One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt the past year (especially during lockdown 2.0) was that optimal health = optimal life.
What does optimal health mean?
To me, i’ve learnt that optimal health isn’t just about good food and regular exercise. It means taking care of not only the physical form but your mental and spiritual health too. These three things are all connected and when all three are on the right track, everything else surrounding you just falls into place.
The body
“Why does physical health matter? I’m happy with the way I look.”
There’s more to physical health than the way you look. Strength is important, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You never know when you’ll need your body to push the extra mile or for your muscle memory to kick in and protect you from a fall or big impact or whatever. Also for future you. You may not care about the way your body works now but when you’re elderly, these things impact you. Every grandparent wants nothing more than to have energy and ability to run around with their grandkids or be able to still travel and see the world “like when we were younger” without getting tired or having to opt for a less exciting experience, or play with your kid when they’re old enough to catch and throw a ball, or even just starting a new hobby later down the track and wishing you didn’t have to start from scratch – whatever that thing is for you, do it for that version of yourself.
Most importantly, your physical health affects your mental health which affects your spiritual health and therefore the overall you. It’s real, its science, it’s evident and I and anyone else with an active lifestyle can testify. When your body feels good, you feel good.
And if you are concerned with the way you look, naturally just by taking care of yourself, exercising and eating right – your body will look its best anyway!
The mind
What does mental health even mean?
Sure we’ve all heard that we should check in with ourselves, maybe journal, meditate, exercise, spend less time on screens! But why? You may feel like you’re happy when you’re constantly fed with shots of dopamine and constantly entertained. Whether its physical or mental, these short, temporary moments of satisfaction are not the same as a healthy mindset or pure contentment. It’s a waste of time. A waste of precious, finite time that we get to live in this life which is literally magic in my eyes. I can’t see life other than a complete miracle no matter which perspective I choose to see it from. No matter what belief, science, religion – it’s all miraculous and something we shouldn’t take for granted. Sure, I’m still a product of this world and society, I’m not perfect at all but I ask you to at the very least to be conscious of it. It goes for everything. We weren’t designed to eat junk food and intoxicate ourselves and be so connected to technology we not only physically but emotionally cannot be separated from it. And that’s not our fault, but being cautious of its affects, being reasonable and balanced is enough to help make the difference and stay grounded.
Side note – There is actually scientific evidence that there is a clear and direct track of nerves travelling from your stomach to your brain. So the things you eat very well have a impact on your mental state. And not to mean, “if this tasted yummy while I eat it, that makes me feel good so it’ll give me a positive mindset and a healthy mental state”, no. I mean when feeding yourself junk, it affects your mood, energy levels, overall decision making, focus and cognitive function! To be at your smartest, clearest and best is when you’re eating all the right things. In my opinion, this is honestly natures way of proving to us that a healthy diet is the way to go. Again, believe me – I live to eat so I get it. But balance is key right?
Everyone is different and has their different methods of doing things, or go through changes and try all the things. But anything that you’re passionate about and/or is beneficial is worth our time and efforts. We should always be striving to do the thing/s we love. That’s what I believe life is about. It’s not always job related or a fixed hobby, maybe its personal growth or about the environment that surrounds us. But at the end of the day, if we aren’t embracing the things that breathe life into us, then what are we really doing here? We get one shot at life. Maybe you don’t have to look back one day and wish you made different decisions.
My friend asked me recently “how do you make your decisions and how do you know they’re the right ones?”. I said “I go with the option I know I’ll regret the least. I know it’s usually the right one because I’ve made the wrong decision too many times to not. And I trust myself enough to know even if I do make the wrong one, it was still my decision and I’m okay with it no matter which was it goes”. So what I’m saying is, don’t do things for the wrong reasons and end up regretting it. Take your personal experience and heart into consideration and yes people have responsibilities, but that doesn’t mean you should live your whole life serving these responsibilities. You must have balance in everything you do. Once you start living like this, you will notice the changes in your atmosphere. But if you do go down a different path, remember it was still you who made that decision and you are constantly growing and shaping, so instead of resenting your past self, know who you are now and make decisions from that moment on for your future self.
