Putting yourself first is not selfish. Quite the opposite. You must put your health and happiness first before you can be of help to anyone else
Simon Sinek
Our bodies are the most precious resource we have. How you feel about your physical body can have a huge effect on your happiness. As Buddha suggests, “Your body is precious. It is your vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care”. Our bodies are not indestructible and there is only so far we can push them before we begin to experience physical and mental dis-ease which can affect our overall happiness. Life in our body is designed to be a blissful experience, our biology ensures that we have everything necessary for our survival which in turn makes us feel good. All animals, including humans, seek pleasure and to avoid pain. Since happiness is a mindful state that we are in control of, to feel happy our body needs to feel happy also. A happy body is a body in balance; rested, fit, adequately fed, free of excessive stress and able to feel fully. Consider this. Could your body be happier right now?
Our mind and body are connected. If your body is not feeling happy then this will translate to your mind. By placing your focus on your own wellbeing and placing yourself first, you can become stronger in mind and body and therefore stronger and happier for everyone and everything in your life. If you are placing your wellbeing at the bottom of the pile, then this will reflect in your life; you will feel weaker, less motivated, more frustrated and ultimately unhappy. Taking time out for you can instantly improve your mood and help release stress and anxiety. Whether this is simply going for a walk, taking part in a regular exercise class or having a treatment such as massage or reflexology, know that you are ultimately in charge of how your body feels. Notice which actions help lift your mood and do more of it.
Ideas for how you can treat your body like it deserves to be happy:
- Be conscious of the foods you eat. Pay attention to how eating certain foods make your body feel. Keep a journal and begin to eat less of the foods that make your body feel heavy and full and more of the foods that make it feel alive and happy. Balance is the key here though. Just like it is ok not to be ok, it is ok to eat a balance of healthy and less healthy foods. To go too far one way means we are at the risk of restricting food. When we restrict food (i.e. create a state of famine) our bodies go into feast mode. The moment we feel starved of something, we can then eat too much of it. Have you ever restricted yourself from eating sugary foods by stripping them out of your diet completely and then ended up bingeing on them and feel bad about it?
- Drink water. Ensure you drink plenty of water to eradicate and flush out toxins in your body. Toxicity has a marked impact on how we feel. Too many toxins in the body and we can feel sluggish and run down.
- Take time for exercise. Just a short walk a day can help to get the blood pumping around our body and being outside in the fresh air can instantly lift our mood. Equally attending a regular exercise class at the gym can enable you to meet like-minded people as well as getting active too.
- Become conscious of your thoughts. Everything you say or feel becomes your reality. When you change your thoughts for the positive, your reality is likely to be more positive too. When you change your thoughts, your body will react too. Thoughts of joy and happiness and our shoulders instantly drop down and our head is held high. Thoughts of sadness and despondency and our shoulders become rounded, our head drops and a frown appears on our face.
- Take time out to receive therapeutic support such as massage, reflexology or Reiki. Touch therapies can help to boost your levels of oxytocin, the feel-good chemical in the brain. The rise in oxytocin strengthens personality traits such as warmth, love, trust and ultimately happiness. These effects from the treatment can extend far beyond the therapy room and out into your life. Touch therapies also give you the opportunity to switch off from life and reset. We offer Therapeutic Support sessions both in person and online, in the above modalities as well as sound healing, intuitive guidance and mindful movement and meditation. You can book a session here: https://bit.ly/3D7RKXk
Our bodies are precious, so why do we neglect them on such basic levels so often? A calm and contented mind is nothing without a healthy and well body to support it. Take time out of your day for at least 5 minutes to care for it. Small and incremental changes on a regular basis will enable you and your body to feel happy.
Show your body the same compassion that you show everyone. It needs it just as much, if not more.
Much love,
Rebecca x
