Making the decision to prioritize one’s own health contributes not only in a physical way but even a lot to a person’s mental well-being. And it has indeed become the need of the hour too. With the ongoing pandemic, it has become essential to maintain your health as much as hygiene and social distancing.
We create the restrictions and limitations in our mind about the things we can or can’t change, about the time, place or age. When we allow our mind to open up the possibilities increase. Many diseases infact are lifestyle diseases or triggered by a neurological factor. If we can train our brain to work for us rather than create angst towards our body, we can reverse most illnesses.
Doctors are bogged down by emergencies and taking care of the critically ill. Everyone that you know would probably advise and dissuade you from visiting a hospital unless absolutely necessary. So why don’t we all become more mindful towards our health. Issues which we can definitely solve and at least reduce with simple lifestyle changes.
Here are some simple changes that you can incorporate into your life.
1.Make the effort to take out time for workouts, yoga, walks or any form of exercise. Place and time are not as important as being consciously active. Long hours at your desk (work at home syndrome) should be interspersed by 10/15mins break…just walk around your room or stand, twist, bend. Get some blood flow, lubricate the muscles, loosen the joints. Do not use the remote. Help with household chores. Be active even when indoor. It is a known fact that exercise increases neurogenesis ( develops new brain cells)
2.Make a conscious decision about what food you eat and how much you eat. Food is energy, needed both for physical and hormonal, neurological well-being. Being on a restrictive diet or counting calories for every meal may put pressure on the mind. Instead plan nutritious meals in advance, a colourful mix of vegetables, millets with a small helping of good fat (ghee, Oil, Nuts and Seeds). Simple food cooked at home can be a great source of comfort to the mind. Have a healthy relationship with food.
3.Be with people you love because the feeling of nurturing and being nurtured both add a lot of strength neurologically. Humans are social beings and with the restrictions imposed by lockdown many people start feeling lonely, trapped or even abandoned. Fortunately, with today’s technology it is possible to reach out and stay in touch. Not just phone calls but video calls and facetime are reassuring. The feeling of seeing another, warms the heart. Even while being in isolation, one needn’t feel or be left alone. It is possible to reach out to the person and assure her/him that they are loved n cared for deeply. It helps tremendously in recovery, more than fear and abandonment.
I end with hope and prayer that those who have borne the brunt of the pandemic and its aftermath can recover and resurrect their lives.
