Hi Friends Pull yourself together! How many times have you heard that one in the negative? Well today I’m suggesting you do it for the greater good, for your good health and well-being.
We are mind and body – a thinking, feeling being, trying to work together as one, but how’s that going for you? You feel you’ve got it all connected and working in harmony? By all accounts it’s not easy.
What is it with us these days, we talk of feeling out of balance with this or that (fill in the gap, work, relationships ???)? Have you told yourself you feel out of balance? Is it such a bad thing to be out of balance and what does that mean to you?
The human being is a wonderful thing with its two complex parts, the body and mind making up the one ‘being’. We are capable of achieving great things but so many of us feel out of banace with the current pace of daily life.
Just for today imagine we are two distinct parts – well we are more but for this discussion let’s say two – the body which is the animal and the mind which lies in all parts of the body (many imagine it is only in our brain).
We are part of the animal kingdom, top of the food chain, but where all the other animals are off having a wonderful animal existence, harmony with nature and all, we are seemingly not.
An animal’s mind is in tune with its body, and that instinctively drives their being and they are in harmony. They need to be in order to survive the day. And they know how to rest too; they take action only when necessary.
Now that’s harmony in the jungle of life, balanced you could say.
The human animal’s mind is attuned to its own needs and it drives the animal in us (our body) to achieve its aims, and that's not always in harmony with the whole being (let alone the community of human beings).
The body is just a vehicle to do the mind’s bidding to some, and scant notice of this is taken until harm befalls them, but even then the mind will want control. We live on adrenaline in the jungle of human existence and we are ready for fight or flight! Do you ever turn off?
But the trouble with that is that we are exhausting our bodies. That fight or flight part of us, our nervous system, is an alert state, which a fantastic safety switch, but being in that constant state long term is like bad medicine for the body and mind and we ignore the beep beeping of the safety switch at our peril.
Our body alerts us to this state, it is seeking to be in balance, it wants to regulate but is unable as any animal can and should.
The heart rate goes up, the healthy diet goes out the window, we can’t sleep and then when we do, we can’t easily wake up. But who is the us that it is trying to alert? The body is calling out for help from the one driving it – the mind - and is it listening? There is no body/mind 'us' at that time.
NO – the mind overrides and is pushing on regardless. And should the mind always be in control anyway?
Our mind doubts the body and seeks gratification, it doubts the body’s innate capabilities leading to physical and mental stress each day without ever taking the time to unwind. Where is the harmony in that?
Pull yourself together? “Not possible just yet, too busy” you say! The modern human mind is running amok and at what cost?
How can we pull ourselves together unless we acknowledge.....
We are two parts trying to work as one –and - that the mind is not taking any notice of a body that has needs? Our very own animal needs some petting.
Try letting your animal, your body, feel the pleasure of
- smelling the perfume of the rose
- walking at a slower pace
- eating healthy food
- drinking water
- enjoying the milk of human kindness and compassion Join a group, learn something relaxing like yoga and meditation
Let the mind rest its attention on
- soft music,
- journaling the day’s events,
- finishing a crossword (rather than a cross word)
- enjoying the milk of human kindness and compassion – so nourishing Join a group to expand your consciousness
It’s just a matter of management isn’t it? Before you know it, you’ll have pulled yourself together without too much effort and enjoyed the process - you will feel as one.
Going at the speed of light in your mind and having the body carry you along can be great fun. But if you begin to feel disharmony, you are way over due to pull yourself back and feel the pleasure of life.
Pull yourself together for a great healthy body and mind. Pull yourself together into peace and for harmony. Such an enJOYable experience.
You can get more done that way, so funny and that’s the paradox of being at one with the two parts of yourself – it’s not always easy though is it?
What are you going to do tonight that will make you feel as if you have it all together, even if it’s just for today? Tell us about, don't be shy.
Another time we could talk about the Spirit within, the one who is watching over the body and the mind – The One who could help pull us together effortlessly. In the meantime try Meditation, Reiki or counselling for help to personalise a harmonising pull yourself together plan
Till next time dear friends, WendyJoy xx