I want to talk about health- ways to cultivate, maintain, and defend it. I am a firm believer in preventative and holistic healthcare. Thankfully, it has become increasingly incorporated into our medical mindset. Historically, however, our healthcare system has been designed to treat disease rather than promote health. By the time people become patients, the things that ail them have progressed enough to require medical intervention. This could mean medication, surgery, or procedure. They are all costly, and often come with side effects. We cannot prevent everything, but some of it WE CAN. And for the things we can't: prognoses are infinitely better in healthy individuals. Let's do our part.
Preventative medicine works by promoting overall health and wellbeing. Physical, mental, spiritual, social- check! These domains are inextricably intertwined. Physical health affects social lives, for example, by determining the activities that one is able to participate in. I'll share pillars of each.
Physical
Find a way of eating that you and your body equally enjoy. What do I mean by this? Lots of micronutrients, fiber, and hydration balanced with indulgence. Double- fist water and wine. Eat in a way that nourishes your physical vessel and allows your spirit to thrive. Eat ENOUGH. Learn to enjoy food in its natural forms. Treat yoself.
Move your body in ways that serve you. Challenge your cardiovascular system. Invest in bone density and muscle growth. Work on flexibility and stretch your connective tissue. There are a million ways to do it, and it truly does not matter what you choose. Whatever crumbles your cookie ;)
Sleep! Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and free of electronics. Designate a space for nothing but slumber. This will help cue your body into its deepest rest and necessary REM.
~ Physical care BEFORE anything goes awry is the key to health. We are far less likely to contract a whole cornucopia of diseases- atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, ect. We are also better prepared to combat acute conditions. We recover more rapidly, with less pain and fewer interventions. Our lives will include more quality years. Longevity. Strength. Exuberance.
Mental
Regular check- in's with yourself. Is your life serving you? How is your stress? Do you feel connected and fulfilled?
The power of "no". Setting limits is empowering. There is nothing to be glamorized about the hyperactive American work culture. Let go of the things that do not serve you.
Choices that sit well with your subconscious. We feel more balanced when we walk the walk of our morality. Make a conscious effort to remain firmly on the side of your beliefs.
~ Mental health means more belly laughs, less anxiety, better resilience. It puts us in a distinctly different physiologic state than its opposite. Less cortisol and adrenaline, more dopamine and oxytocin. It gives us the space necessary to feel empathy for each other. This whirling dervish of a life? It's got nothin' on us.
Social Connection. I heard a brilliant podcast that discussed the difference between social "snacking" and "meals". A meal is satisfying, the full monty of what we need. Socially speaking, this is spending time together, with eye contact, practicing reciprocal listening. It is investing in each other. We "snack" frequently now via texting and other social medias. These interactions can tide us over, but should never take the place of bonafide in- person interactions.
Spiritual
People rock radically different spiritual health looks. Never a contest of "who wore it best?"; rather, a celebration of diversity. The common denominator between all of these is that they honor something greater than ourselves. Whether that means burning incense, prayer, church, solitude... any external expression. The beauty lies in our internal experience of awe. This is a grand goddamn universe, any way you look at it.
When we stand by these pillars, we invite health into our lives. We act preventatively against disease and honor our holistic selves.
~We raise each other to higher vibrations~
