boy, was it love at first mat! I was never fit my entire life but I loved the breathing techniques, the stretches, and how it made my body feel despite it being challenging for the first few tries.
I learned more about my body through yoga. It pointed me towards my organ of weakness or the first body part that begins to react in pain when I am under severe stress. One of your body parts can serve as an alarm so listen to it! We can also call this the internal knot. Do not ignore this. The longer you turn a blind eye, the harder it is to untangle and remedy.
I will leave you with four steps on how to care for your body better.
#1 AWARENESS/MINDFULNESS
Pay attention to your body, its triggers, pains, root causes of discomfort. Go ahead and fill your body with supplements to fill you with vitamins and minerals. If you can avoid medicine by becoming more proactive about health care, then the better it is for you!
#2 BE ACTIVE
Be active in the movement. Find something that works for you and stick to it. Keeping an active lifestyle has holistic benefits that go beyond the physical. Download apps that can help! Even the simple exercise of walking around the house can do wonders. Don’t make any excuses. Just because we’re all encouraged to remain inside our homes doesn’t mean we have to become couch potatoes.
#3 BE ATTUNED TO YOURSELF
Know when to hit pause and rest. Know how to care for yourself. Don’t rely on other people for self-care and be sure that you will be able to care for yourself amply when you’re exhausted.
#4 PRACTICE AUTHENTIC SELF-CARE
To live well is to live real. Do all that you can to care for your body not because it’s trendy but because you fully recognize its benefits. Do something that your future self will thank you for!
Well-being is an invitation to be whole. Love your body because this is a good way to love the Lord. Live healthy and your body will thank you in return by sustaining you in all the activities and goals that you wish to accomplish. Take care and live a healthy life!
Photo by Ahmad Odeh on Unsplash