“….patients who treat their bodies like a foreign land.”*
I think I am one of the patients the quote is addressing: The majority of time, I don’t pay much attention to my body. It could be half a world away. If I decide to focus on standing up straight, I pay attention for a few moments, then my focus changes to something external. If my back hurts, I pay attention in an annoyed, irritated way. If my big toe hurts, it ruins my whole day.
On the other hand, when I am in a foreign land, I am wide eyed, paying attention to the scenery and the people. This is how I want to treat my body; noticing its functionality, faithfulness, and uniqueness.
Do you treat your body like a foreign land? What do you think that means? What kind of relationship do you have with your body? Please share your thoughts and experiences with us by email or comment section.
Thanks for exploring the mystery – Nicky Mendenhall
This image was captured while we were sight seeing on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok.
*Page 72, (Aisenstein, 2006), in Psychosomatics Today (2010).
2 comments
They say you should treat your body like a temple, mine would be the Temple of doom! Yes I can admit it, I have no respect for the food I eat. I love to lay out in the sun. I love to drink alcohol and caffeine. I love to volunteer and say yes I can help you move no problem. I would like to think it's just not lack of respect, it's pretty much lack of commitment.
Thanks for posting!
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