“If the mind can heal the body, but the body cannot heal the mind, then the mind must be stronger than the body” A Course in Miracles
This is what I quoted in my last entry. I believe it to be true. Today however, I want to focus on our body.
I think we sometimes underestimate its abilities, incredible flexibility, and power to heal. We often consider ourselves to be weak, fragile and… mortal. Of course we are mortal; all people are. This is the beauty of life; it will end at some point, therefore we have to live it now, when it’s still in us.
But this is a different topic.
Going back to the body. In humans’ history there are hundreds of examples of incredible endurance, strength, power, and ability to survive against all the odds and imagination. People pull through most difficult situations, live with no food, water, or shelter for a period of time that science long declared to be impossible to survive. Remember? if you do not drink for three days you are going to die. If you do not eat for a month, you are going to die…
Well, we know that some people live against all odds and prove the science wrong. Take an example of the Haiti earthquake and finding survivors weeks or even month later. We can say: mind over body. But I do not like separating the body from mind. I like treating those two things as one: whole structure that makes us humans. We know from everyday experience, that when we feel well physically, our mental status improves. When we are strong and healthy physically, we seldom fall into depression or feel blue. We can manipulate our mind with our body: we produce endorphins, “feel-good chemicals”, during physical activities. Therefore we can improve our mental status by running, walking, riding a bike, or doing yoga. Why is it then, that quite often it is so difficult to do those things, even though we know that they make us feel better? I guess that’s where the mind comes into play; we need strong mind to push our body to do things that produce endorphins that in turn make us feel better. Unfortunately quite often the strong mind is not there when we feel blue, tired, stressed out or weak. That’s the time we might need help of a friend or a professional therapist, or a strong regime (boot camp? professional trainer?) to keep us on task.
I believe that we often use our body as an excuse rather than our ally that can help us to get to the point of harmony and satisfaction with ourselves. How often we tell ourselves, that we are too weak, too sick, too fragile, that our body would not handle things? I know from my own experience and from years working in the hospital, that our body can adapt to almost anything. You can cut out the organs, pieces of legs or arms, remove parts of the brain, and we can still function as well as we believe we can. We can drop people in the middle of the desert, into severe cold or heat, and they will adapt and keep on living. If they only want of course; if they believe they can.
I am not saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you strong” (well, maybe just a little). I am saying; you are bigger than you think. I am saying, you can use your body to make your mind stronger, and your mind to make your body stronger. I am saying, you are a body and mind combined to create the most amazing creature in this world, a human. Use it wisely and fully to become a best person you can be physically and mentally.
By Eva Sadowski
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