Mind, Body, and Spirit

**Disclaimer** While the word of wisdom gives us basic guidelines for health, it leaves the interpretation of those guideline up to the individual members. This blog is not intended to replace your medical professional or the divine revelation of the Word of Wisdom, but rather it is practical knowledge that I have accumulated over the years in my own pursuit of a healthier lifestyle which I am passing along in the hopes that it will benefit others.**

There is a connection in all of the things around us, a connection that affects how we feel, what we think, and even what we do.

It has been said that the 5 causes of suffering are:

• Not knowing who you are
• Being attached to the impermanent
• Being afraid of the impermanent
• Identifying with the socially induced hallucination called the ego
• The fear of Death

One of the goals of being on this earth is to discover who we really are, but our ego’s with all of its emotions, frustrations and ambitions are not really who we are and often get in the way of spiritual revelations that would help us on our journey.

If we believe that we are the sum of our parts, then just what are those parts? Our bodies are the mere physical form in which our spirit resides. It allows us to move throughout a physical world, but it is not who we are.

So what about our minds? Most of what we know is based on what we have been taught either directly or through association by others. So our mind is not really who we are either, but rather a part of us through which we process information gathered from the world around us.

So what is your true identity? It is in your spirit, and if we could get past the fears of what we do not know then we would be able to move forward in developing the attributes of that spirit.

So why are we talking about our spirit in a health blog? Everything we do has an impact on our physical and emotional health. Being negative or positive affects everything from the release of hormones in our bodies to how we physically hold ourselves.

A person who is feeling positive holds themselves straighter and more open while negative persons tend to sit or stand in a more hunched closed position. Our posture, especially if it is a long term condition affects the flow of energy in our bodies which affects our overall health.

When we are scared or upset our initial response is naturally going to be along the lines of either Fight or Flight, or an ego reaction.

When get upset or scared our sympathetic and autonomic nervous systems come into play. We start to perspire, our bodies begin to shut down various hormones and our immune system becomes disabled because our bodies are preparing to cope with the crisis, and need to focus the energy normally used for daily functions into stress mode.

While this is happening cortisol and adrenaline are released into our body, as well as glucagon which raises the glucose in our bloodstream. Our platelets become sticky, while our hearts begin to race and our breathing quickens. And all of this happens within seconds of our minds reacting to a stressful situation around us.

These reactions are very necessary when we are in physical danger, but we have the same reactions when we are emotionally threatened as well, and that can be more of a health hazard since we are at risk of emotional situations in today’s world much more frequently than we are in physical danger.

All of us have 4 basic emotional needs:

We have a need for appropriate attention, affection, appreciation and acceptance.

When these needs are not met, our minds react in ways very similar to how our bodies will react when we are physically threatened. These reactions, the Fight or Flight and the Ego are very real, but there is a third choice known as

Restful Awareness, that we can achieve, which is much more beneficial to our overall health and well-being.  We can choose when to incorporate this into our lives and by choosing to apply this knowledge help ourselves, when we feel we are being threatened, to react in a more positive way.

Whether you are dealing with a stressful situation, or you are in the middle of a heated conversation. Whether you are depressed, sad or grieving over a loss in your life, you can interrupt the negative pattern before it takes a hold of your life by simply making a conscious effort to stop for a moment and focus on something else.

Meditation is a wonderful way to take your thoughts to a better, calmer place and it doesn’t have to be for hours at a time. While daily meditation is a very beneficial practice, you can get very good results from taking a short time out to slowly breathe in and out for 16 seconds to a minute. Breathing in slowly, through the nostrils, and holding that breath for a few seconds before slowly releasing it, then repeating the process a few times focusing on the breathing. Doing this can reverse the negative reactions that your body has automatically put into motion at the onset of your distress. Your blood pressure will lower, your hormones will begin to function again, and your will feel calm and more relaxed.

Prayer and meditation not only puts us in direct connection with our Father in Heaven it has an immediate impact on our minds and bodies and can help us to handle our stressful world in a way that doesn’t compromise our health and our personal relationships with those around us.

So take time this week to be aware of what is happening around you that may be making you to feel anxious or upset. Disconnect those thoughts from your immediate moment through the short breathing exercise described above. Try to find time for yourself each day to focus your thoughts on positive things in your life, and live with joy in the moment.

In the weeks to come I will be exploring ways that we can bring peace and contentment into our lives despite the stressful world that we live in. Until then be still and know that you are loved.

 

Resources:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/sympathetic_nervous_system.htm

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Autonomic_nervous_system

Deepak Chopra – Hay House World Summit

Davidji – Hay House World Summit