This is a simple introductory article for restoring health and vitality, which includes our emotional and mental makeup.
The body is the conduit through which we experience the world. When this delicate ecosystem is not maintained by a knowledgeable and wise gardener, weeds and disease can flourish; not just allergies, chronic pain or migraine headaches. Chances are symptoms such as constant lack of energy, brain fog, and inability to stay emotionally stable are all conditions fed by a poorly maintained bodily environment.
The process of restoring the body is one of the simplest things to understand, yet can be a huge struggle to introduce into one’s daily habits.
The truth is, we are habit making machines. Every time we choose to do something and accept that resulting experience as agreeable, we create a mental thoughtform or structure that automatically tries to assert itself in the future within a similar set of circumstances. In other words, the inertia of our past choices will always tempt us in the present, so making good habits physically, mentally and emotionally, are essential to maintaining good health.
Eventually, we may be so disconnected from the experience of true health, we actually start to associate chronic disease and imbalance as the norm. And it’s here where most people are firmly resting. In many instances, we’ve never experienced true health, and as such, have no point of reference to incentivize making a better choice. All of this will feel like we have no control over our own lives or health, a total lack of health freedom.
The task of any health restoration process is an effort to restore the body and mind balance. When we eat foods that provide us short term comfort but come with a long term price of poor health, the body’s delicate balance is disturbed. And in today’s world, nearly all socially acceptable or mass produced food is addictive by nature, creating a mental image that leads to impulsive behavior, self-destructive habits, and an ever increasing sense of disempowerment.
Therefore, our efforts to regain health must acknowledge the truth: that we develop poor quality habits for a reason: emotional comfort.
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In my own struggle to regain control of my dietary habits, which are unhealthy from many years of poor eating as a young adult, the weight of my emotional needs ever looms over my resolution to restore balance.
I’ve found that while comfort food offers an almost instantaneous emotional boost, it quickly fades away, and I’m soon chasing a food-high that can never be maintained. Conversely, exercise such as Yoga, Thai chi or Qui gong, requires an initial energy investment to do the physical work of the method, but will yield long-term and sustainable emotional support. In other words, we have to develop the ability to see far into the landscape of our health habits, oppose to only looking a few steps ahead.
In conclusion, society has been conditioned to reach for quick emotional pick-me-ups that, over the long term, destroy both physical and emotional health, leading to the creation of all manner of destructive habits.
The road to restoring health is long, often requiring one to wipe the mental slate clean, while proactively replacing deleterious programs of behavior with ones that restore health. But the good news is, all it takes is an act of will to start the reprogramming process. Every time we say no to an easy deleterious health choice, and yes to a harder yet healthier option, we literally begin undoing bad habits of the past.
Like all things in life, we must strive for persistence in adhering to the principles of a holistic life, while finding ways to replace habits that provide us emotional support at the cost of all else.
As a final note: I’ve also begun fermenting and sprouting of seeds and nuts. This simple step not only saves one money in most cases but also provides essential life skills to regain health freedom.
Often it is the lack of knowledge which prevents one from considering a different way of doing things, as such, gaining knowledge is one of the best things we can do to prepare for a behavior change. This not only works for health and wellness but all other pursuits in life as well.
As a doctor specializing in functional medicine and gut health for almost a decade now, you’d think I grew up with a healthy, balanced digestive system.
- Bloating after every meal, or even in between meals
- Frequent abdominal pain, indigestion, heartburn, diarrhea, and/or constipation
- Mental fog, constantly or after meals, or migraine headaches
- Seasonal allergies or asthma
- Diagnosis of an autoimmune disease, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or psoriasis
- Skin issues, such as acne, rosacea, hives, rashes, or eczema
- Depression, anxiety, ADD, or ADHD
- Chronic fatigue
- Recurrent yeast infections or candida overgrowth
How to Heal Your Gut for Total Health
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