Are YOU Healthy in Mind, Body and Spirit ? (Newsletter 17/9/10)

INSPIRED LIVING DAILY

17 September 2010

In this issue :

1)Inspirational Quote of the Week
2)Do you have a mentally healthy mind ?
3)Healthy Mind, Healthy Body
4)The link between spirituality and health
5)Inspiring story of 'Superman'


Welcome one and all

It's really great to have you here again this week for another lively
dose of inspiration. As ever, a particularly warm welcome to all my
new subscribers from wherever you are, thanks for being here ! If
you would like to drop me a line at any time with your comments,
suggestions, feedback or ideas I would love to hear from you ! My email
is oliver@inspiredlivingdaily.co.uk

As you will know if you have been reading the newsletter in recent
weeks I have been looking at various themes and this week I have decided
to look at the mind-body-spirit link and the importance of all three
working in harmony and balance together !

We are in such an enlightened era these days in our common understanding
of the the ability of our minds to create both positive and
negative circumstances in our lives and indeed how negative thinking/
emotions can do such damage to our bodies. One statistic is
that an estimated 70% of visits to a doctor are stress related. That
is quite an astonishing figure I am sure you will agree ?

The good news is that there are lots of different methods and techniques
out there, many of which are natural in origin, which can help in balancing
the mind-body connection such as relaxation, meditation, yoga and an host
of others. As regards spirituality, no one really knows for sure how
spirituality is connected to health but the fact is undeniable that
it is. Certain spiritual practices such as prayer can contribute to
a sense of health and well being and a connection to something 'unseen'
and mystical ?!More on the mind-body-spirit connection in the articles
that follow.

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Inspirational Quote of the Week
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To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This
is to have succeeded. Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Do you have a mentally healthy mind ?
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Dr Adam Cash in an article in en.citizendium.org suggests the following
ten steps as keys to good mental health :

1)Love yourself and accept yourself as you are;
2)Struggle to overcome, yet learn to let go;
3)Stay connected with other people and nurture relationships
4)Strive for freedom and self-determination;
5)Find your purpose and work towards your goals;
6)Find hope and maintain faith and have a "positivity bias";
7)Lend a helping hand with charitable activities;
8)Find flow by being deeply engrossed and focused on selected activities;
9)Enjoy beautiful things in life, including music and art;
10)Stay flexible. Be ready to change. It takes courage to change our ways.

Quite a menu I am sure you would agree, but some strong truths there !
Essentially, in my own mind, much of this is about self realisation, about
finding oneself and coming from a healthy place of one's own self worth
in connecting with people and the world in general. Having a healthy
mind means that one can function in society at a far more optimal level
than say someone diagnosed with a severe mental illness.

It is clear that much of the 'brokenness' we see in society today is
caused by 'broken minds' such that people exhibit negative patterns
of behaviour based on what their minds are conveying to them as truth.
People's conditioning in childhood leads them often to believe that
their horizons are limited by the expectations and 'realities of
life' imposed on them by parents or other important authority figures.

The mind is programmed from an early age and many people in adult
life have to reprogramme their minds and particularly their
subconscious minds if they are to achieve real success in life.

The article goes on to say :

'A Western conception of a mentally healthy mind is a person who
functions effectively as a human being, who continues to adapt favourably
to the environment, who has self-control and is alert to changes in
the environment. He or she responds to change effectively by avoiding
pain and finding pleasure, and finds ways to get greater resources,
knowledge, power, and tools for survival.'

OK well that may sound a bit deep and philosophical, but it essentially
means that we gauge our mental health by our ability to 'function
effectively' in the real world and adapt to change. It is often at times
of severe stress such as job loss or divorce or loss of a loved one
that our minds can come to breaking point if we are not careful. This
emphasises the importance of the mind-body-spirit link in that if
we can maintain certain routines at those times like exercise/good
nutrition or spiritual practices such as prayer or meditation then
the mental stress can be dealt with effectively. If we neglect any of
those then our system can go into breakdown mode just like a car that
hasn't been serviced with oil regularly.

For more on the subject of a Mentally Health Mind go here :

http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Mentally_healthy_mind
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Health Mind, Healthy Body
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A report by Anne Kelly in www.irishscientist.ie says :

'The Romans had a proverb, 'mens sana in corpore sano,' meaning
'a healthy mind in a healthy body'. Research worldwide, including in
the Department of Physiology, Trinity College Dublin, shows that the
Romans were really on to something. While we have known for a long
time that exercise can protect general health and wellbeing, it now
seems that exercise may help to preserve brain health also. For example,
fitness levels have been associated with maintenance of brain function
in age while physical activity has been linked with a reduced risk
of development of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.'