The spirit
This for me is probably the most important and it’s the one we neglect the most. Not intentionally but because we just don’t think about it or don’t see reason. If it isn’t clear already, taking care of your mental health already aids in healing your spirit but there are other things you can do. Number one is getting out in nature. It doesn’t feel important but we tend to forget that we are nature! And all of nature is connected – the trees, the insects, the waves, it all. But we are now so disconnected from our source and ourselves, and thats growing more and more as our world ages. Get out in the sun, ground yourself and step onto the grass, dip your toes in the ocean, lay down on the pavement and watch the stars at night. I’m telling you, when you finally stop and reconnect in this way, its like having a spiritual encounter. Listen to the insects, watch the clouds, feel the breeze or smell the rain. We forget that before all of the commotion, this is all we had and we need to remember, we need to come back to our true nature and ourselves. (I am aware that I sound like a crazy hippie but there is no other way to say it)…
Another way to improve our spirit and back to improving our mental health is doing what we love. Have you ever been so lost in something where time almost stands still, or for a moment you forget just about everything and you get into the zone or what some call the “flow state”. If you haven’t yet then maybe you just haven’t found your thing. Some people find it in sport, in playing an instrument, creating art, etc. It doesn’t even have to be an activity or something you’re good at. I’ve been in this state just from listening to the right track while cruising in my car while the sun was setting. Or being out far in the ocean by myself, catching waves with nothing but the sound of the water crashing on the shore. Find your thing, enjoy that thing and get lost in it.
Now as great as being stimulated can be, we do need to learn how to shut our brains and body off. By constant stimulation, constant movement and never stopping, we (in a metaphorical sense) keep drowning our spirit when its trying to come up for air. The best way to bring our spirit back to life is to disconnect from all physical form and go in. Forms of meditation and breathing exercises do this. I won’t go too much into meditation because there is just so much to say but I never realised how easily it was to just go about life, never actually thinking about where my spirit is hovering after stripping away the layers of this world and since I discovered that, its easier to tune into more and more over time. When you meditate, you are constantly distracted. Heck, when you’re not meditating, you are constantly distracted! I could be watching a film, thinking about what’s happening on the screen, about how salty the popcorn i’m eating is, what i’ll be eating after the movie and the thing I need to do when I get home, all at once! Meditating is like training your mind to turn it off, focus on the spirit and constantly fight those thoughts that bring us back to the physical. My favourite form of meditation is Yoga Nidra which I do before bed and it knocks me right into a deep sleep. That and Wim Hof breathing… I think I’ll write more about meditation in the future…
You could also introduce yourself to world of psychedelics and basically accelerate this process but it’s not something you can do as often as meditating. Or maybe you can! And if that’s far from your consideration then ignore this. Each to their own but that’s always a beautiful and enjoyable option.
The summary
Taking care of your physical form, helps you to be stronger and your optimal physical self. It also makes you feel and look good which is great for your mental health. Checking in with your emotions, doing the things your love and making the most of life is optimal for your mental health and feeds your spirit. The more experiences of love, the more your spirit is fed. Go out in nature, listen to music, read literature, spend time with your favourite people. Love is in all of these things. Turn off the distractions and find your inner being. Take responsibility, respect yourself and your decisions. Stop comparing yourself! Its unnecessary, it doesn’t make sense and helps no one. Know that nobody is perfect but striving for a better outcome will always result in the best version of yourself. Make goals for all the aspects in your life, be grateful for everything including the bad and when your body, mind and soul are all lined up, your universe will fall into place.
When you feel great internally, you don’t care as much about how you look externally, but naturally that projects and you look even better anyway! It’s a beautiful cycle. You look your best when you’re at your healthiest (busta rhymes over here). When you stop comparing and start being your true self, you attract other genuine energy’s and will realise this is the better option.
Why do I care? Great question. I ask myself this everyday. I think because since I have started striving to be my optimal self, I can see the difference its made in my life and we have one life and one shot at it so I want everyone to experience it and to be at their most optimal self. Why settle for less when you can be at your best (hehe I had to). The great thing about life is you can try this, give it your absolute all and experience the results and if you don’t like it then you can just stop or try something else. But you’ll never know until you try so why not give it a go! Sure being healthy and fit and going out of your way to take care of yourself is a little extra effort but all the best things come from hard work. Put in the effort and reap the rewards.
Peace & love y’all
– shaks ✌?