It struck me this week that there is a profound difference between living and experiencing the world from a grounded and self-assured perspective versus an unsettled and self-seeking perspective, and how this ultimately affects our health.
I think it is the nature of humans that we endeavour to find ourselves; who we really are, what we really want and what is really important to us. We embark on this never-ending quest for self as, when we encounter experiences that resonate with our souls, we feel so completely unreal.
That incredible, buzzing, high, light feeling in which you see the whole world from another perspective; one of love, innocence, fun, connection and abundance.
Life feels so good when we are in that state and we are quite literally in love with all and everyone that is around us.
It may sound like I’m describing your last experience at the races, or at the most recent social event you attended where drinks, frivolity and all sorts of ‘losing yourself’ behaviour was going on.
And perhaps that’s why so many of us get caught in that trap of relying on those external “feel good” substances and experiences that enable us to forget all our woes, loosen up and experience the world from that perspective of pure fun. Because that is our true nature.
But what I am really saying is that, and I’m sure most of you have experienced it at some stage or another, there are completely sober times in life where you feel so damn good you could swear you were high. Those moments in which you might literally describe how you feel as “ high on life”.
Yes, we’ve all had them, even if they are a distant and fading memory.
And what I’m also here to say is that in those moments, you were in fact in touch with YOUR TRUE SELF. The you that is. The you that originally came to this earth as a pure, innocent being with absolutely no knowledge or “understanding” of how the world worked, or, of who you are.
You see, what I am learning is that we try so hard to find ourselves because we feel so damn good when we are just being who we really are. We think, though, that we need to understand who we are. We do not realise that who we are simply is and cannot be found or understood. We do not realise that in stillness and being, we “find” ourselves, because we were there all along.
We do not feel good when we are not connected to our true selves. We feel lost, anxious, afraid, devoid of energy, inspiration, passion and health.
Life becomes one day after another. The same old. We feel unsatisfied, agitated and we become dependent. Yes, we all do. Reliant on outside things to make us feel good. Success, achievement, wealth, knowledge, status, titles, degrees, clothes, food, places, people, drugs, alcohol, television, fantasy in its many forms, sex, the achievement of a physique we deem as desirable, career, jobs, roles, duties, the list is never-ending!
Yet, we then discover that happiness is only temporary. It seems fleeting. In one moment it is here, and just like a wave rolling onto the sand, it is gone again, without trace. We then go in search of another buzz. That feeling that everything is good, we are good. We wade out into that big ocean of life, trying to clasp “that wave” that made us feel so right.
Yet, you can see from this literal example the futility of such an exercise. Waves cannot be caught, well, for long anyway. Yes you can ride them and have a completely exhilarating and cell-tingling experience, however just as it appeared, it is sure to disappear, never to be found again- well, exactly as it was before.
And that is kind of how we humans sometimes navigate life. We wander around aimlessly looking for those things, experiences and people that give us “that” feeling. An addictive, never-ending search that has so many ups and downs- just like the experience of surfing. Exhilarating highs, devastating blows, and moments when its just plain dead. The despair we can feel at those times; the total lack of energy and life we find ourselves immersed in can seem so disheartening, like it really is all over for us.
“Where did the waves go?” becomes an analogy for, “Where did I go? Who am I? What do I want? Where am I going?”
And the reason we search for that buzz, that high feeling, is because, when we encounter it naturally, we ARE “me”, “I”, “home”.
That is what some talk about as being connected to source, god, your higher self, your soul, your spirit, your essence. When you are connected to your essence, you have limitless energy, abundance, health, inspiration, creativity and joy.
Life flows and everything seems to happen by intuitive direction. No need for endless and draining mental “working it out”. You are in THE ZONE.
In THE ZONE, you eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full, tend to your innate and natural needs with respect, are aware and sensitive to how what you are doing impacts on all the other living things around you and your health is close to perfect.
Of course, not too many people are ever in this state 100% of the time. In fact, unless you were to become a Buddhist monk and do nothing but meditate day in day out, it is quite impossible to do.
So how is all of this coming together you may think? What am I getting at, where are we going?
Well, as I began, it occurred to me this week that when we have a strong “sense” of who we are, we are grounded, strong, calm, at peace and quite unaffected by all of that going on around us.
We can encounter conflict, unpleasant and challenging situations, people and experiences, yet, none of it impacts how we feel because we realise that none of it means anything about us, who we are. We lack that instinctual feeling of being threatened and we instead maintain a healthy, detached stance of observation that allows us to simply allow what is to be.
How does this translate to a healthy self?
Well, the cascade of emotions that we live our life in, quite literally impacts and most often determines the state of our inner, biochemical world. Yes, emotions are expressed as chemicals in our bodies, and these chemicals naturally impact on every other aspect of our inner physiology, and create one chemical cascade after another, influencing gene expression and triggering or ignoring the expression of certain “conditions”.
Depending on our interpretation, and perception of what is going on in the world around us, that chemical cascade may be harming us, creating inflammation, increased and uncontrolled cell-proliferation, disease, and physical pain, or to the contrary, healing and regenerating ourselves in a calm, feel-good chemical bath that ignites the immune system and vitalises every cell and organ within the body.
So yes, when we have a healthy “sense” of self, we are largely unaffected by all of the things and people around us and we maintain an inner state of calm that creates an inner chemical state that is conducive to great health.
And, a healthy “sense” of self is not something we “find” OUT THERE, but something we connect to IN HERE.
We do not need to understand it, we can never really KNOW who we are as who we are simply is and the minute we describe it, we are merely creating a self out of perception. If what I am saying sounds confusing, it is to the mind; the part of you that wants to get it.
Your true self, does not need to understand anything. It simply feels good when you are connected. Not necessarily that buzzing “high” good all the time, but a grounded, calm good, a sense that all is ok, that you are ok, even if chaos and conflict is seemingly all around you.
An awareness of when you are truly feeling good in this grounded, calm way will connect you to a “sense” of true self. And the more you connect to that sense, the more healthy you will be. I promise that is true.
So, I urge you, for the sake of a healthy self, stop the endless search for who you are out there. Simply come home. Spend time within. Be quiet. Reflect. Listen to your true self that communicates through subtle and gentle means.
Know that those high, buzzing, joyous moments will come in this natural state, and when they pass you will not be dumped into the sand, but simply taken quite smoothly to a place where you feel grounded and secure.
And this my friends will go a long way to creating a physical self that enjoys good health, limitless energy and billowing passion.
To your health!
BridgetJane
Food Body Lifestyle Guru
www.newleafnutrition.com.au
Posts
