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FIVE TIPS FOR BRINGING BODY, MIND, AND SOUL TOGETHER :
What are you passionate
about? What brings your mind, body, and soul together? Whether it's
a daily meditation or prayer, a rigid diet system, or just a good
book, the outcome of being able to combined these three aspects of
yourself can bring about the balance that most people wish they had
in their lives.
Although we talk a lot about balance, most people leave out the concept
of the soul, mostly because it's not very well understood by Westerns.
I submit that what moves your soul is also what causes you to feel
the type of energy that can only be described as passionate.
That doesn't mean sexual passion, that means spiritual passion and
the best example I know of is listening to Southern Baptist gospel
music. That's what does it for me, anyway. This type of music lifts
me up and reminds me that there is a much bigger world out there than
the daily happenings in mine, so I ask you again, what makes you passionate?
Here are five tips to help you decide:
SET FUTURE GOALS
Future goals are supposed to inspire passion, are yours worthy of
your mind, body, and spirit?
Please don't tell me they have to do with money, which is great, if
that's what you're into, but the process of attaining these goals
should be what causes the passion, because what makes the goal so
much sweeter was the journey that went with achieving it. Try picking
a goal like exploring three new forms of spirituality this season,
instead.
REMEMBER YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
One of the best ways to nurture your body, mind, and spirit is to
remember how much good you do, not get down on yourself for every
little mistake.
The fastest way to crush your soul is to constantly tell yourself
that you screwed up, that you're no good. The soul and mind will eventually
believe you, and your body will follow by becoming sick.
CREATE HAPPINESS SCENES
This is a form of meditation where you practice taking your mind to
a safe and happy place that you either create or plan to go to someday.
When stress rears its ugly head, go to your safe place for a minute.
(Yes, this tip is made fun of in the movies all the time, but it works,
it really does.)
LOOK FORWARD TO SOMETHING, PLAN TO GET AWAY
Nothing seems to nurture the body, mind, and soul better than physically
leaving and finding a new place to explore, even if it's for the weekend.
Plan a weekend trip and get away to the mountains or the beach, whichever
direction your heart takes you. Now here's the best part-go alone.
When was the last time you spent sometime away with no one else but
you? This can be very relaxing; you don't have to worry about entertaining
anyone else but you.
PRACTICE AFFIRMATIONS, FIND A STRESS RELIEVER AND PRACTICE IT
We talked a little about this in number 2, but pick three affirmations
and say them out loud to your self in the mirror every day. This has
been proven to work! If you tell yourself something about yourself
enough times, you will make it true. It seems so easy for people to
believe that when it comes to saying negative things to our selves,
why is it so hard to believe that it works the other way, too? Three
simple affirmations to get you started are:
"I am always safe and secure."
"The universe provides everything I need."
"My income is ever increasing."
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE: IS IT WORTH THE RISK?
There has been a surge in recent years of people looking to alternative
medicine for treatment of illness. It is a practice that generates
a great deal of controversy both inside and outside of the traditional
world of medicine, and an issue that some experts say does not receive
enough attention.
What is alternative medicine?
The most commonly accepted definition of alternative medicine is a
treatment or substance that is untested or unproven using accepted
scientific standards. Common types of alternative medicine include
herbs, supplements, therapies and activity programs that fall outside
of traditional medical practice and are questionable in terms of safety
and effectiveness. For example, acupuncture, massage, meditation,
herbal teas, and plant extracts are quite popular forms of alternative
medicine that many medical doctors say are ineffective at best and
dangerous at worst for some conditions.
Why Is Alternative Medicine So Popular?
Alternative medicine has grown in popularity as more and more people
face the inevitable aches, pains and illnesses that come with aging.
In some cases, traditional medicine has failed to produce a cure and
patients go in search of other options for treatment of their illness.
In other cases, patients believe strongly that natural methods of
treating illness are superior to traditional medicine so they seek
treatment from alternative practitioners rather than medical doctors.
The Risks Of Alternative Medicine
Some of the greatest risks associated with alternative medicine come
from the use of substances that are untested, ineffective, and sometimes
unsafe. The makers of such substances often make exaggerated claims
of effectiveness and/or misrepresent the science associated with the
substance in order to convince consumers to buy their product, even
if use of the product may endanger the consumer’s health or
well-being.
For example, some herbal remedies are promoted as having the ability
to improve memory, increase metabolism, or even cure diseases like
cancer and heart disease. In practice, though, some remedies may actually
cause physiological harm when taken in excessive amounts, ephedra
being one well-publicized recent example. Another risk is that a person
with a serious condition such as cancer, heart disease or some other
chronic illness will forego more traditional treatments that have
been proven effective in favor of alternative treatments that are
of questionable value. They may be literally risking their lives by
treating illness with unproven alternative medicines rather than scientifically
validated traditional medicines.
Another common risk associated with alternative medicine is when a
patient uses both traditional and alternative methods of treatment
but does not disclose this to their medical doctor. It is very common
for prescription medications to produce negative interactions when
taken at the same time as alternative medicines like herbs and plant
extracts. These interactions may range from diminished effectiveness
all the way up to and including toxicity that causes serious harm.
If the medical doctor is not made aware of any other substances the
patient may be taking, he or she may unknowingly prescribe a medication
that produces and unwanted or harmful interaction.
How To Recognize Potentially Risky Alternative Medicines
A good rule of thumb to follow is that if a product, substance or
therapy sounds too good to be true then it probably is. While you
may already be familiar with this cliché, it is worth repeating
because it is often true when it comes to alternative medicine. Beware
of any product that claims to be “miraculous”, “a
scientific breakthrough”, “amazingly effective”,
“an ancient remedy”, “a secret formula” or
possess some other attribute that supposedly makes it superior to
more traditional medicines.
If you are considering an alternative form of therapy, such as reflexology,
acupuncture, biofeedback or the like, carefully check the qualifications
of the therapy practitioner before undergoing treatment. What kind
of training has he or she received, and is that training from a reputable
source? Research the treatment itself to determine if it is something
that has been scientifically tested, evaluated, and found to be effective.
Don’t take the practitioner’s word for it, and don’t
accept at face value the claims of anyone who stands to make money
or benefit in some way if you choose to undergo the treatment.
Finally, ask your doctor about any form of alternative medicine that
you are considering. If you don’t feel comfortable doing so
then find a doctor with whom you feel more at ease and discuss the
alternative treatment you are considering. Remember that a trained
medical professional has the education and experience to help you
make good, safe decisions about whether or not to use alternative
medicine.
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