Have you ever noticed how, when your happy, you feel better? There are fewer aches and pains. Your body seems to effortlessly "hum" along. As I'm sure you know, stress can wreak havoc on your immune system. But what's interesting, is that good stress can affect it as much as the bad. Poor emotional health affects your immune sytem and can cause a wide range of health issues; everything from back pain and constipation to insomnia and high blood pressure. Did you know that there's another part of your body that's almost as smart as your brain? Yep. Your gut. Stomachs are very intuitive and do much to regulate your good health...or not. The old saying, "My gut's in a knot" isn't far from the truth. A healthy digestive sytstem is very important to maintain. And it begins in your head.
This may sound like quackery, but it is important to talk to yourself in a loving and gentle manner. Your body will respond in kind. When you're tired, sick, or feeling fat, try telling yourself, nicely, that it's ok; that you understand and are forgiving of the problem. Tell yourself that you'll find a way to make it better. Treat your body like you would a hurting child. Be loving and comforting. That's not always easy to do, I know, especially when you're busy with life and you get sick or stressed out. But it might be worth a try.
We hear about taking care of our body what what about our bodies taking care of us? Our physical selves are an excellent indicator of what's going on in our lives. Troubling things we may not yet be aware of will show up, first, as a sudden pain, rash, headache, or other dis-ease. Some of our illnesses might be life-long, but that doesn't mean that they can be corrected and, possibly, healed.
I don't advocate self-diagnosis and self-treatment. There are many highly trained doctors out there who can, and should, make our diagnosis. But doctor's don't always look to their patients emotional health as a cause for their illness. What I am suggesting is that you begin paying closer attention to what's going on in your head and your gut. How is that being translated by your body? A few simple "tweeks" in your thoughts and action can improve your good health immeasurably. Even with a chronic, or a life-threatening illness, having a good attitude with positive thoughts and, of course, treating oneself with compassion, can go along way in healing not only the body but also the mind and spirit. Here's to your good thoughts and your good health!