So this is probably quite commonly known information nowadays, namely
that one's physical health and optimal mental reasoning/brain functioning
are intimately linked. It is encouraging to believe that if we
maintain reasonable standards of fitness and physical activity we can
ward off degenerative brain conditions such as dementia and other
impairments of old age !

The mind-body link is such a powerful one.How many times have you
heard people say that if they give up a regular exercise regime they
become sluggish or lethargic ! And most often they are not really
talking about physically but more so mentally. We have gotten used
to seeing some of our great Western leaders going for their daily jog
or cycle ride or their game of golf. Bearing in mind that these people
are handling the pressures of high office, then they obviously realise
the benefits of regular exercise on their physiology and mental
acuity.

Of course the healthy mind-body link is not just about the effects
of regular physical exercise but about good nutrition and an host of
beneficial supplements and additions people can bring to their diets.
There are huge global industries extolling the benefits of many
naturally occurring products such as aloe vera and many others.

It should also be borne in mind that the brain can need help as it can
get depleted of neurotransmitters like serotonin which play an
important role in how we feel each day. Many people experience pain,
stress, depression and anxiety associated with low serotonin levels.
Fortunately, there are plenty of natural ways we can boost our mood
by helping our body produce the right amount of serotonin. In this way
the health mind-body link can be maintained.

For more on how these natural ways to boost one's brain chemistry
go here :http://www.naturalnews.com/026332_serotonin_health_mood.html
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The link between spirituality and health
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If we accept the basic premise that the mind, body and spirit are
connected, then it is important to understand that one's 'spirituality'
can have a direct effect on developing and maintaining a healthy
body and mind. This relationship is symbiotic in that one thing feeds
off another and for the organism, in this case a human being, to be
healthy then there has to be a balance between all three.

Now for some people the issue of 'spirituality' is a confusing and
difficult one because they may link the word with an organised religion
and for that reason refuse to countenance any spiritual dimension to life
personally for them, or of the link between that an healthy mind-body-
spirit connection.

Even if a person has no spiritual identity through a formal religion
they may still be in touch with their spirituality in unconscious ways.

An article in familydoctor.org says as follows :

'Spirituality is the way you find meaning, hope, comfort and inner
peace in your life. Many people find spirituality through religion.
Some find it through music, art or a connection with nature. Others
find it in their values and principles.'

As I am sure you will agree that is quite a broad definition of
spirituality but the important point there for me is in the word 'meaning'.
Finding meaning or purpose to one's life, which in essence is a
spiritual practice, contributes to one's well being in the sense that
everything then has a context in the order of things. Appreciating for
example nature in all its glory can lead to a sense of wonder and a
realisation that there is supreme order in the Universe and that everything
has a reason to be as it is.

The article in familydoctor.org goes on to suggest a range of activities
to improve one's spiritual health with the emphasis on things that
give a person a sense of inner peace, comfort, strength, love and
connection.

For more on these go here :

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/articles/650.html
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Inspiring Story - The Irony of Superman
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Christopher Reeve was known to millions as the star of the Superman
films. In 1995 he suffered a catastrophic equestrian accident which
not only ended his acting career but almost his life. He went from able
bodied to quadriplegic in an instant !

In his second book, "Nothing Is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life"
he reflects on the life transformation and his battle to accept his
new reality :

'Reeve emphasizes the importance of a positive mentality in the
connection which exists between mind and body. Easy? No, he never
portrays the inner work a disabled person must do as easy. His words
resonate as he reveals that fear and self-doubt which are born from
disability and setbacks in recovery can be more paralyzing than the
physical impairment itself. Frustrations, which seemingly build one
upon another, must be shattered by a never ending willingness to overcome.
Reeve also underscores the vital roles played by family, caregivers,
doctors, and therapists, as well as the faith and hope which must
pepper each of those relationships.'

For more on this amazing story go here :

http://arthritis.about.com/cs/inspiration/fr/chrisreeve.htm

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Well folks that's it for another week ! I really hope you enjoyed today's
content as much as I did putting it together ! I will be on the
lookout once again for inspirational topics and themes in the next week.
Don't forget to email me in the meantime and to visit my fan page
on Facebook : http://tiny.cc/hnmdq

Have a great week, go for your goals and see you soon !

In the meantime,

God Bless and BE INSPIRED !

Oliver
http://inspiredlivingdaily.co.uk