The human body is one of God’s most amazing creations. Stop and think about life. From the moment of conception, microscopic cells divide and transform. They become eyes, feet, livers, hearts, and in just nine months, a body that’s capable of life outside its mother’s body, with everything needed to convert food into growth and energy, while resisting diseases and other threats. As we grow, our bodies provide exactly what we need when we need it. We think of them as amazing machines, even though they’re completely organic.
Our bodies are a great gift that’s strong enough to serve us for a lifetime … if we take care of them. Like machines, they need a certain amount of regular maintenance to keep them running efficiently and without problems. That includes getting enough rest, staying properly hydrated, consuming the right nutrients, and exercising to keep everything in good working condition.
All of the systems that make up our bodies have a point of balance, and if we allow any of them to slip out of balance, other systems can be affected. For example, if we don’t get proper rest, fatigue will affect our ability to think and perform important tasks. If we aren’t probably hydrated, we’ll have difficulty maintaining the energy we need to get through the day. And, if we eat the wrong foods, our bodies will suffer in many ways.
How we care for our physical health can have a profound effect upon our mental health. Often, when we’re counseling someone who is facing mental or emotional challenges, there’s a significant physical element to their problems. A lack of proper nutrition or adequate sleep may not be the cause of their problems, but they can make those problems much worse. That’s why counselors typically ask people about their eating habits and levels of activities. To fully understand what’s happening to someone, we need to have a good understanding of every aspect of their lives.
In our society, when people are unwell, they frequently seek some sort of medication to help them feel better. They may ask a doctor for a prescription, or they may self-medicate by using alcohol or illegal drugs. Those remedies may bring them relief for a short time, but they don’t address the underlying problems, so they’re forced to take more and more doses. If they focused instead on keeping their bodies in balance through nutrition, exercise, and the like, they might notice a remarkable improvement.
Are you taking good care of the miracle God gave you: your own body? Do you have trouble with eating healthy, or drink more alcohol than you should? You may want to consider sitting down with one of our professional counselors to talk about your life. It may be that there are issues that are interfering with your desire to stay healthy. And the better you feel, the happier you’ll be!
Tracy is our Health/Wellness Counselor – To schedule and appointment with her or one of our other counselors, contact us by calling or texting us today 317-79-9396.