Balance and the Whole Picture
It is no surprise that when our bodies are feeling their best, our brains are naturally at their happiest. When we are not in pain, or tired, or ill, we feel more up to doing things and are able to productively do the things we want and need to do.
This is why we try so hard to take care of our bodies through all of the things we do. Most of us probably exercise several days of the week. We take walks. We drink water. We try to balance our diets. We sleep. Our bodies tell us how to care for them so long as we listen, and if we do we are able to achieve “healthy”.
Healthy means different things for different people. For me, an asthmatic with allergies and other minor physical issues, I am proud to report that I can run a 12 minute mile- but my heart rate will reach 210 BPM if I do (I wish I was exaggerating). Meanwhile, my husband can run two 6 minute miles back to back and then continue to lift weights for another hour. He gets three hours less of sleep each night, he handles all yard work, and is constantly doing hands-on projects. I get tired sometimes from standing in the shower. Both of us meet our health goals on a daily basis and care for our bodies’ needs in different ways.
Healthy for my mom and other people with chronic illnesses means not exercising at all, and even limiting all other activity. The more she does, the unhealthier she becomes due to her illness, and so conserving her movements is her goal for each day in order to stay happy and pain free. We need to learn to listen to our bodies in order to restore the strength of our minds and emotions. Overexerting or under-exerting ourselves can cause feelings of shame, guilt, sadness, fatigue, exhaustion, and many other negative emotions that can weigh us down.
Mentally, I find I am happiest when I am eating well and exercising a little bit. I try not to over-exert myself and spend some days just walking and reading on a treadmill, but I try to be active a bit each and every day. I have learned this through time, and learned to not compare my level activity or personal health to that of others- as my needs are different.
Our physical health is just as fragile and important to understand as our mental health. We can’t all look the same, eat the same, exercise the same, etc- we were not made that way. By becoming more in tune with ourselves, we can learn what we need to do in order to achieve our equilibrium and keep ourselves at peace.
Focusing on the whole picture of yourself- your social life, your work life, your home environment, your diet, your self care, your activity, your relaxation, etc.- is important when trying to determine why you may be feeling down or “off”. If something goes wrong in one of these categories the rest become affected and we risk seeing a decrease in our mental health. Finding a balance between these areas is key- as too much time invested into one means not enough invested in the other. Obvious examples of a lack of balance here would include working too much during the week and not seeing your family, relaxing too much and not doing your chores and errands, spending too much time with your friends and not focusing on your self development, etc.
If we listen to our thoughts, we can identify an area we need to improve on and pick a new one to focus on each month. Dedicate yourself to meal planning for an entire month if you notice your diet is poor. Make yourself have plans with the people you love 5 times in a month in order to restore a social life and caring relationships. Spend one month focused on your professional life and goals- whatever that looks like to you. Over time, we may find an equality in everything of importance to ourselves and find happiness more easily and more often.
Physical exercise- or even just stretching and moving- is important for all of our systems. These include blood flow, oxygen, digestive support, our kidneys, and of course our thought processing. Often times I will be struggling with a concept while at the end of my workday- sitting at my desk contemplating a solution. I like to walk right after work, and often times I will find my answer then! If you having unusual or uncharacteristic mental health concerns, try to identify any other issues you are currently having. They may be relating, and solving one may solve the other. Prioritizing our mental health will strengthen our physical health, and vice versa, and it is important to look at everything occurring around us in order to solve our issues.
Kyndal Sims
Birch Psychology