Mind, Body and Spirit: An Environment Worth Preserving

A Going Green Checklist:

1. Learning to conserve energy? Check.
2. Reusable shopping bags? Check.
3. Shopping local? Check.
4. Making greener choices at the market? Check.
5. Using greener cleaning products or natural alternatives at home? Check.
6. Reducing water waste? Check.
7. Growing our own produce? Check.
8. Driving less? Check.
9. Treating my body like an environment worth preserving? Ummmm……check?

Did that last one stump you? In all your efforts to go green in your life, home, and community, have you forgotten something very important? We spend lots of time greening up our homes, our communities, and learning to eat better. We make choices everyday to put the environment first and preserve nature and habitats. But do we stop and take care of our bodies in the same manner? Learning to eat right is a very big step. Learning to treat our bodies like the gifts they are is an even greater step.

The path to greener living for me began with my education into holistic medicine and herbal remedies. I was recovering from an addiction, as well as coming off some seriously strong medications for depression and anxiety. My body had been put through the ringer. In my journey of recovery, I learned that my body was a treasure, a gift worth taking seriously and worth doing what I could to help it work better and healthier. For me, learning to treat ailments holistically changed my total being as well as my body for the better. I worked with nature, rather than against it.

Regardless if you believe in alternative medicines or follow the conventional medicine path, we all can agree that what we invest into our bodies is exactly what we will get out of it. I strongly believe in the mind, body, spirit connection. The three must work together in order for us to be whole. When our minds are full of stress, issues at home and work, struggles emotionally, our bodies and our spirit begin to suffer. We get achy. We come down with colds easily because our immune systems weaken. We begin to question the higher powers we believe in and find peace fleeting. If our body is not given healthy foods, plenty of exercise, water and rest, our mind cannot function. Biologically, this is true because our brains need a healthy diet to function at optimal levels. When we struggle spiritually (whatever we choose to believe in), we can feel depressed, reclusive, tired and uneasy. It’s all connected. The three must be in harmony.

How can you achieve this? It’s simple. Treat your body as an environment worth preserving. Treat it with the care and respect you give our earthly environment. Work on learning to create unity within your personal triad of mind, body and spirit. Work with nature, rather than against it. You can do this by starting with what is called R.E.D.S. R.E.D.S. stands for rest, exercise, diet and spirituality. Here is how I break them down for myself in terms of a green lifestyle:

REST = Conservation of energy. Without proper rest we cannot function mentally, our immune systems fail, and we have a difficult time staying emotionally stable. All of nature sleeps and wakes. Flowers sleep and wake refreshed and more beautiful the next day. When we conserve our energy by resting a full night’s sleep, we help our bodies rejuvenate, replenish, and restock stores for tomorrow.

EXERCISE = Even animals take time out to play. Exercise does not have to be a strenuous work out. It can be riding your bike with your family, taking a walk with your sweetie, learning yoga, or taking the dogs for a walk in the park. The key is, to take time for physical activity that brings you joy and keeps your heart healthy.

DIET = I do not mean dieting here, I mean healthy eating and making sure what goes in our bodies will benefit it, not harm it. Same concept with organic gardening. Everything you do to your organic garden is natural. You harm one part of your garden with chemicals and the whole ecosystem suffers. What you put into your body will determine how well it functions. Put food or chemicals into it that cause one part of your body to fail and the whole ecosystem is damaged.

SPIRITUALITY = All of nature bows down to the ebb and flow of it’s creator. No matter whom you believe is that creator, we all do better when our souls are fed in some way. We are given peace and tranquility. Our lives have hope and a purpose.

This is not to say that if you have problems physically, you’ve done something wrong. There are many things that happen to our bodies that we cannot control. But when we do our best to care for ourselves and get the most out of REDS, it can help dealing with those health issues better. The hope is, that our outlook becomes more optimistic, we build up our immune systems and strengthen our heart and lungs, we feel more prepared emotionally to take on what must come in order to deal with physical problems. We hold onto our spiritual beliefs to give us strength and courage.

Because after all, what good is a healthy earth, if the people who inhabit it aren’t?

Come visit Beth at her blog Coming Up For Air, where she urban homesteads, is canning up a storm lately, and is loving life!

An original 5 Minutes for Going Green post!