Recently I attended a professional development workshop on mental health. The presenters studied and work in the field of psychology and within education and training. For me, a large foundational part of mental health is ensuring that our physical health – our bodies – are taken care of, supported and nurtured. In my experience, the two go hand-in-hand.
It seems quite strange to me when I see someone who is ‘qualified’ in a physical or mental health field or holds a position of importance or power, yet their body, movements and manner do not show signs of good health and vitality. It highlights there’s a greater problem stemming from our education on the topic, and what we have chosen to accept as true. No matter how much we ‘know’ about a subject, the body always has its own marker and gauge of whether it is working at its optimum vital level and in harmony within all other areas or not. This fact we cannot change.
On the morning of my professional development workshop I had quite a distance to drive in peak hour traffic, so I made sure that I gave myself enough time without rushing. I arrived 15 minutes early and was the first to arrive. I walked in, said hello to the two presenters and went to find a seat.
As I was choosing my seat, unpacking my belongings and setting them up just as I needed them to be for the next 8 hours – placing my drinks, pen, paper, books, computer etc. down – one of the presenters said to me, “Whoa, that’s healthy.” Immediately I knew he was referring to my vegie drink and not my herbal tea or the manner in which I set up my space, simply because it was green in colour.
Initially I felt a little awkward that my choice of drink, which was a normal for me, had been highlighted. So, at the time I smiled and replied “Mmm…” But this comment caused me to pause and got me thinking… I pondered on why his response was a “Whoa.” I recalled that I have come across this reaction quite a few times over the years with ‘healthy’ food and drink choices, either when I myself was making them or when others around me at work or in public were making them.
These types of comments are reactionary to a way of eating or drinking that is not so commonly seen or practised, thus highlighting the person who is looking after their body and consuming nutritious food as being ‘different.’ Immediately I questioned what our societal gauge is being set from. If I had come in with a sausage roll and cream bun, it is likely I would have got no comment, or perhaps one that was in favour of my food choice.
Let’s face it, making supportive food choices that nutritionally support the body is going against a current norm and way of how people commonly choose to eat in society today. We do not eat to nurture or hold our body in harmony – a fact that is shown in the continuing rise of non-communicable illness and disease rates today, such as diabetes.
If it is not common and even considered unusual for people in general to drink or eat something that is good for their bodies to a point that it stands out and gets labelled and highlighted as ‘healthy,’ then how far have we slipped away from what is true and natural for our bodies. I find it interesting that we even have this word ‘healthy’ and don’t just live as our bodies need us to live. It is a clear indicator that we base our living and vocabulary around looking after ourselves from a way that is not conducive to the true vitality of our bodies.
Why do we not seem to question the meals or food people are consuming that are clearly not supportive for the body, yet are very quick to identify those who make more supportive food choices? Imagine if people started speaking on behalf of the vitality of the body by publicly noting to other people, “Whoa, that’s really unhealthy.” I wonder if we would start to think twice about what we are putting in our bodies.
The fact is that more supportive food choices do stand out from the crowd. And this is simply because the norm, the majority, the crowd acceptably choose food that is not supportive to the body. BUT, what if the majority did eat in a way and manner that nourished and vitalised the body, allowing it to run at optimal level?
Why do we even have a perception of what ‘healthy’ is and why is it not just embedded into the way we live?
Our understanding, perception and definition of ‘being healthy’ today is actually only based on and comparable to, the very unhealthy lifestyle – the way the majority of society are choosing to live, eat, indulge in and over consume.
This to me is a type of rot when we look at the extent of the damage it does to our bodies, our perception of health, the pressure it places on our medical system and so on. The illness and disease our bodies are increasingly showing through our health statistics speak loudly of our current global choices… to the point that the definition of health in our English language dictionary is stated as “the state of being free from illness or injury.” (1) Why is health not defined as, “the body working in its true optimal and vital order, each part working in harmony and joy with all others”?
If we all naturally lived from the latter definition as being our norm, then the word ‘health’ and a definition for it would probably not exist, simply because this would just be the way it was. Caring for our bodies would be the norm.
Back to my professional development workshop and the comment from one of the presenters that started this line of pondering and blog . . . if I had the moment again to respond to his “Whoa, that’s healthy”, I probably would have replied –– “only relative to how we live today.”
By Johanna Smith, Ba Education, Diploma of Counselling, Esoteric Practitioner, Perth, Western Australia
References:
1.Oxford Dictionaries | English. (2018). health | Definition of health in English by Oxford Dictionaries. [online] Available at: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/health [Accessed 1 Aug. 2018].
