Regaining Lost Aspects: Mind and Soul
Through book events, poetry, and creativity, we dive a little deeper into humanity.
Keep surprising yourself! I know this really surprised me the other day. Things really do pay off, even in ways we might not expect. Just keep looking for the little surprises and excitements in everything you do and in your lifelong journeys to your different goals. The surprises and excitements can keep you motivated and moving forward!
One thing that is hard for everyone and anyone to deal with is illness. It is difficult knowing that you could feel “normal” and enjoy every little ounce of life, but you feel like you can’t because you have some malady holding you back. It is hard constantly having your body remind you that you are sick and tired making it near impossible to ignore your illness that is screaming at you to have a bad time. It doesn’t matter if you just got the illness or if you have been living with an illness for what seems like forever. It always sucks and it always hard to deal with.
I was diagnosed with my chronic disease when I was really little. Most people get hypothyroidism when they are older, but I was one of the “lucky” few to get it when I was a kid. Being a child and having to get poked with needles all the time and having to take a pill everyday to stay afloat and feel OK, sucked. And it still sucks today. It sucks knowing that my life and enjoyment depends on that pill. It sucks knowing that one day that pill might stop working for me like my Synthroid decided to randomly stop working years ago. It sucks knowing that I will never get better and that everyday I have to push myself harder than most people to have the body that I want. It sucks not understanding my emotions most of the time and getting depressed when I have absolutely no reason to be depressed at all anymore. And it sucks even worse when you find out you also have an autoimmune disease, and that now your body has decided to start attacking your thyroid when it already was having a hard time doing its job before. So illnesses suck. Any which kind of illness sucks and any which kind of illness is hard to deal with.
Besides the fact that it is harder to enjoy yourself and do what you need to do with an illness, it are also scary because you don’t know what to expect. Our bodies are amazing, but have many flaws. All we can do when we have an illness is to just try to deal with it in the best way possible and try to find the good things in as many things as we possibly can. But it is OK and there is no reason at all to feel guilty for sometimes wanting to give up, for sometimes feeling bad for yourself, for sometimes feeling angry at the world, or for sometimes crying your eyes out for something that you cannot change. Illness is not fair. We didn’t ask for it. We sometimes didn’t even do anything to deserve it. We are only human and our minds, like our bodies can only take so much and sometimes needs a little break from being strong and should be allowed to let go for a second. You are allowed to cry. You are allowed to scream. You are allowed to stop holding up the world for a brief moment so you can catch your breath.
I’m not saying completely give up and that life isn’t worth living when you have an illness. The opposite is actually true because on your good days, which we all have, things are more precious and more enjoyable than they typically would have been because you have fought so hard to be standing where you are at the moment to enjoy them. All I am saying is it is OK to let yourself feel for a moment. It is OK to acknowledge that life isn’t fair before you tackle your dreams. It is OK to be sick because sick or not you matter, and you will become the best person you can be and we will all look up to you for it. Illnesses suck, but you don’t have to suck along with it.
I know we hear it ALL the time. Stretch in the morning. Stretch before you work out. Stretch after you work out. Take some time in the day to stretch. Make sure you stretch.
Well, you hear that all the time for a reason! It is EXTREMELY beneficial for you!
First off, WAY less injuries and I know this from experience. I used to not stretch. I used to tell myself that I didn’t have time and didn’t need it even with all the things that I was doing each day. I run, bike, and lift weights and for some reason I still thought that I didn’t need to stretch. Then slowly as I got older the pain started happening. First, it was in my knees. I got runners knee pretty bad in both knees over and over again and I could not figure out why. I changed up how I ran. I wore a knee brace when I ran or worked out. I even took some time off, but the pain still kept coming back. Then my feet started to hurt and I became scared to death that I was going to plantar fasciitis like my mom and that that was going to slow me down with my fitness goals. After changing shoes, the pain still came and went.
Then after doing research I found out that what may have been causing all of my pains and injuries were tight muscles. My muscles around my knees could have been too tight that they were pulling at my joints constantly giving them strain that they couldn’t handle and didn’t need. My calf muscles could have been too tight that they were pulling at the tendons on my feet making it hurtful to walk.
Finally, I gave in and started to stretch. Slowly my knees and feet stopped hurting, and I was able to go months without any pain at all. Also, when I did get pain somewhere I was able to make it go away a lot faster than before. But my biggest complaint I have had most of my life was lower back pain. It was where I felt like my hips were stuck to my spine making it hard to sleep or sit still. Happily, after a few weeks of stretching the most amazing thing kept happening. It got to the point that during every stretch routine I was able to extend my spine and decompress it making it pop out in several places that left me with this amazing relief like I was floating on air and standing taller. So, stretch if you want to escape from some of your bodies ache and pains that are making life harder to enjoy!
