Well hello there! Welcome back to the redefining Bold podcast. You're listening to episode number 26 and I'm your host Gwen Whitfield from theboldabode.com, where I help warm-hearted women take small steps toward positive lasting change!

 “Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.”  
~B.K.S. Iyengar

Today on the podcast we’re talking about Mind and Body and how physical health infects and affects your mind.

But before we get started, I want to thank you so much for listening and ask that if you are enjoying this podcast, that you do me a favor and pop over to iTunes, stitcher or wherever you are listening and leave us a review! When I hear from you, it inspires me to keep this podcast going… otherwise I’m stuck in this little home office wondering if you like me. haha

So now, let’s get to talking about this mind/body stuff.

Have you ever had to go to work with a runny nose? You’re not sick enough to stay in bed, but just sick enough to feel icky and gross. I mean, sitting at your computer trying to write emails or plan projects or deal with customers and you have a mountain of tissues beside you and snot is still streaming down your nose. Not to mention the big pink pill you just took that’s making your head start to swim.

This kind of disharmony? It’s easy to be aware of it. You know you’re not functioning at 100 percent and unfortunately, so does everyone around you. It’s recognizable and fortunately it will eventually pass.

But what about when the cold passes. And you are really trying to dig in and build your business and create a life of abundance for you and your family. But there’s this underlying sense of insecurity or fear at stepping out of your comfort zone.

So you do the work. You find Hal Elrod and the Miracle Morning and create a morning routine of meditation and affirmations and exercise and you drink your lemon water and you do this methodically and meticulously.

And it helps... some. You start to rewire your brain like Joe Dispenza teaches in his book, How to Break the Habit of Being Yourself. You commit to the renewing of your mind and spend time healing your past hurts.

And yet... and yet! You start and stop and start and stop and just can’t seem to get the momentum you need to get your business really flying loop-de-loops.

That podcast you wanted to start four years ago fills you with unrelenting trepidation. Dealing with customer concerns and question for the course you haven’t even yet created makes you tremble in fearful anticipation.

And you end up lying on the couch with unrelenting adrenaline rushes on the verge of just giving up because you’ve done allll the work and still you can’t get done what, gosh-darn-it, you want to get done and you KNOW you can do.

Ok. So, obvi, we’re not talking about you, but about me. This is what I’ve been through for three years and I pray that you’re sitting there listening to this and AREN’T able to relate.

But if you can relate, if this story rings true in some small way, my heart totally goes out to you.

I spent a long time thinking that it was just my thinking that was weighing me down. I felt that if I just trained my brain enough, if I just faced the negative insecurities head on, if I beat my mind into submission, I’d be free of the fear and pain and resistance.

But no amount of mental work, as important and amazing as it can be, can overcome an unknown, underlying physical problem. Think about it. If you just barely cut your finger opening the flap of an envelope, how much does that hurt? It’s not excruciating pain, by any means, but it’s there, making simple tasks more difficult. Like, try squeezing a lemon with the finger that has the paper cut. OMGSH. It makes cooking really not so much fun, eh?

If you are struggling and don’t know why, there could possibly be something going on with you physically that you just can’t put your finger on.

Now, maybe you have some physical symptoms that you are actually ignoring. The fatigue and disharmony has crept up so slowly that you really didn’t even notice how bad it had gotten. This is just the new normal for you. Or Maybe you just feel tired half the time and don’t know why.

First, maybe you just need some sleep, yo. I’ve come to the absolute realization that getting 7 hours of sleep a night is of the utmost, vital importance. Like food and water, importance. Basic need, importance. So important, that I’m looking at new mattresses even though we just bought one about four years ago. And pillows? Don’t get me started. The best money you can possibly spend is on a really good pillow that meets your sleeping comfort level needs. I’m ready to spend some real money on a good pillow, y’all.

So you start getting good nights sleeps. Or maybe that’s really your problem. You have insomnia and don’t know why. If you are a female my age, let me just suggest, HORMONES. Apparently the witching hour for hormones is between 2 and 4 am. My word.

And blood sugar can affect your sleep. Since I’ve been eating a very healthy snack, like a bit of chicken, I’ve been sleeping much, much better. And Magnesium and Zinc can help with sleep.

SOOO many things can affect your sleep, so if that is an issue for you, start researching and see what you can do to help you sleep better. Complete darkness is also a big help. And a regular bedtime, and not staring at a screen an hour before you go to bed. Ah, what else? So many things that we don’t even realize can affect you... alcohol. Oh, man. Alcohol can wreck havoc on your blood sugar at night. You might think it helps you doze off, but if you’re waking just a few hours later... um... yeah. Alcohol.

So, you get your sleep figured out and that is awesome. And you’re still not there? What then?

Go get a physical. Just get checked out, yo. I resisted this for three years because I’m just not in tune with allopathic medicine. I’ve had some frustrating experiences with regular doctors. I don’t like how my doctor responds when I tell him I’m taking magnesium or a hormone balancing supplement. His answer to my adrenaline rushes was just to put me on beta blockers. But nope. Not happening. Have you ever read the side effects of prescription meds? How about the commercials where half the time is spent warning you about muscle weakness, insomnia, bladder cancer and possible death?

Haha. No thanks.

But at the urging of my husband, I went and got a zillion tests run and everything was “fine”. Honestly, that sucked. I would have preferred there to have been some indication in my blood work of what was going wrong. But that just led me to research more. I really think it’s important to take your health into your own hands and educate yourself. Now, your doctor isn’t going to like it probably, but whatevs.

I’m glad to know I’m not dying of cancer or some other really serious illness, like Addison’s or Grave’s disease. That did give me some peace of mind.

But how do you know unless you go? So go. And get yourself checked under the hood really well. If there is something wrong, you can address it. If anything, you can just get confirmation that you’re fine.

What you put in your body is really important. Not restricting is really important, i.e. feeling whole as opposed to focusing on the number on a scale.

And staying hydrated is really important. Mild dehydration can really affect your mind.

Harmony. Homeostasis. Good Health. These are the fundamental building blocks of a happy, productive, successful life.

If you feel out of balance, seek out help. Eat well, hydrate enough and move your body in ways you actually enjoy and have fun with.

Body affects your mind just as much as mind affects your body. When your body is feeling good and your mind is feeling good, you become a force to be reckoned with. Even Yoda would agree.

I hope this episode today has some way informed or inspired you! Thanks so much for listening and I’ll see you in Episode 5 where we’ll talk about the three necessities of a work at home creative.