Health is interconnected.
So this principle extends upon the previous of balance in all things,
But it's really worth driving down because health,
Without our health,
The absence of health is,
Well,
Illness and ultimately death.
We need to find balance in all things,
But particularly in our health,
And to recognise that our health is interconnected.
The traditional western view is that the mind and the body,
Whilst being connected,
Aren't really directly connected.
We sort of look at and compartmentalise and treat things separately.
Your mind is treated and medicated and given therapies separate to your gut health,
Which is separate to your physical,
Muscular and weight health,
Which is separate to your spiritual health,
Which is separate to your relationships and your community.
But the reality is,
Is that we are a system operating within a collection of other systems.
You,
Your inner self,
All the aspects that make you up,
Are operating within a family unit.
There's itself operating within a community and a country and a world unit.
We are all interconnected,
Both internally and externally,
And to fail to see the relationships between those things is to fail to address the whole that is you.
Your mind,
Your body,
Your spirit are all connected.
What happens if someone eats poorly day after day after day?
Their mind starts to atrophy.
Their spiritual connections start to wane.
They become sluggish.
They become ill.
But not just physically.
If you neglect a spiritual practice,
Your life may feel meaningless.
If you have a lack of community and friendship and connections,
Then you might start to start thinking or having challenging thoughts or feelings of loneliness that you can't quite,
You know,
Replace or address.
There is a distinct need to realize that health is interconnected.
One simple example of this is seeing the connection between the mind and the body through the power of the breath.
The mind itself doesn't really know what's going on externally,
If it's safe.
It relies on the external senses.
It relies on the heartbeat and the breath and the senses like touch,
Taste,
Smell,
Sight.
And then it regulates the nervous system accordingly.
Studies have been shown that if you smile,
You will actually have more positive thoughts.
Studies show that if you have positive thoughts,
You feel better,
Your health improves,
It's all connected.
But the breath is a very easy one that you can impact.
Take some time to take some slow,
Calm,
Deep breaths and just see how you feel.
You calm the mind,
You calm the body,
You calm the body,
You calm the mind.
You can calm the body down by breathing slower.
Because if you are breathing slowly,
There is no threat.
There is no problem.
Now yes,
This is an artificial practice.
Yes,
This seems a bit weird or odd.
But give it a try.
Try it now.
Take a slow,
Calm breath and just do it for about a minute.
Deep breath slowly in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Drop the tension from your shoulders,
From your jaw,
From your belly.
Just release the tension in your body and continue to breathe slower.
And as I'm talking,
Just notice the impact upon your mind and your mood.
How do you feel?
Probably a little bit better.
The same is true for what you eat.
How do you feel after having a good meal versus eating junk food?
The junk food might hit a craving.
But at the moment that craving is satisfied,
You don't feel pretty good.
You've got the feelings and the lethargy and the judgments and all of those things.
It's all interconnected.
Spend some time with someone that brings you joy,
A friend or a family member and notice how good you feel.
This healthy interconnected extends to your work life.
If your work is going well,
If you enjoy the people and the place and the things you are doing,
If you are getting enough money to survive and do some other stuff beyond that,
You feel good.
That good feeling leads to less anxiety.
Less anxiety means less tension.
Less tension in the body leads to less long-term health consequences.
Health is interconnected.
So what this means is that you can impact your health from multiple different perspectives.
But it all is on you.
You need to make those choices,
The choice to meditate,
The choice to exercise,
The choice to eat well,
The choice to see friends and family,
The choice to find and do work that doesn't bring you down,
That in fact uplifts you.
Now it might feel like you don't have the ability to make those choices,
But not taking action is itself a choice.
If you do nothing,
Then in five years,
You'll still be in this same space.
If you are in a relationship that is toxic,
That is bringing you down,
That you don't like,
And you make no changes,
That will be your life in five years and in 10 years forever.
How will that impact the rest of your health?
Health is interconnected and I encourage you to try and move the needle in all things.
We talked about it in the session,
Keep turning up,
The idea of trending up by instilling positive habits,
And this is one of them.
Health is interconnected.
Do something daily to improve health across the board,
And over time you'll improve.
None of what I'm saying here is a short-term fix.
There are no shortcuts to health.
There are no shortcuts to thriving.
Only small choices made daily.
Pushing the needle upwards,
Trending upwards.
Begin now.
This track is taken from my course,
From Surviving to Thriving.
10 Principles to Turn Your Life Around.
It's out now and available on my InsightTimer profile.
I invite you to check it out.
