Wellness is more than just a way of life, because it also depends on where you live.
How you choose to live your life has a direct bearing on the state of your health and well-being.
Let’s study the lives of two individuals living separate and distinct lives.
City girl
Sheila is a career woman who chose New York as her work base. Filled with dreams of making it big in the most challenging city of all, she bravely left the safe confines of Manila to go it alone.
Making her way up the corporate ladder, she faced every imaginable challenge, from racial discrimination to the usual office intrigue. On top of this, she managed to get married, raise a family, and eventually go through a bitter divorce.
Alone and unfazed by her emotional setbacks, one would never imagine the trials she faced, as this was belied by her peaceful countenance. In fact, she thought that she was superwoman, apart from being supermom.
One morning, however, she woke up and tried to jump out of bed, as was her usual style. She couldn’t move her legs.
Overcome by panic, Sheila felt helpless for the very first time in her life. She was rushed to the hospital. The diagnosis: hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is often called underactive thyroid or low thyroid, sometimes hypothyreosis. It is a common endocrine disorder in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. Symptoms are tiredness, difficulty tolerating cold temperatures and weight gain.
Hypothyroidism upsets the normal balance of chemical reactions in your body. It seldom causes symptoms in the early stages but, over time, can cause a number of health problems such as obesity, joint pain, infertility and heart disease if left untreated.
How crucial a role does the thyroid play in a woman’s life? Once it is out of balance, the natural production of thyroid hormones is in peril. But as any good physician will tell you, stress has a way of attacking the body in the most subtle ways.
Everyday stress chips off a little bit of one’s sense of well-being until suddenly, the body succumbs.
Thus, Sheila took stock of all this and drastically changed her life.
Her “Renewal List”
Stop
- All cigarette smoking
- All alcoholic beverages
- Complaining about everything, from relationships to the food bills.
Start
- Praying more frequently
- Believing in miracles
- Sleeping before 11 p.m.
- Laughing more, crying less
- Green juicing twice a day
- Exercising thrice weekly
- Choosing more positive friends with no vices
- Giving herself a vacation
Nature boy
John was born in a big city but, as he grew up, the call of nature was overpowering. After being a success in the corporate world, he walked away from his high-adrenaline city life, giving in to his natural inclination to discover forest life (after all, his aptitude test in school said he could be a forest ranger). He found a new home in the foothills of Bali.
There, he set up a butterfly park and museum plus a haven for young and aspiring Balinese artists.
The pace of his life drastically changed from highly driven and ambitious to more laid-back and fulfilling.
Within a month of this newfound life he noticed several changes:
- Migraine and sinus headaches disappeared.
- Heart palpitations were gone.
- Shallow breathing was replaced by deep and restful breathing.
- His permanent scowl was replaced by a permanent smile.
- He has fewer wrinkles as the deep lines on his forehead were diminished.
- Improvement of appetite
His “Renewal List”
- Daily exercise
- Healthy breakfast
- No skipped meals
- Plant a tree every week until a forest is grown
The choices we make impact heavily on our lives. After all, one can hope not just to live longer, but to live better.
The choice is yours.
This week’s affirmation: “I choose life.”
Love and light!
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