IS BALANCE IN LIFE REALLY POSSIBLE? (Installment 3)

TAB’S BLOG:  IS BALANCE IN LIFE REALLY POSSIBLE?

Installment 3

October 20, 2014

Balance?  Really?  Can it be done?  I don’t think it can be accomplished 100% of the time.  I know that it is not possible in my life because circumstances that I have no control over often occur.  But I keep striving for it because it is truly where you feel the best body, soul, and spirit and have a chance at healthy aging.

I went to a conference this past weekend that taught “healthy aging” not “anti-aging” medicine.  I like that phrase – “healthy aging”.  It puts a positive spin on life and health and gives us all hope.  We each have the potential to age in a healthy manner.  I look around at elderly people who are unable to function mentally and physically and do not want that for myself or anyone else.  But, we can’t just hope it doesn’t happen!

I heard Joyce Myers on TV last week.  She asked the question:  Are you a gambler or investor in your health?  Are you trying to improve your health now by making caring for yourself a priority?  Are you eating right (most of the time!), exercising, drinking your water, sleeping, having fun with family and friends?  Are you caring for and maintaining your body so that in the future it will work better and last longer?  Or, are you doing whatever you want to your body with the hopes that you won’t get sick and impaired in the future as you age?

It’s kind of like a car.  If you do your required maintenance, the car will probably never break down on you and last a long time.  But, if you don’t maintain it, the car will not be reliable and get you where you need to go without breaking down.  Our bodies are like that – you have to take care of it and maintain it because you only get one; and, once it’s worn out, you don’t get to trade it in!

I definitely think investing makes more sense than gambling when it comes to your health and life!  I have gambled with my health off and on for many years and am trying to change my path.  The great thing about the human body is that, if you give it what it needs, it can heal and repair itself (for the most part) and change the future.

One part of balance and caring for you is being grateful.  I have recommended it over and over again but I do it one more time:  keep a gratitude journal.  Every single day write down AT LEAST one thing for which you are grateful.  Focusing on the positive keeps your mind and emotions and spirit focused on the positive.  It’s part of caring for and maintaining healthy aging for your soul and spirit.

I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal for years.  Because of keeping this journal, I’ve discovered that, when something negative occurs, I quickly catch myself and stop dwelling on the negative and start thinking about all the things that I have to be grateful for.  This change in focus keeps my spirits up and helps keep me from falling into a depression.

Life is hard and stressful for most people.  I hear so many stories of tragedy and difficulty every day when I see my patients.  Sometimes I wonder how we survive.  However, I know for a fact because I’ve been experiencing it that keeping a gratitude journal and focusing on the positive helps you get through the day and still feel good and not depressed.

“Some people grumble that roses have thorns: I am grateful that thorns have roses.”

--Alphonse Karr, A Tour Round My Garden

Sincerely,

Tabetha L. Smith, FNP-C, Gratitude Enthusiast on My Journey of Health Aging

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