Heal your mind and notice if the body follows.
A dear friend reminded me of the importance the mind has on the physical body’s health. When your thinking is contaminated with stressful thoughts, that stress can come out in many different ways and manifest in your body. Your immune system may be weakened and unable to fight off infections. You may not be able to sleep with the thoughts churning in your mind. When you do not have a way to deal with those thoughts, the only alternative is to find a way to escape from them. Maybe it’s with eating to numb the mind, turning to drugs or alcohol, escaping from the pain with prescription medications (narcotics, antidepressants, etc.), sex, smoking, watching TV, too much exercise or not enough exercise. These addictions, where you turn to escape from the pain, may eventually lead to obesity, heart disease, cancer, dependence on drugs and alcohol and the list goes on and on.
If you had to choose, would you rather have a healthy body or a healthy mind? As Byron Katie says, “I hope you chose mind because bodies don’t make it.” Heal your mind and notice if the body follows. Start by just noticing what thoughts you are having in the moments before you turn to your escape, whatever that is for you.
“I’m not good enough.” ”My body shouldn’t be hurting.” ”I am alone.” ”I’m too fat.” ”I have too much to do.”
If we are honest, we all have them…just notice.
“My body should look different.” Is it true?
Have you ever had the thought that your body should be different in some way? ”I’m too fat, thin, short, or tall.” Or perhaps, “I should be healthy.” Do you notice the difference in the thoughts, “My body should be different” and “I should be different?” Is your body “you” in your entirety or is there more to “you” than that?
Your life would be better if you looked differently- can you really know that is true?
People would like you more if you were more attractive- can you really know that is true?
You would have a partner if you were more attractive- can you really know that is true?
You would be happy if your body was different- can you really know that is true?
These are simply questions but I am finding (through the work of Byron Katie) that my answer is I am not merely my body and my body should not be different. That doesn’t mean it will never change. Our bodies have been given to us to live this life in. And in my experience, it seems to be doing that job perfectly- I’m alive! You can go about your life believing “my body should look different” and if it doesn’t look different, it’s frustrating when you look in the mirror. Or, you can go about the same life believing “my body should not look different” and loving what you see in the mirror!
