09/26/2021
If you want to change your life, you don’t have to do a complete overhaul with lofty goals, or expect it to shift with the snap of your fingers.
Just making small changes over time will yield incredible results.
The beauty of chipping away at one area in your life is that it will impact every other aspect of your life. We are holistic and integrated beings. We are not machines with parts that work independently of one another. Every “piece” is interconnected and interrelated.
Our physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental systems are like pillars holding our temple together. When one suffers, the other systems feel the tension. When we focus on even one area at a time, the others improve as well.
For example, if someone comes to me, as a massage therapist, and their body is full of tension which causes pain, I can help relieve their adhesions with bodywork. The physical pain wasn’t just created by overuse, but it can be a factor. When we hold onto mental and emotional tension, it shows up in our physical body. Getting the massage not only relieves physical tension, it reduces mental and emotional stress and allows energetic flow to freely move. Massage also benefits spiritual health through human touch and connection. Each system is affected through one choice- getting a massage.
Another example, getting regular physical activity, even as simple as a 20 minute walk, affects all systems. When we are physically engaged, our mental functions operate much better. Better blood flow to our brains, the release of neurotransmitters, and taking in our surroundings all affect our mental capacity.
Getting our bodies moving also allows us to move through our emotions that weren’t processed earlier. Emotion equals energy in motion, and moving through the fight/flight stress response allows us to engage with our sensations instead of repressing them.
Spiritually, when I personally go for a walk, I feel connected to nature, where I found God. Even if God doesn’t resonate, knowing that you are alive, like everything around you, brings on a deeper feeling of connection. Just going on a walk can create a cascade of habits that uplift, inspire, and create health in your life.
It doesn’t have to start on the physical plane, however, it can be the simplest place to start. Starting on the spiritual pillar, one can realize the gift and beauty of their body, deciding from that point to start taking better care of their temple of the body. Expanding the mental system by reading a book on a new skill, health, spirituality, or understanding the role of emotions leads to improvement in any of these systems.
Allowing ourselves to feel and express our emotions, getting honest about the feedback we are receiving from our environment can be the catalyst to change it.
Nothing within us is separate; just as nothing without is separate either. We are interconnected with ourselves as we are with every living thing in this world. Small shifts make huge differences in our lives.
Where will you begin?
