Day 361 of 365 - The Count Down is On - Body/Mind
Over this past year there have been many posts about the body, the mind and the inextricable connection between the two. By taking the time to learn more and write about this, I have shifted my attitude somewhat towards my own body.
To be honest, most of my adult life I have thought of my body as a machine that I needed to keep tuned up, or to fix when things break down. I have often felt disdain about and disappointment with my body when it has not cooperated with my strategies.
Since the body is such a crucial component in experiencing health and vitality in my senior years, I'm having to come to terms with the aspects of inevitable wearing out and decline which will occur to some degree, despite best efforts to fend them off. Along with that will come the necessity of sometimes asking for and then accepting more assistance from outside myself, which is to me, an undesirable challenge to my sense of independence. What will be even more upsetting to me, at least while I still have cognizance around it, is decline in mental ability, which would also contribute to a need to be more dependent upon others. I may as well apologize now to anyone who might need to be a caregiver for me in the future! :)
What has been truly fascinating though, is how both science and psychology have been able more and more each year to shine an in depth light upon the detailed workings of the body and the mind, and the influences of one upon the other. We now know without a doubt, that our beliefs, thoughts and emotions affect the physiology of our organs and systems. At the same time, what is going on in our body affects our mood and our thinking. We have also learned how our life experiences can be held in our body, in the form of stress reactions which disrupt the balanced function of cells and especially the responses of our nervous system.
So, as much as I may have tried over the years to conquer some aspect of my body with my mind, the two are quite inseparable. At this stage of my life I'm learning to have more compassion towards myself regarding that. Instead of having an unrealistic expectation of how my body should perform, I'm learning to work with it where it is on a given day. If I have not slept well, or some discomfort has flared up, it's okay to scale back my activities to a more tolerable level.
That being said, I've also learned that it continues to be important to challenge myself, both mentally and physically. At the same time as some parts may be wearing out, it's relevant to remember that we are resilient beings who don't need to just sit back complacently once we reach our senior years. I've become aware that there is a balance to be found between self care and challenge, and that can flex over time to accommodate to current circumstances. A certain amount of physical and mental stress helps to increase resilience. Too much stress is harmful. Each individual needs to find their own balance which works for them.
One of the biggest reasons to tend to my body/mind is, to be able to have the energy and enthusiasm to interact with and serve others. For example, I would not be able to take care of our grandson occasionally if I do not have the physical or mental ability to do so. I'd say that's a pretty good motivator for me to stick with practices I've developed. At the present time I am very grateful for my relatively well functioning body and mind.
To be honest, most of my adult life I have thought of my body as a machine that I needed to keep tuned up, or to fix when things break down. I have often felt disdain about and disappointment with my body when it has not cooperated with my strategies.
Since the body is such a crucial component in experiencing health and vitality in my senior years, I'm having to come to terms with the aspects of inevitable wearing out and decline which will occur to some degree, despite best efforts to fend them off. Along with that will come the necessity of sometimes asking for and then accepting more assistance from outside myself, which is to me, an undesirable challenge to my sense of independence. What will be even more upsetting to me, at least while I still have cognizance around it, is decline in mental ability, which would also contribute to a need to be more dependent upon others. I may as well apologize now to anyone who might need to be a caregiver for me in the future! :)
What has been truly fascinating though, is how both science and psychology have been able more and more each year to shine an in depth light upon the detailed workings of the body and the mind, and the influences of one upon the other. We now know without a doubt, that our beliefs, thoughts and emotions affect the physiology of our organs and systems. At the same time, what is going on in our body affects our mood and our thinking. We have also learned how our life experiences can be held in our body, in the form of stress reactions which disrupt the balanced function of cells and especially the responses of our nervous system.
So, as much as I may have tried over the years to conquer some aspect of my body with my mind, the two are quite inseparable. At this stage of my life I'm learning to have more compassion towards myself regarding that. Instead of having an unrealistic expectation of how my body should perform, I'm learning to work with it where it is on a given day. If I have not slept well, or some discomfort has flared up, it's okay to scale back my activities to a more tolerable level.
That being said, I've also learned that it continues to be important to challenge myself, both mentally and physically. At the same time as some parts may be wearing out, it's relevant to remember that we are resilient beings who don't need to just sit back complacently once we reach our senior years. I've become aware that there is a balance to be found between self care and challenge, and that can flex over time to accommodate to current circumstances. A certain amount of physical and mental stress helps to increase resilience. Too much stress is harmful. Each individual needs to find their own balance which works for them.
One of the biggest reasons to tend to my body/mind is, to be able to have the energy and enthusiasm to interact with and serve others. For example, I would not be able to take care of our grandson occasionally if I do not have the physical or mental ability to do so. I'd say that's a pretty good motivator for me to stick with practices I've developed. At the present time I am very grateful for my relatively well functioning body and mind.
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