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"There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever."
-- Mahatma Gandhi
FOR THE BODY...
An Ounce Of Prevention
I’m sure you’ve heard the human body referred to as a machine. And though I don’t particularly like the analogy (we are, after all, much more than a bunch of moving parts!), I do think the idea has credence when it comes to one simple thing: maintenance.
How do you keep your body healthy? Maybe you reach for an apple instead of a candy bar. You limit how much red meat you eat, preferring lean cuts of chicken. Or maybe you’re a vegetarian. Maybe you take vitamin supplements and exercise regularly. You make these choices everyday because you know that taking care of your body keeps you healthy … and keeps you out of the doctor’s office.
Similarly, professional athletes have physical therapists, trainers, and even massage therapists on hand to keep their bodies functioning at an optimum fitness level. By receiving regular care, they also keep their bodies flexible so they can avoid injury.
The problem with Band-Aids
As a health practitioner, I think about prevention a lot … especially when my clients need bodywork to alleviate a condition that regular maintenance could have prevented. Granted, I understand that Western approaches to medicine often focus on “curing what ails you,” versus preventing the ailment altogether. Yes, I understand it, but I don’t completely buy it.
Occasionally, clients call me with an urgency in their voice because some physical condition has flared up – maybe back or neck pain – and they know that massage will give them relief. So I schedule them into my first available slot. They might even return for a second massage the following week just to iron out any remaining discomfort. I call this the Band-Aid massage. And, believe me, I do feel pleased and blessed that I can help make their pain go away.
But I’ve learned that it’s misguided for them to think that they are “fixed.” I say this because a few months later, they call me with the very same issue – and in some cases, the pain is worse than it was the last time.
You see, the human body really is like a machine. Think about your car, for instance. You probably have your oil changed on a regular schedule. Why? So the oil doesn’t get dirty and circulate all that muck throughout your engine. Of course, filthy oil would not only send grit and grime through your car, it would also lead to some massive repair bills, and even irreparable damage if you didn’t have it tended to in due time.
Same with the human body. A regular schedule of massage – whether weekly, twice a month, or monthly – can prevent those aches and pains by keeping your muscles supple and flexible … and by releasing the tension that could pull on other parts of your body and create secondary pain.
What’s good for the body …
It’s not only the body that benefits from regular massage. Studies show that massage gives you an emotional and spiritual “lift,” as well. And of course, if you’re used to that old familiar pain rearing its head every few months, having regular massage will give you some peace of mind knowing that you’ll be keeping that pain at bay.
Maintain your body, and live a more peaceful life!
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FOR THE SPIRIT…
Avoid The Warts Of Worry
I am usually one who affirms and validates people’s emotions. But there is one emotion that I simply don’t understand. I honestly don’t see that it has a purpose in our lives. I consider it so useless, that I can’t believe it actually came to be. I’m talking about worry.
For me, worry boils down to one simple definition: It is the fear of what might or could happen. But, merely worrying about something – the economy, your family, the weather – will not change its outcome. The world will unfold just as it is meant to, whether you worry about it or not.
It might sound like I’m a fatalist. And maybe I am, but my fatalism has a twist. Let me explain a bit more.
I recognize that worry is a harmful and negative emotion. Here’s an example: imagine a woman who endlessly worries about her kids, her finances, and her health. Her worrying keeps her awake at night and, in a self-fulfilling spiral, affects her relationships with her kids, her ability to manage her finances, and her attention to her health.
If she could transform her worry into positive action by talking to her kids, taking control of her money, and taking better care of herself, then she could improve her situation with a more affirming energy. Only the universe knows whether she is actually meant to create positive results out of her worry.
Consider Gandhi’s words, quoted at the opening of this month’s newsletter. Worrying “wastes the body.” It is a useless energy that, at its most extreme, literally eats away at our bodies, creating ulcers that can send us into the hospital. To realize how silly this is, go back to the quiz. Why would anyone allow something they cannot control to have that much power over their well-being? If something is giving you an ulcer, it’s time to turn your worry into positivity … take some self-affirming steps to better your situation!
And as you do, Gandhi would suggest you let God do all the worrying for you. Obsessing about that which you cannot control is not your burden to bear, after all. And you’d be foolish to believe it is.
So stop worrying. And stay positive!
Peace and love,
Mark
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