Another thing that I have found that stretching does for me is it helps me relax and fall asleep faster. You may think that you don’t have time to stretch and that it isn’t worth the “time wasted” like I did, until you think about the logic of doing it before bed. Typically, before I started stretching right before I crawled into bed to sleep, I would lay awake for hours tossing and turning, muscles cramping up, back aching, and mind racing. When I finally started to take the time to stretch and I went to bed, my muscles were all relaxed and happy, my mind was calm from focusing solely on my muscles and was ready for a deep sleep, and my back was pleasantly comfortable and ready to rest before tackling the next day. With my body nice, calm, stretched out, and happy I have been able to fall asleep within ten minutes or less! So spending fifteen to twenty minutes stretching and making my body blissful to save me from spending hours of tossing and turning seems very logical to me.
I could go on and on with all the scientific reasoning that stretching is also important, but those you can look up for yourself. I just wanted to give you my experience in life so far with stretching and how my life had been without it. Just know that any little bit of stretching is better than nothing. Plus you never know, you may find something in your short five minutes you had planned that you really love to stretch and slowly your stretching sessions will become longer and longer and include more muscle groups!
So, FOR REAL, Stretch!!!
Don’t be afraid to like childish things! Liking childish things doesn’t make you childish! Avoiding or not making time for your responsibilities FOR childish things is what makes you childish! There is nothing wrong with enjoying yourself in life while doing the things you need to do. If anything it will make the things you need to do easier and more enjoyable! For example, I love pokemon. I don’t consume myself in it, but there is nothing wrong with going to the grocery store or working out in pokemon attire. It makes me a little more light hearted and happier and it also reminds me of who I am! Enjoy and accept yourself! Enjoying yourself while making progress will only help you love yourself more!
What do we see in someone when we say “Wow! That person is awesome!”? What makes them “awesome” in our opinion? What makes them grab our attention and go “wow!”?
It is the fact that they have achieved something. That they have shown that they had made it through an obstacle or hardship no matter how big or small. It is the observation by us that they have tried, gave it their all, and had put in the work and effort to get to where they are today.
Do you know what is awesome? Trying. Do you know what is awesome? Giving when you have nothing to give. Do you know what is awesome? Kindness. Creativity. Showing us the real you.
Some awesome people in my opinion are the people who put themselves out there to be heard because for some, like myself, that is hard work. Anyone who has taken time out of their day to push their bodies a little bit further in fitness than they are used to are awesome to me. Even people who usually work themselves to death and decide to take a day of rest are awesome to me because giving yourself a break is hard. People who give to help others with their time, money, or kindness are also awesome to me because time, money, and kindness are hard to come by and even harder to give for some people. It is all about stepping out of your comfort zone and for once not taking the easy way out but trying something difficult for you to help you grow.
So why don’t you pick yourself up and conquer your hardships? Why don’t you push yourself even just an inch more than you are used to everyday? You are just that one step away from being awesome in the eyes of others and most importantly yourself. You could be that one person who people look up to and go “Wow! He/She is awesome!”. You could be that one person who you smile at in the morning when looking at yourself in the mirror saying to yourself “Wow. I’m awesome!”.
It isn’t conceited. It isn’t wrong. It is right for you to love yourself and to be happy with who you are. You are capable of great things and one of the greatest things you are capable of is loving yourself. And one of the greatest gifts we are given is the ability to try.
So go that extra inch or mile today to help you become who you want to be! Push yourself just a little bit harder so you can be that “Wow! They are awesome!” person! Even if you don’t make it to your goal. Even if it takes time. Trying is awesome and trying is what makes YOU awesome.
I would highly recommend the book The Power Of When by Michael Breus, PhD, if you feel like you are lacking time and energy to do all the things you want and need to do while feeling at your best. Before I read this book I felt like a mess. I was tired when I didn’t want to be. When I finally had time to write I was falling asleep and not doing it to what I believed was the best of my ability. When it was time to turn in for the night I would lay awake for hours not being able to fall asleep. Also, which I’m sure many people could relate to, when my husband and I finally got some time together we were crabby with each other because we were so exhausted from our busy days.
Now, since reading the book and doing what it has said for the last month I feel like a whole new person. I am much happier, feel great about my productivity, and enjoy my time with husband and kids more. The best part for me though is the fact that I can lie down in bed now and literally fall asleep in five to ten minutes instead of wasting hours getting frustrated with myself for not being able to sleep, and my sleep quality has improved so I don’t have to sleep as much!
I can’t follow the advice and scientific evidence given in the book exactly, because I have two kids, but it really has made a difference in my life with just the small changes I have made. If you are looking for something to help you learn to manage your time better and help you become a better you, I would look into it!
Regaining Lost Aspects: Mind and Soul 