Further Reading:
Eating Dis-orders
To Nourish or Bludgeon – How do we Use Food?
Living your own medicine
264 Comments
Our ‘perception’ of anything does not come from truth.
It is indeed strange as you point out that it has become so normal and so expected that people eat and drink what is not healthy for their body, that a healthy choice stands out and prompts comments. I imagined how nobody ever points or comments about someone walking straight, but if we had a society where everyone walked around slouched over like the Neanderthal man pictures, it would be likely that anyone walking upright would get spotted as peculiar. I have noticed a similar thing can happen when someone is lively, content and enthusiastic at work, regardless of the week.
“If it is not common and even considered unusual for people in general to drink or eat something that is good for their bodies to a point that it stands out and gets labelled and highlighted as ‘healthy,’ then how far have we slipped away from what is true and natural for our bodies.” Yes, it is definitely an indictment of the present state of society today.
One day it will be totally normal to not put anything unhealthy in our bodies and we will wonder why on earth we used to pollute ourselves with junk in order not to feel what is really going on.
Whatever everyone else’s normal is, it is important for us to choose what is normal for ourselves. If others notice a difference in my choices, it gets them to feel whether theirs support them.
I agree Gill, what is our normal is important to establish and this can and will change but we have to know what feels true for us and our bodies as there are so many messages out there telling us we should be doing this or that. Once we know what feels true for our body then we can and will instantly know what does not.
It is not unusual for people to have a healthy looking drink but it may be unusual the way you arrived early and prepared everything and the way you moved when you did this.
I have this same notion as well: I look at people who are supposed to be an expert in some field, are deemed successful and at the same time don’t show a body that is vital and healthy. What is true succes then? Shouldn’t having a vital, healthy body where we feel a yumminess, a loveliness not be our number one?
Can we say that our perception of health is working to support us, or is it a rule book that limits us and keeps us in a state of ill-health?
There are many trends of eating healthy and clean in todays society-. Question is, how much do they have the intent to support the persons awareness or is it based on consciousness about what healthy means from a mental point of view?
Does a diet really support what we need to become more of who we are energetically or is it actually a distraction as you can put the label “healthy” on it, which will never ask you to consider deeper what it does to you and if it is actually the true diet for you?
Can I live a full day, do 10-14 hours work, feel consistently vital and alive throughout. Can I do this without stimulants like coffee or sugar. Can I do this without feeling exhausted or without pushing my body into hardness. Can I do it with enough steadiness so as not to react or freak out when new ‘stuff’ comes my way. Can I complete my day, find moments to rest and take care of my body throughout so that I am ready to do it all again tomorrow?! There are lots of questions/markers like this that we can ask ourselves, but these are the sorts of standards that we need to be setting, irrespective of what the national ‘normals’ are.
Very true and so well said Otto. Thank you for sharing your lived standard. What a reflection.
A diet that support all the above mentioned points from you is a true diet to me. It provides a standard throughout the whole day. We are not here to live to eat but to eat to live such a consistent, powerful, harmonious, always expanding and full of work life.
Words fall on deaf ears when we don’t walk our talk. We also can’t tell anyone what they should be doing for it shows no understanding in how they have come to where they are now and why they make the choices they have.
The observations I have seen in others that say they are living healthy lifestyles can be a great non-confirmation, and the body never lies.
I find it interesting how when someone has completed a degree or something making them an expert in a particular field that we can tend to automatically hand our power over to that and not bother to discern the communication and Livingness the body is sharing. It seems like we have glorified the intellect or recalling of knowledge over the common sense of the body, it’s wisdom.
‘It seems quite strange to me when I see someone who is ‘qualified’ in a physical or mental health field or holds a position of importance or power, yet their body, movements and manner do not show signs of good health and vitality.’ one example in amongst so many would be the health and fitness or sports coach who smokes or drinks, promotes playing on or training through injuries and has no deeper concept of health and what really contributes to it.
Looking back pre universal medicine I always knew certain things didn’t feel true but it was only when I was confirmed in honouring what I feel is true does life make sense.
Like so many of our perceptions, to just go on what something looks like is a very shallow way to approach life. True health encompasses everything, from our thoughts, emotions, movements, actions and observations. When all these aspects of our selves are loving, truthful and harmonious then we have true health.
Yes. It’s looking at whether our quality is in fact the same and true throughout every aspect of our life.
It’s interesting how being healthy has been reduced to what we eat and getting regular exercise. It’s not how you set yourself up for the day that was consciously noticed, though I’m sure it was on some level, but it’s so not the norm that there’s not the everyday language to refer to.
