Why Fight It…
You can either flow with a river, or against it…
When you start trying to paddle against it, when you focus on the frustrations you have, the struggles in front of you, that’s you trying to swim upstream.
It costs nothing to enjoy the ride you have in front of you, to take a moment to appreciate the life you have, and embrace the possibility of what can be.
It all starts with a little bit of gratitude. Shifting your focus in a positive direction, on the little (or big) blessings you have in your life.
This allows you to accept more of these blessings. Your mind begins to look at everything that’s great in your reality, and bring more of these events into your world.
When you focus on negative aspects, when you allow yourself to live in a negative state of mind, your body is going to try and repeat that feeling for you, we are all a collection of habits, and these habits are what creates our reality.
So let me ask you this, are you spending your time in a way that leaves you satisfied and fulfilled? Are you spending your time in a way that your body is thanking you for it?
These are simple yes or no questions, and as soon as you try to make it complicated, you already begin the process of trying to swim upstream. Why complicate what is so simple?
Life is about living, are you living it the way you want? Why not?
Is it because you don’t have everything you want presently?
Theres no way to be satisfied in life, if you’re always searching for that next thing. You can have moments of satisfaction by purchasing new clothes, getting a new car, or a bigger house, buying some tasty fast food, or playing video games, but happiness isn’t something you can obtain from outside factors.
Happiness is a result of you being grateful for the blessings you have in your life. which you have so many of.
Do I have to remind you that most of the world doesn’t have access to running water, healthcare, or basic necessities, that all humans should have?
We live in a society that emphasizes you work and get the most out of your time on the premise that we have to produce, we have to produce and consume in order for things to continue to progress. Have you ever brought yourself to a point where you can’t physically continue anymore?
Where mentally and physically you no longer have the drive and capabilities to deal with the world? Yet you have to continue?
That’s become a normal experience in our society, and it’s not an accident. It’s not an accident we work in 8 hour periods either. The way society is formatted is all a result of history and the way things have transpired to bring about our present reality. There was a time where people were working 12-15 hours a day, some people still do this. Yet workers fought for you to have the right to an 8 hour day instead of 12. Some people still work longer shifts and its normalized in certain industries. I know people working 20 hours a day and longer.
The human body is incredible, in that it adapts to the circumstances you put it in. Medical professionals can handle working the hours they do, because they’ve trained over many years to reach a point where they can handle working hours that a normal person would be exhausted from.
That does not make it right, when we push ourselves to the limits, it does not allow us to be our best selves. Our energy is not limitless.We only have so much energy to deal with the world.
When you don’t have adequate time to rest and recuperate your body and mind, it leaves you more susceptible to other issues.
For example, you cant run 15 miles everyday without taking a break at some point, yes you could run the 15 miles as long as your body will allow you to, but at some point if you don’t give your body adequate rest and recovery, you’re body will let you know it needs rest, and force you to rest, because you’ll get an injury at some point.
Our physical bodies are not much different than our mental bodies. They are one in the same, the human machine you have the pleasure of operating.
I believe in mental health issues, but I also believe that if you eat right, exercise regularly, hydrate well, by drinking adequates amount of water, and sleep a decent number of hours regularly, you can minimize the effect the world can have on your mental health, and your ability to be your best self in dealing with the world.
I used to work at a state mental hospital, and one of the most significant things I learned, is that we all have a propensity and a possibility of being institutionalized. Nobody is above it, we can all develop mental health issues, because we do things that cause us to reach a point of distress, that overwhelms our ability to deal with the world, to a point that we can no longer be a functioning part of society.
These guys that I was working with, were the guys that were either “too violent or sexual” to be with the rest of the people that were institutionalized.
It was an all male unit. It’s crazy to think about, because most of these guys had good hearts, and wanted to be better, and would work hard to improve. Some needed the help of medications, but others didn’t, they saw improvements by living in an environment, where they were getting regular sleep, eating a regular healthy diet, drinking water, and not adding other chemicals into the mix, like alcohol or drugs. I saw a number of guys get released, something that doesn’t always happen, but they did it with time.
This is an example of how even the people that feel like they don’t have a chance to ever overcome their mental health issues, the people that feel overwhelmed by this world actually have what it takes. It all comes down to being able to have the right tools to best deal with the world.
For me thats eating right, sleeping right, and giving my body and mind what it’s asking for.
I heard about this restaurant in San Fran, a super busy restaurant that doesn’t even allow reservations anymore, closing down this week for 4 days, to give their staff a health break, a mental and physical break from working. Paid time off so they can come back refreshed.
Yes we are limitless in the possibilities we can create for our Selves & lives, but the way that we push ourselves is not right. It’s a competitive nation, we have to compete in order to survive…survival of the fittest.
I don’t have an issue with this, I have an issue with the fact, that nobody is suited to a lifestyle like that. Think about all the people in professional careers, lawyers and doctors, construction workers, business owners, every occupation honestly, where you don’t have the flexibility to stop what you're doing to give yourself the mental break when you need it.
Times are changing and the world is beginning to recognize the importance of rest.
It’s crazy, because If you work for 90 minutes and take a 5 minute break, That 5 minutes allows you to come back to working almost at full capacity, but if you continued to work through that break, the effort you would see the person put in is much less. Their production level drops dramatically the more they continue to work without a break, and you can’t recoup that energy.
If you allow that employee or professional, whoever it is, to take a break every 90 minutes and come back to what they were doing, then they’re much more productive and accomplish a lot more than their counterpart that only takes a break every 4 hours. It’s no accident that work, and society is set up how it is, but that does not mean it is right, the most efficient, or most productive solution. Taking breaks might seem counterproductive, but it’s the best thing you can do to increase productivity and success.
So this is a reminder to pay attention to your mind, body, and soul, and don’t bring yourself to the brink of exhaustion and a mental breakdown, for a job that could replace you in a heartbeat.
I don’t have an answer for everyone, but I believe that the fact that there is so much focus on mental health right now is no coincidence, there is a reason why society is realizing how much mental turmoil people have been going through for years, it’s only now become something that’s talked about. This is a moment in time where everybody has come to realize that you can’t be your best self, if you’re not in place to handle the world at your best.
- Joaquin Gomez-Garcia