Much has been said about physically fit people having cardio vascular, neuro degenerative conditions out of the blue, with not so much as an inkling or noticeable sign.
We have a delusion of control after having worked on something for a while - that we've studied it, practiced it, cracked something that works . When something unforeseen hits, it seems like the infallible have buckled and the underlying work failed them completely. It's scary.
Yours truly has been going on a journey towards improving physical fitness for reasons beyond staying a certain weight . I have clearly put on more weight than the lowest I've ever been (about 3-4 kilos over) . However, that is insignificant compared to the big picture. I am certainly happy I did not stop working out after losing some weight. I certainly feel stronger and more confident. I am also into safe food and fasting - which is not news . I feel a combination of the two works for me and the family. I notice significant improvement in various aspects of health - which I will not delve into here. Personally however, there are aspects that I feel are equally , sometimes more important to health than exercise and mindful eating. I am attempting to list them here.
Disclaimer: this is by no means advocacy or recommendation. It is merely sharing my experiences and belief system - hugely subjective and personal. I write this for reflection, reinforcement of said practices /beliefs. Perhaps as a means to think through them over a period of time and see what stays / changes. There is nothing ground breaking here . Just ways I find simple joys and how they keep me happy / switch moods when I feel low. Yours truly is Neanderthal in thinking - simple, survival oriented. Nuance is not my jam. Read on at your own risk :)
Pursuit of Happiness - must have meant different things to Thomas Jefferson and those who wrote it in their Declaration of Independence. To me, a sense of personal happiness impacts health more than food and exercise. When the heart swells with joy or gratitude or peace or any of the other good stuff - it does more to health than any amount of food and exercise. To me- it's not easy to talk about / express personal happiness - sounds pompous to seek to pursue it. Delusional at times. I feel like Po in Kung Fu Panda - too much of an optimistic bumpkin to realise life is not easy on those who naively sing "These are all my favourite things". The silver lining - it's easy to feel happy when one is naive. The world seems like an endlessly fabulous place. Always.
What makes me happy?
- Sense of accomplishment
- Sensing deep gratitude
- Sense of being young and in love
- Sense of being loved
Let me go through each one
A sense of accomplishment: I find joy in doing things by myself outside of work and family . Making bars of soap and balms, growing plants in my tiny balcony and watering them, experimental cooking and so forth. The accomplishment bit comes from enjoying the fruits of labour. Using the bar of soap you made from scratch - is an unparalleled feeling. So many things can go wrong in the process . It is equal parts arts and science . Not messing up the process, letting the soap cure and waiting patiently for a couple of months to use it, handing it out to family and friends - the whole cycle is rewarding . Doing things by hand is a gift that never stops giving. Larger goals in life are just so far away. Knowing yours truly, I wont even celebrate it even if I do reach them. But this, I can take joy out of everyday. A batch of podi /pickle , harvesting greens from the balcony every month even if it is not a lot, coming back home and checking if my plants are doing ok , all this gives micro bursts of joy of having done something. Albeit small.
Sensing gratitude:
What I take away from fasting the most, is not the health benefits. I just know it helps my body. But I can't see it or feel it right away. But I can feel one thing really strongly when I fast. Fasting is deliberate deprivation. Keeping away from the love of my life - food ( Bharath - you've figured this out, so no hard feelings :) ) When I get back to it - the feeling of joy inside is overwhelming . I am grateful for the opportunity to afford safe food, cook it in a way that is beyond delicious , nourish the body . I fully savour my fasting meal. After all - I fasted 36-40 hours, woke up at 4.30, had a bath, did my prayers and cooked with all of my heart. I've come to enjoy the process so much - when I fast, I feel happy when I see people around me eat. Being Po, I feel grateful just as easily as I can cry - at the drop of a hat. Being in nature, after a round of rains , when I walk and see people around me, when I read and appreciate literature - inane everyday stuff . Gratitude / contentment and ambition are not mutually exclusive. That Venn Diagram has a huge intersection .
Sense of being young and in love:
There are many routes ....
1. Escapism : I can lose myself in another world. If I watch a movie selectively, I would have read about it, the making, the cast, the music, the maker and so on. I can't do a casual watch . My earliest memories are getting lost in the Ramayana, then in the deep ocean on documentaries, in music, in movies, in books and so on. I watched Dune Part two the other day on IMAX - fully prepared , enough to write an exam. I will care about seemingly useless things so damn much. Makes me feel super young - like my age has no correlation with the levels of passion exhibited toward imaginary worlds. Is it a waste of time ? Yes. Is it a distraction? Yes. But its so much fun leaving behind the world we live in and inhabiting another , enjoying it thoroughly. The solution - have selective escapism. Easier said than done.
2. Music: I would be a different person if not for the music that I've grown up with. Again, no casual listening. I will learn the lyrics , know when the percussion starts and the strings end, listen to it a gazillion times. The high music gives , the overwhelming feeling of love and joy it creates - nothing else does for me. I am a big romantic thanks to music (not the mushy man-woman stuff) .
3. Developing healthy crushes: On people, things, experiences and so on. The vibrancy of youth can be felt in the pursuit of love . It comes back when I don't keep a full stop on emotions.
4. Deliberate pursuits of sensory pleasure: Food, travel, music, endeavours that give an adrenaline rush and so on. It seems elemental that we seek it out. However, overdoing one thing deprives me of the novelty , so mixing it up and being choosy about such pursuits helps.
Sense of being loved:
Shamelessly chase the ones I love: I will nudge for time with the few I hold dear, while those I don't think of will rarely hear from me. No casual relationships. It's either mad love or bad blood. (That was just to quote Taylor Swift. I don't do bad blood. Running away is my style) . Having a smallish circle is not great for life in general. But there is no way I can give my all to everyone. It's rare finding people that make me feel at ease, whose company I draw comfort in. If I do, I grab on shamelessly. I will look over the small things and give them a very long rope that both of us can cling on to for life. Usually, I get the sense of being loved right back.
Happiness = Lower Stress = Healthy heart and mind.
I am sure some of this will change /evolve over time. But I don't see them changing too much. I will keep practising .
Comments
Post a Comment