Your Body is More Than a Vehicle
I usually talk about abstract concepts like spirituality, astrology or goal-getting.
I'd like to focus today's newsletter on something that should matter most to you in this world (Or at least top 3): Your body.
[Disclaimer: None of this is medical advice, you do with it what you will.]
My day job as a Nurse Practitioner exposes me to all kinds of unfortunate circumstances, but I would like to impart perhaps the GREATEST body wisdom I've learned, but the one that eludes most of us:
We are not our bodies, we are souls HOUSED IN our bodies which is an organism of its own.
Our job is to be the soul navigating health and balance between the mind and body.
Considering this, I think we give too much attention to the needs of our minds and not enough to the needs of our bodies.
One of my pet peeves is when people choose to do XYZ harmful thing and then say "at least I'll die happy".
Stop with the whole "I'd rather drink and die happy", or "I'd rather smoke and die happy", or "I'd rather do XYZ action and die happy".
Your body does not know what YOLO is - All it knows is the actions it has to take to maintain the balance while the mind gets what it wants, like the McDonalds it was craving or couch potato-ing.
This whole "Let me do what I want and die happy" thing is a product of the mind, not your body.
The constant negation of our bodies and tending to the mind alone, makes your body break down slowly and it gets to a point where you can't reverse it. All you can do is witness it and lament it.
The poor decisions your mind makes, your body pays for.
It completely throws the balance off.
It is YOUR job to look at both mind and body and serve their needs in a balanced, nourishing way.
Another time where we might be giving into our minds too much is through over-working (I am prone to this!)
When I overwork, I get a muscular knot in my left scapulae that feels super not great and my left eye twitches uncontrollably for like 4 days.
Whatever burden the mind is going through, the body catches the slack and I would donate my eye twitch to science to prove it.
Although the world is developing a greater awareness of the mind-body connection (yayy!!), we need to work on the perspective of our bodies being an ally in this life; An organism of its own with needs separate from the mind.
I don't know why we treat our bodies like a car (Did you know that CARS BREAK DOWN??), when it is instead it's own organic organism that helps us throughout this life and vice versa.
We have to help it for it to help us.
The body has needs that might be different than what you mentally want at that time or need.
But it takes being out of your own mind, to sense that difference.
You are the SOUL navigating both the mind and body.
So how do we help our bodies out?
Reading your body's signals. Your body has a language, but not the verbal kind. It is emotion, sensations, etc. Pay attention to them. Do you get headaches if you don't sleep enough or dazed if you don't drink enough water? I know that when my eye twitches start, it is time to get some breathing room. Learn to read your body.
Talk nice to your body. I mean it: Look in the mirror and talk good smack to it. Tell it it's awesome, you love it and it's a show stopper. Love the handles and the bones. Animals and plants respond to positive reinforcement - Your body is no different. It's a living system that needs affection. Your body will continue to choose to help you through this life if you treat it right.
Love your body, even the jiggles
Get a good grasp of your mind. The more disciplined your mind is, the more its needs won't steal the show. Again, we are the soul behind the mind and body. Part of that job is learning to tame the mind enough to allow our bodies to work more effectively. Don't let your mind bully your body!
I hope this helps you-- Please reach out and email me for any comments or feedback!
🩷 Molls