Our perception is slowly changing where overweight is normal and “low normal” weight (BMI 18.5 – 21) is considered to be less healthly by a number of people, simple because a lot of cancer sufferers and other major illnesses are associated with low weight.
I can relate – I was chuckling to myself because I often get the ‘oh that’s healthy’ comment. Yes it is! Cool to remember that the simple choice of what you eat can inspire others to make more supportive and healthy choices.
It sure can Nick and I know what you mean, even though it may come with sarcasm often the way we take it makes such a difference. We can react and feel the comment or can turn it around and say of course it is, gosh I love to take care of myself!
It feels really important to know the details of what is in the food we put into our bodies, so we are fully aware what we are eating.
The body indeed shows what is the truth. People say they feel good, are happy, but their body shows a different story.
Very true Willem, we are so much more than purely what we eat.
I’ve noticed that people give an automatic response of ‘good’ when asked how they are, yet with this response I’ve noticed some bodies communicating misery, given-upness, overwhelm, ok, happy etc. it’s a shame we have almost trained ourselves to not connect with how we really feel and then be able to openly share that.
Always watch movements and don´t believe your ears or eyes, as they can easily be tricked by whatever someone says. The body shows if they truly live it.
The same with what comes out of our mouth as it will serve us more than whatever we eat and will always serve us and will always be relative as we evolve back to our divine roots.
So powerful to understand as you suggest that it is also healthy to be early, to be prepared, to place our items in a way which will support us and in consideration of what we will need to do for the day.
I’ve been made fun of before for taking the so called healthy option when in a group who obviously gave little thought to what they put in their bodies and the strange thing is I did let it effect me and did feel a bit hurt by what was said when I could have just shrugged it off.
Our health is in our own hands every single aspect of it, and every choice we make with regards to eating will either support our bodies or not!
And from here we will see that we have been responsible all along, even though we have lost track of it. When I came along and found The Way of The Livingness one of the first realizations where: that I have been living a lie, one that I fooled myself with; that life is just life, whilst it is not, we are here to not be here..
“Why do we not seem to question the meals or food people are consuming that are clearly not supportive for the body, yet are very quick to identify those who make more supportive food choices? ” because the majority of us want to be able to continue with what we are doing without being questioned.
That’s a great point Alexis. I recall joining some people for afternoon tea once and I didn’t eat anything because there was nothing available that I would eat. This made a few people uncomfortable and they made a few comments about me not eating. These choices really do stand out and can make people feel uncomfortable. Mainly because we don’t want our own choices to be highlighted to ourselves.
The way that most of us eat puts an incredible strain on our bodies but it is a strain that many of us have become so accustomed to that it no longer registers. Eating so much that we have to either loosen our clothing or have a lay down is normal. Eating so much that we feel heavy, sick or tired is normal. Eating food that makes us feel jittery is normal. Eating when we are not hungry is normal. We have normalised so many feelings of discomfort, not just with food but with life in general that those feelings just blend in with the rest of our lives.
It seems the bar for what is accepted as okay and normal in terms of how we live has been dropping further and further. Often people don’t even reflect on this fact. What a great reflection is offered when someone like you chooses to take the level care and responsibility much deeper, reminding everyone that it could easily be so very different.
The other day someone said my house smelled like cabbage – well we do eat lots of fresh green vegetables but that was a surprise as no-one else has said that – then I came to learn that they were unable to tolerate much in the way of vegetables for medical reasons and so our diets were likely to be completely different hence her noticing. I have also known another say how wonderful my house always smells so yummy in an age where few people truly cook fresh for themselves. Hence I decided to appreciate that instead.
I agree it can be very one-sided, when people feel it’s ok to say that you look thin just because you are slim (also relative to the way people typically live today) and if you said that they look overweight all hell would let loose! Which situation deserves the greater concern anyway?
That made me laugh, and very true. It is all relative. I find people often say you look thin because of a jealousy that they want to look and feel the same but simply have made different choices.
I have to admit I said pretty much the same “whoa that looks really healthy/yummy, what was in it?” to someone recently regarding a photo of them in a cafe, I guess I was surprised as this was a little out of character. They said that actually it was not nearly as nice as another green drink they had somewhere else – which reminded me that sometimes you can make something look super green and still be full of fruit/sugar or it can be the real deal, the key is to know the content and adjust your expectations therefore.
That’s a good point Shirley-Ann as many things can be made to look healthy but may be loaded with hidden sugars. There was a time I would have said breakfast bars were a healthy option but now there has been more light shed on the consumption of hidden sugars I wouldn’t even put them in the healthy bracket, but unfortunately, there are still many who are misled.