 |
|
|
 |
||
 |
||
|
|
 |
| wholelife action area> getting to know myself better my working life personal relationships health - mind and body leisure, social and 'me time' mindercises |
health – mind and body
I
am presupposing that you are reading this with the idea that you
would like to make changes of some kind. Maybe you are overweight?
Or do you dislike the way you think you look? Are you drinking
too much alcohol? Are you a couch potato? Are you an obsessive
exerciser? Do you 'suffer' from low self-esteem? Are you having
trouble sleeping? Are you a hypochondriac? What are your particular
supposed 'problems'?
Ideally we should view good physical and
mental health as a positive goal which we support in our
everyday activities. Cherishing our health means making 'best
use' of our minds and bodies at all times.
Unfortunately many of us look at our physical and mental health
as a series of problems which require solutions eg. l am overweight
- I need to go on a restrictive diet, I am getting lazy - I must
force myself to exercise three times a week! I have low self-esteem
- I will avoid going out and interacting with people.
Instead of looking at life as a series of problems and possible
solutions which rarely give permanent satisfaction, try looking
at it differently. Start with a clear view
of your situation as it really is for you now. For example
- I am overweight, I am shy and introverted, I am a couch potato,
I drink too much, I fantasise everyday about winning the lottery,
I smoke too much. These statements, and any others which you make
as relevant to your particular life, imply that you would like
to make a change to the 'fact' of your present existence.
The next step is to have a clear vision of
what you really want as fact for your life. Without this
vision, any change or 'solution' will not be wholeheartedly embraced
by your mental controller ie. you. And without a proper directional
focus and accepted goal you are unlikely to succeed.
Giving up smoking is a notorious example of an activity which
does not succeed unless the person concerned 'really wants to
stop smoking'. Here the accepted goal is "I want to be a
non-smoker" this is different from saying "I want to
stop smoking". Being a non-smoker is a definite fact which
there is no getting away from. You can visualise yourself as a
non-smoker and all the benefits that accrue to this state. This
is entirely different from 'wanting to stop smoking', visualising
all the benefits of stopping and then trying to start to stop!
Here you are focusing on the process which does not give you an
overall goal of what you really want ie to be a non-smoker.
Try the same logic with weight. Rather than say "I am overweight
so I am going on a diet', know what you want. "I want to
have an attractive healthy-weight body". In order to create
a healthy weight body, I will learn to respect my physical self.
I will treat myself positively to healthy nourishing food and
keep my body physically toned. Here the accent is on learning
to enjoy healthy nourishing food and mild exercise as a way of
creating a healthy body.
The normal diet approach of restricting food intake, for example
by counting calories, is reactive and negative. Treating your
body with respect and learning to enjoy eating - something you
have to do to live - is quite possible once you change your thinking
and know what you want. Speaking from experience, food obsession,
whether you are large or small, is a tragic waste of your precious
life time.
I would add that not all food obsessions are actually the result
of disordered thinking about eating, weight and body image. Some
of them are present time physical manifestations of serious psychological
trauma encountered in the past. Although the same focused creation
approach is applicable, clearly if you are suffering in this way,
you should also consult your doctor who will arrange appropriate
therapy.
Physical and mental health is, of course, an immensely complex
subject and we can only touch on the most obvious areas. The aim
of this Health window is to get you to think deeply and possibly
differently, about your physical and mental health. Cosmic-cherry
does this by asking you to answer questions. You have the choice
of eight Question Checklists which cover body image, food, alcohol,
smoking, exercise, sleep, cleansing and caring for your body and
general stress. Choose only those questions
that you think you need to answer and write down your responses
in your notebook.
>> Learn
about your general body image
>> Learn
about your relationship with food
>> Learn
about your relationship with alcohol
>> Learn
about your relationship with cigarettes and nicotine
>> Learn
about your views on physical exercise
>> Learn
about your sleep patterns
>> Learn
about your attitudes to cleansing, caring for and massaging your
body
>> Learn
about your general stress and how it impacts on your health
Know what you want for your physical and
mental health and make those changes. By now you should
have a few pages of questions and answers but not much idea of
direction!
Decide which of the health topics you want to work on to initiate
change. Head up a clean notebook page for each individual health
topic [eg. stress management - food relationship etc] and write
your Target statement across the top. This is a short general
statement with no detail. It outlines what you would like to achieve,
committing yourself to spend time on whatever aspects of your
physical and mental health you have chosen. You can set specific
Targets for as many or as few health issues as you want. When
you have finished read through your Target[s] carefully and make
sure you feel comfortable with what you are aiming to do.
Next divide each Target headed sheet into two columns. Title the
left hand column Create Changes and the right hand column Action
Choices. From your previous answers to the related questions you
can identify what changes 'you choose to create' to support your
Target. Opposite your proposed Create Changes write down the detail
of the Action Choices that you intend to take and within what
time scale. If you are feeling brave, post your Action Choices
on a notice board or other prominent place in your home. Alternatively
make sure you keep your notebook up to date with progress reports.
And remember that when you achieve your Targets, or reach a particular
milestone that you have set yourself, find a great way to celebrate.
Your common sense will be the best guide! Good luck.
NB.
The use of prescriptive drugs [tranquillisers, certain anti depressants,
sleeping pills etc] and the use of illegal substances is not specifically
covered on this site. Anyone wishing to work on this area of their
lives can use the checklists on alcohol or nicotine as guidelines.
Talk to your GP about making changes. Look for suitable alternative
therapies as another way to introduce change. Whatever you decide
to do, accept responsibility for your own health instead of relying
on outside chemicals to make you feel good. Adopt and live the
motto "get high on life".
Disclaimer - please read