"Curing is what a physician seeks to offer you. Healing, however, comes from within us. It's what we bring to the table. Healing can be described as a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual process of coming home" - Michael Lerner, PHD
Many times we often look for a temporary 'cure' that numbs the pain in our body, but how many of us truly look deep and find the root cause for the pain (be it physical or emotional) that surfaces? Our lifestyles that we lead and the behavioural patterns that we condone is a process that lead us to become who we are today. Thus, every decision that we make everyday matters because they mould us to who we are to become.
So here are 4 easy tips that you can incorporate into your daily routine to help you stay grounded, manage your anxieties and regain your health.
#1 Connection - There is no wisdom without love (Sri Ram)
We are not meant to run this race entirely alone, and there are people around us who are placed in our lives for a reason. They are meant to allow us to find out who we really are. We cannot experience happiness if there is no love. Likewise, we would not understand happiness without sadness. A little love goes a long way, just as a little kindness makes someone's day. Life is never fair in a way, because the more you give, the more you receive. The good will always outweigh the bad so long as you keep looking ahead. So start loving the people you care about, keep the good and forget the bad. Let this be the way; to let that hidden, broken hole within be healed with endless grace.
#2 Let stress go - Worrying does no help
Every morning we wake up with a purpose, and this purpose should be the fire that energizes us to be the best we can be. Who we are is not defined by how stressed we are. The more we hold on to stress, the more it erodes our well-being in many ways. Stress is also known to stimulate cancer proliferation (1-3). Furthermore, chronic stress corrodes and wears away our ability to experience health on both biological and social levels (4).
#3 Move well, move often - Our bodies are designed for movement
"Get up and move", we hear this all the time. But why do we hear it so often? Why do we emphasize it so much that it gets in our ears? When we are sedentary, it disturbs our internal tides and rhythms of chemicals/fluids. Our bodies become sluggish and ineffectual, which affects the process that keep us healthy. Physical activity, is a source of nurturance and enjoyment for our biology. When we stretch, walk, run and basically just move as freely as our bodies wants to, we are honouring our body's design. Keeping our bodies in motion activates an innate healing process within us and is fundamental in keeping diseases or illnesses at bay (5). Just as there is a time for us to rest, there is also time for us to move. This is an essential part of the healing balance.
#4 Eat food that heals - Nature is a healer
We know we are at a comfortable, healthy weight range when our bodies feel well, energised, strong and agile. When we eat well, we can sleep well and participate in all kinds of activities we enjoy without hesitation. Eating well is a simple concept that is overcomplicated in this avalanche of misinformation. All you need is to remember the first rule of thumb - Majority of the calories that you put in your body should come from foods that are fresh out of nature and not from the factories. That's it, it is literally as simple as that.
I hope these four areas help bring you a step closer to your utmost self. Let's live the best out of this perfect mess; to be at peace even when things are beyond our control; to know that there is light at the end of every tunnel.
With all the love,
Ashley
References:
1. S.W. Cole, A.S. Nagaraja, S.K. Lutgendorf, P.A. Green, A.K. Sood, "Sympathetic nervous system regulation of the tumour microenvironment," Nature Reviews: Cancer 15, no.9 (September 2015): 563-72
2. S.K. Lutgendorf, B.L. Anderson, "Biobehavioral approaches to cancer progression and survival: mechanisms and interventions," Amercian Psychologist 70, no.2 (March 2015): 186-97
3. C.P. Fagundes, K. W. Murdock, D.A. Chirinos, P.A. Green, "Biobehavioral pathways to cancer incidence, progression, and quality of life," Current Directions in Psychological Science (November 2017)
4. R.J.Davidson, B.S.McEwen, "Social influences on neuroplasticity: stress and interventions to promote well-being," Nature Neuroscience 15, no 5 (April 2012): 689-95
5. I.M Lee, E.J. Shiroma, F.Lobelo, et al., "Effect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: an analysis of burden of disease and life expectancy," The Lancet 380, no. 9838 (July 2012): 219-29
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