Taking responsibility for our health
The human body is truely a wondrous thing. It strives to heal and recharge itself everyday. The body keeps itself in homeostasis, it houses colonies of bacteria which influence everything from digestion, to mood to immune defence; and the human body is capable of creating new life! We really are extraordinary!!
In our busy day to day lives, it is easy to forget just how much our bodies are capable of. When we are sick it is even harder, we often feel let down or betrayed that our bodies are not functioning as it should or usually would. We forget that we can do a great deal to heal ourselves and that often WE are the cause of our own ill health. This is why Im so passionate about holistic health, we can take ownership of our health and wellbeing, and actively work to improve it. This often means putting in the hard yards of eating high quality, nutrient dense foods, exercising regularly, drinking plenty of water, getting quality sleep and cutting down on those things that aren't the best for our health, but we often love indulging in! (Hello lovely third or fourth cup of coffee, Im looking at you!)
It also means taking time out for our mental and emotional wellbeing. Our lives are usually so fast paced, full of to do lists, activities (our own and our children's), theres never ending work to do around the house and our jobs; and we are constantly plugged in and available nearly every minute of the day thanks to mobile phones and the internet. Its hard to take time out. How ever this is something we really need to do. Our emotional happiness and health, influences the way our physical body reacts to illness, how well our immune system functions and even how we react to pain. Our mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health are all interlinked and exert influence over our health and wellness. This is what I think, makes approaching health and wellness from a holistic view point so exciting- we can educate and empower ourselves into making positive changes that make an impact on our health and wellbeing. Once we shift our beliefs and our focus our reality also shifts to reflect these changes. It is like when we want to buy a particular model of car. Once we focus in on the particular make and model of car we want, they seem to be everywhere we look!
When we are in the thick of experiencing ill health it is hard to appreciate the positive, or to see how we may have contributed to the situation we find ourselves in. Part of healing is to accept our situation and to learn from it so that we don't have to keep repeating the same patterns. This is the basis of a lot of traditional and shamanic healing practices used through out the world.
“ The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity and it is really impossible to tell whether anything that happens in it is good or bad. Because you never know what will be the consequence of misfortune, or you never know what will be the consequences of good fortune.”
Alan Watts
No matter what state of health and wellbeing we find ourselves in, we can always chose to empower ourselves into a more positive state of health. We may not “cure” ourselves but we can become more comfortable and joyous. All that is required is for us to trust in our innate ability to heal and to use our inner wisdom to guide us to what feels right for each of us as unique individuals. I wish you all well on your health and wellness journey.