The health of mind and body cannot appear separate. They are close cognates. In a larger sense, anything that affects the ability of the body, also affects soundness, sobriety and sanity of mind. Again, anything that affects the body will touch the mortal mind. This is why Napoleon Hill in Keys to Success talks about mind-body balance. Then, our immediate environment also affects us. This is subject to natural laws that govern our mind-body balance just as much as they affect tall trees, majestic mountains, birds of passage and beasts that beautify the jungle.
In the whole scheme of things, we stand to understand that our minds and bodies are a whole — each influencing the other. Human beings are the only thinking creatures — and this power allows them to modify their world, and to learn its universal laws. It is right to conceive a brilliant thought. Believe and achieve it. Ostensibly, the mind has a higher function in our mind-body balance. The body is an exquisitely functioning machine for carrying the mind about. It executes the dictates of this powerhouse. Somewhat, a sick body can carry a weak mind. The vice versa is also true. Unfortunately, some people have bodies that are limited in nature. They move, see, or speak only with difficulty or not at all. Yet, the power of their mortal minds allow them to live full creative lives. Helen Keller is a classic case, as are Beethoven and Edison — they all suffered from severely impaired hearing.
In addition, Franklin D. Roosevelt was barely able to stand on his own. Yet, he inspired and led Americans in tough times of the Great Depression. Likewise, Bob Doles injured his arm in World War ll, but that did not stop him from becoming one of the most influential political leaders of his time. Meaning, the scintillating story of civilisation is rife with greatness achieved by individuals who went beyond physical limitations because they possessed smoothly functioning minds. Indeed, on the wings of a definite major purpose, faith, enthusiasm, and a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA), they scaled prodigious heights, and touched the acme of stunning success. So, most of the essential principles of success abut on smoothly functioning mind. The mind is always sated by the harmony produced by a carefully-crafted plan. Anxiety develops from a poorly organised plan.
Somewhat, controlled attention, self-discipline, accurate thinking, personal initiative, learning from defeat, and going the extra mile — all, are tremendous mental tools we can employ to organise and attain impressive implementation of plausible plans. Moreover, satisfaction is good food for a healthy mind. Probably the most important single quality for sound mental health is a PMA. Put aptly, two of the greatest destructive forces in the human mind are fear and its close partner, anxiety. They kill enthusiasm, destroy faith, blind the vision, blunt creative effort, and dispel harmony and perfect peace of mind, which are all qualities that boost and bolster PMA.
Again, fear and anxiety produce inharmonious, irritated restlessness in our minds that leads to serious mental mal-adjustment. It produces its counterpart in the body in the form of serious disease, perhaps even death.
Consequently, research posits that many human ailments spawn on mental distress. The giant list of diseases that come through stress, are varied. They include growing allergies, asthma, skin disease, hypertension, cardiac complications, colitis and immune disorders. Therefore, we should replace fear with understanding, firm faith in God and ourselves. Again, the long list of fears can leave us shell-shocked. Starting with the six major fears Napoleon Hill talks about in his heroic book titled Think and Grown Rich. They include the fear of criticism, the fear of poverty, the fear of ill health, the fear of loss of love, the fear of old age and the fear of death.
Yet, in order to cultivate PMA and to develop a smoothly functioning mind that cannot live in harmony with itself and the world, we must exorcise demons of fear and anxiety. Remember, whatever your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve. The person who is afraid of falling on the ice the one who falls. Repeating a fear in the mind makes us appear susceptible to dangers we dread. Therefore, it behooves us to vanquish fear before it wrestles us to the floors of regret and defeat.
In actual sense, the purpose of food is to supply the body with the things it needs to maintain itself in good shape. This good goal should guide our eating habits. We should see our digestive systems as factories. In order to function efficiently, there should be copious supply of a variety of materials in varying quantities. Woe betides us when we provide wrong mix of materials. The walls will burst, the roof will cave in, and the factory will be out of business or in need of serious repair due to despair. Some simple points will keep our diet balanced. Fresh fruits and vegetables should make up the large portion of our meals. For they supply complex cocktail of vitamins and trace elements. It is what Robin Sharma calls the Ritual of Live Nourishment in his heroic book titled the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. Arguably, complex carbohydrates, such as breads, grains and potatoes — should follow suit. Proteins in the form of lean meats, fish and dairy products, are important, but should not be the be-all and end-all. Ideally, we should shun plenty of fats. We should cut on intake of butter and oils. We should stay away from deep-fried foods.
Likewise, we should avoid sugars, like candy and colas, which provide little calories. A lot of sugar intake lead to quick cognitive decline. Then, we should seek variety as well. Our body nutritional needs run a wide gamut. The best way to serve those needs without becoming a food chemist is to be sure that you eat a wide spectrum of foods. We should never eat while angry, frightened, or worried. At that pensive point, our bodies are simply not in a position to make use of the food. They are on a defensive footing. Worse of all, we can make eating a habitual response to stress, which can culminate to overweight and obesity. Moderation in food intake is important because our bodies can become weak and sick due to excess eating.
More importantly, we should cultivate a variety of interests that can take our mortal minds to new places. Practising controlled meditation will work wonders for our mental powers. Physical activity can be a terrific thing to explore with real deal of zeal. It relaxes the mind and steels strength of the body. Furthermore, short periods of relaxation throughout the day can break tension and give our subconscious minds a chance to work. It is advisable to read something informative and inspirational. It is wise to listen to an insightful speech or sermon. Bedazzle yourself with a cross-word puzzle. This is not a waste of time. It keeps the mind in top condition through relaxation.
In fact, our bodies require prime time to rebuild and revitalise for the next day. Therefore, it is a health hazard to try to increase our productivity by denying ourselves sweet sleep. Six to eight hours a night ― are what we need. Insomnia (lack of sleep), happens when there is dismal failure to relax before retiring to bed to get deep sleep. Then, our relaxation and playtime should capture physical exercise. Relaxing and playing are important to the mind. Exercise, which is mostly beneficial to the body, can also be of great mental benefit. Ipso facto, we should engage in aerobic forms of exercise for a period of twenty minutes at least three times a week to keep our hearts and lungs strong. Factors such as age and physical condition should determine the rate at which we exercise. With crystalline clarity, exercise can be a tremendous mental and physical stimulant. It clears away sluggishness. It also teaches us resilience, persistence, attention and concentration.
Finally, our mental and physical health are inseparable in that our minds and bodies are the navigators and the ships that carry us to the desired destination. Therefore, we should do everything possible: to preserve, protect and defend them.
© Victor Ochieng’
The writer is an editor, author and peripatetic public speaker.
vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232
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