NOW this is profound!!!
My physical well being is directly linked to my mental well being!?!?!
This has been quite a stretch but I am clearly feeling the results.
While I have known and taught that our minds set the mood for our healing, to see the proof is amazing.
Dean Ornish has made a clear link from cardiovascular healing and lifestyle change.
These changes include treating the physical mechanical heart as well as the emotional, psychosocial and spiritual heart. It is not enough to clean up the diet and stop smoking, there is a need to reduce stress and join a support group as well. True health is the quality of the living.
While this at first is difficult to grasp, when applied really makes sense.
When my Dad was given the diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer, his outlook was that he wins either way.
If the cancer defeated his body, his spirit would be with the Lord.
If God healed the cancer then he would spend more time here with us.
Either way, he wins and cancer loses.
We only had 11 weeks but I have to admit, my Dad had a peace that uplifts me today.
This peace was his gift to us. We enjoyed every visit, each conversation and every moment we shared.
Sooo how do I get that without facing death!! I want to LIVE that peace.
I think this is where mental fitness comes in.
My physical health is what it is...my mental health will play a vital role in my healing.
Ornish put it this way, "stress is not just what we do, it is how we react to what we do."
My knee jerk reaction might be to worry and fret BUT if I can apply that peace my overall well being will improve.
What a wonderful post, thanks for sharing about your father. I've lost both grandparents, dad, and step dad to cancer and I'm now dealing with my best friend, who's only 33, and her battle with cancer. I have never heard it put so well as the way you did with cancer losing either way, no matter what the outcome. Thanks, I needed to hear that.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the body and mind healing one another I couldn't agree more with it. I have, and hopefully always will be, a very active and athletic person and the more I take care of myself physically the more I feel my mind is in tune, so to speak. Now the trick with these exercises of mental focus is to get my mind to lead my physical body to a better place which is very new for me, but I keep trying. Thanks again for the great post.
Mike Scales
Wow Sonya I love how you were able to see that either way your father wins. Now that is inspiring and uplifting. I'm glad you were able to find peace while dealing with his struggle for those 11 weeks. That takes courage and I admire that. My father passed away suddenly in 2005 after deciding to move out on his own at 75. He was alone in his home and we didn't know he was dead for days. I struggle still with guilt for not being there for him but I found a blessing in his passing this way which was that he didn't have to suffer and we didn't have to suffer watching him slowly die from some horrible disease like cancer. This is one aspect that I am grateful for. I think you have the power in you already since you were able to enjoy your father's last weeks with him rather than panicking like I think I would. Your spirituality is strong. Believe in yourself! ♡
ReplyDeleteI truly believe our mental fitness has an affect on our physical well-being. There are several studies about how stress affects the physical body and causes disease. I think individuals who have a better outlook on life will handle stressful situations better and will have less anger, depression, and anxiety. I think it was great your father was capable of finding a positive outlook through his illness. I always try to see the brighter side of things no matter the situation. I hope to continue this pattern as I grow older with age.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post a lot. What you shared with everyone is just another great example of how mental strength is even more important, in most cases, than physical strength. The two are intertwined, yes. But the mental aspect facilitates the physical. Mental training can be a powerful thing, just as it was with your father. That level of mental strength is exceptional. Truly!
ReplyDeleteSonya,
ReplyDeleteWhat another great post by you. I also find it ironic that when you really focus and find a good happy loving place the rewards that you can receive are wonderful I of course do not mean just physical rewards but the mental benefits of your wellbeing and spirituality of the lifestyle you carry.
I love reading your blog because you are so spiritually connected to everything you write. I know this is a spiritual class, but even your DQ post have a strong spiritual flow to it. I feel it emanating from your writing. Thank you for sharing.