Achieving optimum health requires a holistic approach that includes cognitive, physical and emotional components of our personality. As human beings we are complex blends of all three and will not attain full health by addressing them individually. Indeed, by separating the components we may delude ourselves into a ‘Sick, Not Sick’ mindset whose focus is on symptom relief rather than wellness. Separation also negates the contribution that our mental state makes to our health and denies the role of our spirit in bringing joy and sense of purpose to our living.
Last week I succumbed to a nasty stomach bug which tore through our household. After the nausea and diarrhoea had subsided I was left with a headache, chesty cough and sore throat. My appetite disappeared and I found it difficult to do anything. As I have often found before, when I feel low physically I’m not able to think clearly either. Some who think my health interests to be ‘unhealthy’ were quick to point out that my habits did not protect me from the bug - as if this somehow justifies their own damaging lifestyle. In recent years I’ve generally been delighted to enjoy robust good health and avoid many of the ailments ‘doing the rounds’. I’ve never thought myself invincible however, and none of us are.
Today my elderly mother lies in a local hospital wracked with illness and failing health. Despite her confusion and weakness, her inner peace is evident and her soul content. She is prepared for her inevitable departure and is surrendered to God, having lived a long and loving life. For her there is no unfinished business, no preoccupation with world affairs nor the pressures of daily living. She has serenity, calm and confidence that her soul will return to God as she hands on the baton to her children to continue the run.
These events illustrate for me how our concept of Optimum Health must change through life, As parents to the very young we want our offspring to have the best start in life and, if at all possible, will provide them with the best nutrition as we understand it. Infants and young children delight us with simple smiles and unconditional love. Their minds and bodies are growing at an astonishing rate and their souls are bright. With a total dependency on her primary carers, the child’s healthy growth is largely determined by the maturity and life perspective of her parents. In the teenage and young adult years physical development is rapid and the mind is keen but the soul’s purpose is often hidden from view as the individual finds her way in the world. It is typically in middle age, and often in response to a life-changing event, that the soul re-emerges and finds expression.
We naturally lament the loss of life but it is important to remember that at every age the person is whole, even though it is only at the point of their death that their life journey is complete. Mind and body have provided the coach in which the soul has travelled through life. Just as a good life coach will be a catalyst for growth, the spiritual growth of the individual will be facilitated when mind and body, in good relationship, coach the soul. Most people will make their journey through life without a formal coach but at some point all of us find our soul deeply touched by someone in our lives and our learning is profound. At such times it is the quality of the relationship which determines the success of the engagement. So whether it is with a professional coach, or through the companionship of one’s own body, let us consciously strive to listen attentively to it and achieve the most wholesome learning relationship between mind and body, so that whether they inevitably fail, or prematurely stumble, the baton is passed as the journey is completed and the soul released.
