Health

HEALTH

There is a saying about being healthy in Body and Mind.  It obviously infers to the fact that both those sectors in our bodies should be healthy.  I do believe most people aim to have a healthy body, being concerned with hygiene, what they eat and how much they exercise, but how do they work on having a healthy mind?

When you feel well, you are happier than when you are worried about being sick.  So, in that regard, keeping the body healthy and well, takes away the stress on the mind.  But I know it is not just the condition of the body that effects the mind.  Worries and concerns about other aspects of life can cause distress and anxieties which then can have an effect on the body.  It becomes a vicious circle. How does one keep a happy balance?

Some people worry more than others.  I had an aunt who lived that way.  She took so many pills she should have rattled.  But, strangely enough, I always felt she was happy in her misery and worries, because it gave her something to talk about. Didn’t matter that it made her and the people she was talking with feel worse. 

I have a habit when asked how I am, to tell people ‘I’m Wonderful’.  It doesn’t answer the question of my health, but it makes me and those around me feel good.  A friend when asked how they were, always said ‘Not too bad’.  He had an uncle who’d said the same thing.  By being cheerful, he made others cheerful.  So maybe the habit of trying to always project a feelgood attitude, not only helps yourself but others as well.  And maybe that is a mind over matter situation.

When things become a habit, we don’t think before we do.  It’s instinctive.  Even when I have my off days, when I feel a bit stressed out, I still tell people ‘I’m wonderful’.  And strangely enough it does give me a lift.  The response is a habit.  But maybe a good one.  Nobody wants to listen to all my problems.  They have problems of their own.  Oh yes, there are times when you sit down with friends and they tell you their troubles, but when greeting people, that’s not the time.  Better to show a happy outlook and cheer everyone up.

Now I am sure you are yelling at me saying, yes but those people who are really sick need support, and them telling you what is wrong helps them.  This is where I ask, does it?  People I have met who are really sick, if asked how they are today, will brush off the question with an ‘Oh not too bad’.  They would prefer their visitor to bring some joy into their life.  Someone to breeze into the room and tell them they are looking brighter today or words to that affect.  Words that make them feel better.

The body lets very sick people down, but the mind can overcome this.  You have heard how sometimes the sickest people are the most vibrant and cheerful person in the room.  Their enjoyment of life is contagious to everyone else, and the atmosphere in the whole room exudes everywhere. 

Now it is very likely when everyone has gone home and the sick person is on their own, they feel the pain and can give into the depression and misery that can come with the sickness.  But while their friends were around it helped them forget their troubles, and isn’t that better than feeling sorry for the person, which could make them feel worse?

You know, our body is an amazing piece of work.  How we breath, digest food, produce children, see, hear, run, hug each other, they are all things that have been given to us to make the most of our lives.  And the brain?  Now that is something else.  How can you be sitting in a room and visualise a scene from your memory, or project something you can imagine?  Not everyone’s visions are the same, and some see them with more clarity than others, but even blind people can imagine what it is in front of them once they have felt the subject. 

I believe we can control our minds so we do not always have to think negatively.  But it has to be a habit.  Like my friend and I saying the same thing whenever we’re asked how we are, we need to always look on the positive side.  We live on a marvellous planet.  There are so many colours around to brighten our day, and if we look at problems as challenges, and when things go wrong, something better will come along to fix it, then we will find our minds will be more acceptable to bad things.  We won’t be so upset nor angry.  This will give us peace of mind and help us to achieve a happier place. 

With a peaceful happier mind, then our body can get on with being healthy.  You can enjoy more the beauty of the world around and hear those wonderful happy sounds that engulf us.

Next time you find you are looking at something negatively, try putting a happy spin on the problem.  After a while it will become a habit and you will find your body and mind will both be healthy.

Julie Finch-Scally ©