Mind, body connection: 7 easy steps to maintaining balance

Usually when I awaken, my mind is fuzzy. A cottony tangle of sleepy remnants harvested over the previous seven hours. Yesterday morning, however, the synapses knitted together a single thought: balancing the mind-body connection. I could ask myself why I attempted to make sense of a topic that begs deeper scrutiny at any time other than 4:15 in the morning. But if I were to venture a guess, I’d say it’s because my sub-conscious was trying to get my attention to validate: I’m out of balance! This led me to check in with Google, which turned up these seven steps as a useful check-and-balance system for re-establishing and maintaining a mind-body connection: 1) take time each day to quiet the mind and pray/meditate; 2) eat a healthy diet; 3) exercise every day; 4) prioritize restful sleep; 5) release emotional toxins (i.e., let go of past hurts, disappointments and anger); 6) nurture loving relationships and 7) enjoy wholehearted laughter at least once daily.

How do you maintain mind-body connection?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

All the things we carry: how to lighten our load

The Things They Carried, a collection of short stories written by Tim O’Brien (1990), describes the physical and emotional things American soldiers carried while serving on the ground in Vietnam. Years ago, I studied the compilation while enrolled in an undergraduate creative writing course. Today, I think about all the things we carry throughout our lives. The intangibles that are out of sight, yet weigh us down in mind: the heavy burdens of emotional baggage, the ugly scars from our pasts. Yet I wonder if there’s a way to purge—to abandon and/or forget—the things that impede in order to make room for the things we choose to carry instead: an attitude of gratitude, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And always forgiveness. All the things that help lighten our load along the way. Or perhaps the most important thing is to help carry each other’s afflictions in order to share the load.

What things do you carry that should be left behind?

Image source: http://rickhudgens.blogspot.com.

 

Anger slays: discovering a balm for calm

In a recent USA Today article, Ken Fisher offers 11 ways to protect your money and sanity as you age. His final tip is worth adopting regardless of age, income, social status, vocation or education level: “Remember that anger slays.” He references a psychologist buddy of his who taught him to live his actions as if he’d live forever and his emotions as if he knew he’d be dead in 30 days. This brought a huge peace of mind to Fisher and every time he’d anger, he’d ask himself if he’d waste time over “this” if he knew he had only 30 days to live. He never did. Of course, my husband told me about this article after I had become disproportionately angry over something so small in the larger scheme of things (isn’t that usually the case?). Anger does slay: relationships, progress, health, peace of mind. Ask yourself: will whatever it is matter if my days are numbered? Because they are.

What is your balm for calm?

Photo courtesy of Ben Schonewille at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Four ways to flush out frustration

The cure for anything is salt water:
sweat, tears or the sea. ~ Isak Dinesen

Many of my posts are written as reminders: I am good enough, strong enough, life is a journey, blah blah blah. Do I believe any of it? Yes. Do I ascribe to any of it? Sometimes. But let’s face it: I am not sparkly 24/7. I feel frustration, anger, disappointment, rejection. I wake up on the wrong side of the bed, forget to wear my crown, try to do it all and fail. I even manifest expectations onto my friends: Bam, it’s your fault I’m frustrated. Instead of allowing frustration to suck our lifeblood, however, flush it out. 1) Accept reality: if we can’t change it, then either live with it or be the change we wish to see. 2) Shift focus: involve ourselves in our favorite work, pastime, etc. 3) Exercise: exorcise those demons with sweat, tears (or the sea). 4) Journal it and/or talk it out.

What’s your remedy for frustration?

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Recognize the strides

On the heels of my restlessness—see “Circumnavigating discontent”—I do recognize the strides I’ve achieved along the path toward self-discovery. I’m slow to anger and less hurried, fearful and guilt-ridden; more in tune with the present and accepting of my weaknesses; filled with greater appreciation for life in its myriad ups and downs, as well as a deeper understanding that change triggers more—and better—and that we all have something within our hearts spurring us on. For me, writing is the catalyst (view “Preparing for Extreme Weather on the Jobsite,” recently published in Construction Superintendent eNews). Finally, an observation that every person we meet can teach us something—about the world or about ourselves—and that we are separate parts of one whole. A girlfriend shared that ‘uni’ means one and ‘verse’ is song. Which translates into each of us contributing our one-of-a-kind music notes to the universe, a collective symphony of light and love. At least that’s my hope.

What strides have you taken lately?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.