Balance: The Mind, Body, Spirit Connection

What comes to mind when you see the words, "mind, body, spirit"? For myself, I consider this the trinity for personal balance. We have all heard the saying, "you are what you eat", and the mind/body connection, however, I would challenge you to look deeper.

"True healing and wellbeing come by nourishing the mind, body, and spirit." Do you believe this to be true? I have personally struggled to find my own personal balance. I am naturally geared as an all or nothing person. When I'm in, I'm all in; when I'm not, I'm not. This has not worked well for me. The personal pressure to be all things to all people, meet my own daunting expectations, let alone those of others, while trying to find some inner joy and satisfaction has been tough. What I have learned is, to truly find balance and joy, I need to be in alignment (mind, body, spirit). I do not think I will ever be perfectly in sync, however, having an awareness, with daily conscious adjustments, the process becomes easier. In fact, as you learn to look within, identify imbalances, pivot, and take the tiny steps in a new direction, good habits can naturally evolve. And, when you form habits to encourage balance, joy, and peace follow.

I must address that we are in crazy, unprecedented times, where isolation, restrictions, and fear have produced imbalances in our lives, taken away normal routines, and have added stressors into the mix. These factors should be considered as we seek balance. Our minds and spirits require relationship to thrive in an optimal state. COVID-19 has made connection challenging, less meaningful, and has left many lonely and fearful. As much as I appreciate zoom, google meets and other virtual connection, it does not replace the personal need and physiological benefit of being with others. God designed us for relationship, tangible, meaningful togetherness. The pandemic has quenched the spirit of so many; this is the time to be ever present, intentional, and strive to maintain balance.

Being intentional involves routine, stepping outside of what we "feel like doing", and at times can be totally exhausting. Intentionality is the fact of being deliberate or purposive. Over the past year especially, I have had to take a deep look at where I am imbalanced, to build an intentional mindset. I realized the following:

1. I was totally frustrated with not having clear direction in my life, yet I was okay to remain apathetic.
2. I allowed fear to enter my bind, body, and spirit. This in turn created self doubt, mistrust, and health issues to creep into my life.
3. I began to think that this was how my life was going to be; I better just accept that.
4. I became ok with separation and lack of intimacy with others. I hid behind pandemic directives.
5. I noticed cynicism bubbling up inside me and was at times, having negative and controlling thoughts.

 MIND

Our minds are powerful. We do not even realize the subconscious ability our minds have to observe, filter, retain, formulate thought, create a sense of feeling, and absorb stress. If we think of the mind on its own, we are limiting the power and control it holds. The mind acts and reacts with the body/heart. The mind see's, hears and senses an external factor, and responds by sending signals to the body and feelings to the heart. We need to train our mind to respond and manage the negative stimuli by creating a default setting to move in a positive direction. Gosh, this is not easy. I have had so many mind shifts over the past few years, while facing the unproductive ways I dealt with stress, anxiety, and fear.

Here are some ways I changed my mindset from self-sabotaging to life-giving:

1. You are what you read. What are you reading? Is it beneficial, encouraging, powerful, and useful?
2. You are what you watch. Are you spending hours watching local mainstream media, are you watching garbage TV? Are you investing your time filling your mind with life? This is not the same as being informed with local and world events, however too much of it will pay a huge toll on our minds.
3. Are you taking time to meditate and think about what your goals and dreams are? Do you have goals and dreams? What stands in the way from you moving forward?
4. Are you resting your mind from all the clutter, distraction, allowing it to recharge? An overtaxed mind is like a traffic jam. Nothing moves, chaos abounds and frustration mounts.

BODY

1. I was inactive. I literally spent last year sitting on my butt, lazy, apathetic, unmotivated, and had a pity party. I had to stop the crazy train and decide to move, do anything, just something.
2. I was putting in garbage, and in turn, felt like garbage. I stopped doing what felt good in the moment, became intentional (there is that word again), about what I put in my mouth, so that I could feel alive. Are the foods you are eating going to contribute to a healthy body, heart, brain, and mood?
3. Are you getting the necessary vitamins and minerals to live in optimal health? In January 2021, I was introduced to minerals. They have changed my life and I am eternally grateful for the 180-degree change in my health since.
4. When I looked at my body, I did not recognize myself anymore. I have always had issues with body image. It is rare, whether male or female not to have struggled to some degree with body image. For myself, it was polarizing. It was relentless, self-deprecating, and so hard to shift. Do you love yourself, every saggy, wobbly bit, extra 10 pounds, and wrinkle? Now for the young ones, this does not let you off the hook. I know you spend your time comparing yourself. How can you not, given that social media tells you every day what beautiful looks like? Do you believe it? Do you see your beauty?

SPIRIT

1. I needed to make prayer a greater priority. Not just in the 11th hour moments. The peace that follows is immeasurable. If you do not believe in prayer, I would challenge you to find quiet, meditate, and think about positive, good thoughts.
2. Possess an attitude of gratitude. The glass may seem half empty, but it is really how you choose to perceive it. I decided that no matter what crap I was experiencing around me, I was going to make the glass half full. Fake it till you make it. This tiny attitude adjustment is golden when you are in a stalemate.
3. Read good books, listen to podcasts, spend your time with positive people, keep a gratitude journal, take a course, commit to personal growth, and trust the process.
4. Check in with those you trust. Adjust the course, if necessary, analyze what is working, and change what you need to change.
5. Figure out where you get your peace and joy from? Is it from calm? Is it when you are stress free? Is it when you are helping others? Is it when your tank is being filled by others? Before your spirit can be in balance, you need to know yourself, who you are and where you want to be. For myself, when I took the focus off "me", and onto helping others, my spirit felt in equilibrium. The joy/peace returned. It was not overnight, it took time, it is still a daily process for me because my choices and intentions steer my focus.