Show Your Body the Respect It Deserves
At Courage to Caregivers, we’re focused on holistic wellness – supporting the WHOLE YOU in your journey of health and well-being as a caregiver for someone with mental illness. And so, a lot of what we talk about involves our feelings, our emotions, and our soul. But we must remember to take care of the body, too. Our physical health is just as important as our mental and emotional well-being as we strive for holistic wellness. Everything we do affects all three of these types of well-being, and the way we care for one of them affects the other two.
That’s why this month we’ll be talking all about the body, with the theme “Your Body Is a Temple.” This week’s topic is nourishing yourself. Proper nourishment can result in increased life expectancy, fewer health issues, improved mental health, more energy, and greater enthusiasm, and who can argue against those things?
When you do something good for your body, it’s also a gift to your brain and emotions. Research has shown a connection between food and mood, which means that poor food choices can impact how you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally. Skipping meals can lead to low blood sugar, which can leave you feeling sluggish and irritable. A diet of processed junk foods, too much sugar, or foods low in nutritional value can reduce the production of neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that get sent to the brain and affect how you feel. Sugar, especially, might give you a temporary rush, but the crash when it wears off can leave you feeling depressed and lethargic.
On the other hand, eating a healthy diet with a proper balance of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and plenty of hydration not only provides the body with the nutrition it needs, but it also has a positive and longer-lasting effect on the production of “feel-good” neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin.
And proper nourishment depends on more than just eating healthy foods. It also requires developing healthy habits – getting enough sleep, keeping the body (and mind) moving, as well as eating the right foods. As we’ve discovered with so many things on our journey to well-being, creating healthy habits and sticking with them takes time. Be gentle with yourself and start small. Set a micro-goal that you can start doing right now to help you take one small step toward healthier habits.
In doing so, you’re showing that you respect your body, just like a temple deserves the highest form of respect and reverence. By developing the right habits and nourishing your body, soul, and emotions, you’re making a deliberate choice to improve your physical and mental health, and you’re validating that YOU are worth the effort.