By Paula Bianchi –

From the moment we take our first breath at birth, to the moment we exhale our last breath at death, we live in a very complicated bio-machine called a body. It’s the one thing in life that we’re intimately connected to. Only we know what’s going on inside of us unless we choose to share our health issues, thoughts, or feelings with others. Our mortality comes into question by the way we choose to care for our bodies, and just like everything we have to choose from in life, there are good or bad ways to care for yourself.

In the beginning when we’re born, it’s up to our parents to care for us. They try their best to care for our little bodies to keep them healthy and strong. Some parents will excel at this while others will struggle, but most parents fall somewhere in between.

As we grow and explore the world around us, we learn how to control our arms and hands, then, we take our first steps and begin to understand how our bodies move. Once we’re potty trained, we become aware of how to control the urges in our bodies.

With each new accomplishment like running, jumping, riding a bike or scooter, we gain more control over our bodies. We learn about the necessities our bodies need like hunger, sleep, exercise, and bathing. By the time we go to high school, some of us may become more physical by playing sports while others, who aren’t into physical exertion, choose other activities of interest to them. It’s during our high school years when it’s pretty much set, in our minds, how we’ll care for ourselves.

This is usually when the mind games about our bodies begin. In high school. From hating something about our bodies, to consciously choosing to put bad things into it like drugs or alcohol, or choosing to put ourselves into precarious situations, some of these self-inflicted mind games can begin to consume us.

Of course, the mind games we play while going through health issues are the most draining ones and very difficult to play, but so too are the games about how we look. We can become fixated on some part of our bodies, and it’s all we can think about.

People have done some crazy stuff to their bodies while on their quest to the body image they want. Others, like athletes, push their bodies to the limit and have to fight a mind game to continue until the end. Every time a drug addict uses, they fight the mind game of knowing it’s not good for them and they shouldn’t be doing it, but they choose not to quit the one thing that is ruining their lives all because their bodies crave it.

Our bodies are our responsibility. We shouldn’t neglect them because we need our bodies to get us through life. We never realize, until we’ve reach middle age, how important it was to take care of ourselves.

We often take our bodies for granted, then, we act surprised when something happens to them. Thankfully, our bodies are resilient. They heal and mend themselves. They respond with pain to let you know when something is wrong. They give us fear and anxiety to warn us to pay attention to what’s happening around us.

Bodies come in many shapes, colors, and sizes, but society wants you to favor a certain kind of body. Many of us work hard to fit the standard. When we meet people, we try to hold them to the same standard, and if they don’t meet it, we put them down or bully them just because they don’t fit the mold. The very moment we meet someone, we’re judging them by their looks.

I sometimes wondered what life would be like if nobody could ‘see’. If we were all blind, would there still be racism in our world? It would eliminate body judging, but I’m sure it would be replaced by some other means to judge. I guess it’s just human nature. We can’t help ourselves. Or can we?

I believe we can. It depends on how you want to ‘look’ at people. You’re in a grocery store and you notice a woman walking towards you. Most of us have already decided what we don’t like about her. Why do we look for the negative stuff first? The answer is simple. To boost our own ego, so we can feel good about ourselves.

Now if you want to flip that script, we can teach ourselves to look for what you like about that woman walking towards you. We have to take the time to appreciate what we like because she’s a person, just like us, trying to make her way in the world.

If you’re playing the mind game of wanting to change a part of your body because you don’t like it, you can move past your obsession by changing the dialog in your head. Whenever your mind is focusing on something you don’t like about your body, I want you to redirect your thoughts to something you do like about your body. Don’t be stubborn. Really take the time to change your thoughts. Nobody is perfect. There’s always some kind of imperfection in everything.

So, I challenge you to flip the script. Choose to see the positive not the negative. Where your thoughts go; your energy flows. I’ve noticed if I take the time to complement somebody on their hair, clothes, shoes, nails, etc., I put a smile on their face which lifts my spirits and energy because I made someone happy.

In my next Metaphysical article, I’ll talk more about focusing our energy. Thanks for the visit. I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Bye for now.

Email: Remyel@hotmail.com