Balance: Body, Mind, and Soul

I brought about nine things to the fitting room. I was so excited to buy new clothes and maybe, just maybe, achieve that summer pinterest look.

Shirt after shirt, shorts after shorts I ripped them off hating them. I was frustrated with the size I had to grab and I was annoyed that the fitting room had three mirrors in it so I could see every angle of myself. “Is that what people really see when they look at me?” I kept asking myself.

“So much for achieving that summer pinterest look”, I told myself. “That must be only for people who wear a size two and look like models”, I thought in my head. I was defeated and this is how clothes shopping usually went.

But why? Why am I letting it be this way? Why am I letting the world decide what I think about myself?

Everyday getting ready is a chore. I go through about ten outfits getting increasingly frustrated then finally settle on something, pull and fidget with it all day because I am uncomfortable, go home take it off and swear tomorrow I will do something to change the way I am. I will make myself healthier. I will become skinnier so I like myself more.

Friends, this is exhausting and a messed up mindset. “I will become skinner so I like myself more.” is the thought process that leads us to more distress.

Today I was reminded of something: being healthy is a balance of body, mind, and soul. It is not just about being skinny. So is it necessarily bad that I am going to bed swearing I will do something tomorrow to change, no. Not if that change is to eat a healthier breakfast instead of a poptart (I love chocolate fudge poptarts) or if that change is to start going on a 30 minute walk everyday. These are good changes. These take care of your body.

For me these changes are the easy ones, you just do it. You put on your tennis shoes and walk out the door, you just don’t buy poptarts, etc. Taking care of your body is, in my opinion, simple. But mind, changing my mind is the real challenge. Healthy minds think positive thoughts, building up your morale and speaking truth to yourself and those around you. A healthy mind is a game changer. It tells you your worth, your beauty, your uniqueness. It speaks truth to who you are and motivates you to be the best person you can be. A healthy mind, for example, is very different from the place I am in right now; a place where I feel the need to put on ten different outfits and still leave frustrated. A healthy mind tells you to love yourself right where you are at but continue to strive for the best.

A healthy soul. The roots beneath a healthy mind. Every time I start my day off with morning prayer, every time I incorporate church in my free time, every time I take time to thank God for my day I find that my whole life (no exaggeration) flows a little better. And when I forget to do these things I find myself more anxious and ready to believe the lies me mind tells me. Take care of your soul, it is so easily forgotten.

Friends, being healthy is easier than hating the body you have. Trust me on this one, take the advice from someone who has spent most of their life unhappy with who they are.

Wake up, say a prayer or spend some quite time relaxing. Eat a healthy well balanced breakfast, go about your day, take a brisk afternoon walk, eat a healthy dinner, say a prayer of thanksgiving before you go to bed.

Friends, I promise a balance of body, mind, and spirit will lead you to your best life. We are all on this journey together.