EAT WELL, SLEEP WELL, PLAY WELL
Eating well, sleeping well, playing well. All keys to good mental and emotional health. One must sleep deeply to be well rested and refreshed. The brain is the powerhouse body and when stressed, assaulted or deprived of sleep and absolute rest, it results in poor health, both mental and physical. Our sleep patterns are set up as babies and it is important that we honor the need to sleep. When an infant, we do not just allow them unfettered stimulus and wait for them to fall. We bathe them, feed them, soothe them and swaddle them. We can learn so much from babies. So, what is needed for good sleep? A cool room, a good bed, and good bedding and pajamas, a lack of stimulus and the ability to shut off the conscious for the unconscious.
But for me, even with all of that present I still need a really good walk outside in the wind, snow, rain or wind. I love fresh air and activity. It resets me. It helps me clear the mental cobwebs. And for some weird reason, I can’t sleep if I have not had that triad of the outdoors, the activity and the connection to the weather. Mental wellness depends upon those principles. And after a good night of sleeping a stretch and a walk sets up my day.
I came from a complicated family. Blaming, shameing and confusion were the order of the day. There were those with mental health issues and those suffering from substance abuse issues. I was not immune at a young age to these problems. I thank the universe (and GOD) that I had to walk everywhere and that I lived in a time where there was no social media. My journey to wellness was much easier in some ways because I had to work, walk and was not connected. I feel sorry for those who are so connected, it runs and ruins their lives. In that family the acts of eating well, sleeping well and playing well were lost. I had to correct them over time, and I cherish the corrections that I have made. Mental health and physical wellbeing come down to those three areas.
I get up each morning and make my bed. Believe it or not, making my bed is key to the day. The organization and cleanliness jump start my chores and streamline my energy. I try to get a few light chores done and then I go for the walk. Sometimes I get everything done and then go for a walk, but it works so much better if I get it out of the way immediately. With dogs, it is easier, so when at my daughters it is no brainer. At home other things may press upon me making me feel as though my day is happening instead of being orchestrated.
Eating well is a challenge for me. Left to my own devices I will choose to wait until ravenous. Not such a good choice really. Eating well for me means eating a clean diet at regular intervals and overcoming the desire for sugar. The US is a consumer of sugar. It is in everything and if it isn’t, we add it. Generally speaking, sugar is not good for you. Not good for any reason and yet it is a culprit of eating problems for most people that I know. What do we offer for treats? What do we offer when sad, happy or mad? On and on it goes, making eating complicated. I had to learn to look at nature for the answers. If I had to live off the land I would have everything I needed from out of the ground off the tree and an occasional fish or animal to roast. The only sugar allowed in nature is berries and grapes, oranges and apples. If one eats out of the ground, off the tree and meat or fish fresh caught or killed most of the time, they will be healthy. Out of the freezer, the box or the can you are getting too much salt or sugar. Drinking soda versus water is the bane of this generation and it is showing up in our bad health, especially in children.
Playing well. That sounds simple. I remember when I first started hiking or biking and it was a chore to be checked off my list for the day. No stopping to see the view, no sitting still and listening to the sounds, just get it done. There is a benefit to letting go of our connection, to being present for ourselves in the moment. The art of being childlike and curious is escaping adults and the desire to just continue to roam at will on some days is really necessary for our psyche. So, today you may eat well on the porch, but step off for a bit and walk your way to wellness. Just remember