I’m taking this opportunity to change gears and talk about the basics of human existence that set us up for success. I went to a seminar when I was just out of grad school and this was the focus of the seminar. There were these ideas that were boiled down to basic wellbeing; Move. Fuel. Recover. Endure. Connect. While that word is a bit overutilized today, it still holds value. It’s what allows us to enjoy or lives because we are living how God created us to be while carrying out his plan. It opens the door for joy, peace, fulfillment and therefore happiness. People have always sought out happiness, as if there is a direct route there. The truth is, there is not a direct route or even a single way to get there: it’s not a A+B=C equation. We were all beautifully and wonderfully made by God, being individuals and therefore having individual paths. So our needs, our faults and flaws, our virtues, our goals, are all different. However, we have basic components that can be setup as the foundation for those personal paths. Basic wellbeing, at it’s core, is made up of several dimensions: spirituality, personal connections, exercise, nutrition, recovery. While there may be more, those are what I surmise are the simplest forms. These are what this website focuses on.
The priority one here is obvious: spirituality. Our connection with our creator. While this blog and philosophy associated with this website is Christian based, I understand and accept there are other perfectly fine religions that direct people to be and do good. That may go against much Christian teaching, as God is the one and only, but that can be a topic in a future post. Returning, the spirit encompasses the mind and body. It is the next level in getting closer to God. It is where we feel, not just emotions but states of being and pulls from our environment. It is difficult to describe and therefore, I believe, not of this world. it is of God. It’s how we communicate with Him. If we don’t have this vital piece of our existence, the rest is for naught. This also opens the door to the dangerous underworld of nihilism. If we have no relationship with God, we have no relationship with ourselves and our vision and direction of our life gets very unclear, even non-existent, and with is our will to continue trudging up the hill. Without God, we are nothing.
The next important one, in my limited experience on this earth, is recovery or rest. We all know what it feels like when we don’t sleep. We all understand what it feels like to be drained, mentally foggy, physically sluggish, exhausted. If you don’t sleep, you aren’t going to have the energy or motivation to exercise, spend time with family and friends, or eat the way you need to. We can’t think clearly to make smart decisions that are good for us and worse, we already feel low and distraught, so why not continue to feel that way so we can justify how we feel. “I’m tired. Too tired to go to the gym or walk outside.” “I’m too worn out to go to that party for my friend.” “I need to sleep so I don’t have the time to make a meal, I’ll just grab this gas station burrito.” We dig ourselves further into a pit of self-pity and fatigue that it becomes a positive feedback loop. One that is hard to break. When we do feel rested, it’s the opposite. The drive and desire is there because again, it’s a positive feedback loop. We release different hormones and neurotransmitters when we eat different things, interact with certain people, and complete certain activities. Proper and adequate sleep is the cornerstone, second only to spirituality.
Nutrition, I would argue, is the next in line. We eat right, we feel good. We move better. We perform better at work and in our personal lives. There is the old adage, “You can’t outwork a bad diet.” It is true, because at the very best, you’re just going to be fighting an uphill battle. I would add here, it’s not just physical food that we take in. It’s also mental food. What are we filling our brain with. What information are we taking in? Similar to resting, what we ingest impacts our mood, our physical health, our mental outlook, and our relationships. It’s all connected.
Next, we have movement. Yes exercise is a form of movement, but this isn’t where the road ends. We have individual needs and circumstances, different resources. Maybe the gym isn’t the place for you or where you feel you’re getting the most bang for your buck. Maybe it’s the local park, you’re neighborhood, your basement or garage. It’s where you can be to complete movements OUTSIDE of your normal routine. We were built and created to move; we know the detrimental effects of not moving. As a simple example, we can all relate to what it feel like when we lay in bed too long, whether from being sick or just from sleeping in. We feel stiff and tight. We also know that movement release endorphins, those neurotransmitters that impact our mood. Again, no movement, no mood altering chemicals.
Lastly, our personal relationships with those around us: family, friends, co-workers, strangers. Sometimes we need to isolate to recharge, meditate or something, or just take a break from life. Jesus did this, often going away on his own. We are not beyond the second component of this framework which is the rest. However, this is balanced by interacting with others in our life’s journey. We physically interact through handshakes and hugs, sports and games. We verbally interact, greeting each other, telling stories, sharing experiences. We also spiritually interact, feeling similar emotions, relating to one another. The point is, we are social creatures; we need others to live a healthy and happy existence. God created a partner for Adam, because he needed companionship. With others, we can validate our lives and it’s also how we can stay connected to God. We have opportunities to grow, change, evolve into the people God created us to be. This is the other side of the coin of our spirituality: one side is the self, the other side is others. The coin is God.
We will be delving more into these in future posts. I probably should have put this as the first introductory post but hey, work in progress right? If we focus on these basics, much of our lives will be easier as we aren’t fighting ourselves and more importantly, we’re setting ourselves up for success, not failure. Success for God’s plan for our lives.
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