Hello dearest readers, it has been far too long since I have bothered to post anything. What can I say? Life got in my way. Now I am back, and I hope you will come along with me on this journey of self-discovery. Today’s post is a contemplation on life and how to live with health and happiness. As we all know, wellness has many parts. It is more than just a physical equilibrium. We must have harmony between different aspects of our lives. We are more than just a heart, an arm, a brain. We are more than mother, friend, or sister. We strive to live as a whole. Let’s go deeper.
All for Love
As I lay in bed last night, sleepless, I found myself wishing that I could start blogging again. This seemed a bit silly after a while when the question came to mind, what’s stopping me? I mulled it over for a bit and came to a decision. Nothing is stopping me. I will blog again. This brings me to number one on my list. Do what you love. Now I know sometimes this is easier said than done. Most of us have busy lives. We work, we take care of others, we keep up with our homes, the list goes on. Many of us even have jobs that we can’t stand. We live lives of obligation. This is why it is so important for us to find what makes us light up inside and follow our bliss. If we do not make time to counteract all the tedium and responsibility, we wilt inside, and life becomes dull. We move away from actualization and find ourselves empty and desolate. We can make it better though our actions. I love writing. I choose to take up my “pen” once more and enjoy a part of myself that has been pushed aside for so long.
“Know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world.”
~Oprah
Come to Jesus
Before you say anything, I do not literally mean come to Jesus. I am not a Christian myself, as many of you know; it is just a saying. What I mean is, nourish your spirit, whatever that looks like for you. For me, it is observing the cycles of nature, learning about the marvels of science, meditation and the conscious deconstruction of unhelpful beliefs and fears that have plagued me since childhood. I am finding joy in discovering what my concepts of spirituality and morality truly entail. For many, religion is the answer, and that is wonderful. Faith can help a person accomplish many things and feel at peace with themselves and the world. If you don’t believe in a deity, that is wonderful as well. You likely still have some sort of structure to what you hold true in your mind about life and the universe. Nourish that. Question it, find comfort in that, and be more complete.
All for One
Relationships are the backbone of our social selves. Without others, we cannot hope to navigate this world successfully. The bonds we create with other people be they casual, loving, or otherwise determine how we move through life. They help to build our self-concepts, they flame desire, inspire dread, bring laughter, fill us with love. We need every type of relationship to work in its own way for us to get through day by day, from checking out at the grocery store to creating a family. Those who are dear to us can give us the most pleasure and fulfillment, while those who we dislike can move us to form goals, take precautions, and influence decision making. When we make time to live as part of the global community we are saying “yes” to life. We are opening doors and learning and finding gratification in the sharing and expression of ourselves. This makes us more complete individuals.
What’s up, Doc?
This one is simple. Take care of yourself physically. Some of us, myself included, have spent our lives avoiding doctors and hospitals and all types of health-care settings at all costs. I learned the hard way that this is not a wise course. I have been going to my doctor regularly for about two years now, and have found that I feel better. I feel healthier. I no longer just suffer through whatever ills me from time to time, I get it checked out. This is important because those who depend on us need us to be healthy. Also, we cannot hope to enjoy anything in life if we are under the weather, or living with untreated illness, mental or physical. I used to live in the gap where I was too poor to afford normal insurance but too rich to qualify for Medicaid. It was miserable. I got an ear infection and left it untreated for so long that it turned into an infection in my jawbone and my eardrum exploded. It was the most painful thing I have ever experienced, and I have been through labor more than once, people. I lost work hours, I lost my hearing temporarily, I lost time enjoying my family because I was miserable. I should have gone in before it was time for the emergency room. I will not let that happen again. Bodies are sort of like machines. It is easier and more efficient to take maintain them regularly than to try and fix something that has broken.
Be Thoreau. And Thorough.
We live in a technology-fueled world. We are a people now born and bred online (at least our children are). We spend our lives plugged in to the internet and engaging in all sorts of outlets that cater to our needs from employment to social activities, from shopping to sexual desires. We are essentially growing apart from our natural environment. I have said it before, and I’ll say it again: go outside. Connect with nature. Hike. Camp. Fish. Commune. Dig your toes into the soil. Gaze at the stars. Swim in natural waters, provided they are safe. For heaven’s sake, climb a tree. In doing these things, we nourish our beings. When we cut ourselves off from the natural world, we cut ourselves off from the magic of life itself.
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
~Henry David Thoreau, Walden
There you have it. Five things you can do to live a healthy lifestyle. This is not a comprehensive list, of course, but it is a start. Remember that health and happiness can function hand in hand, and they often do. To be truly healthy and happy we must consider all aspects of life, from physical health to spiritual wellness and everything in between. Laugh. Cry. Love. Do not forget yourself, do not neglect others. We have opportunities every day to take what we’ve got and make it better, even if we take very small steps. Nap and sing, explore and create. Find your own ways to bring a better balane to your life and find happiness for yourself because you can, and you deserve it. Until next time.
Life All Day 