Homework: Physical Health
When seeking therapy, counselling, or coaching we often think problems and solutions are confined to our minds, emotions, and behaviours.
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Human beings, however, are an interconnected “mindbody” where, regardless of what we think, our mental, emotional, and behavioural aspects actually occur within the physical. When, for instance, verbal communication happens through the medium of a physical telephone—and the telephone is faulty—the communication will be distorted.
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Self improvement is always optimal when physical health is optimal. Areas of physical health to consider are sleep and rest, food and water, movement and exercise.
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Sleep
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No matter what the presenting problems are, I almost always end up asking clients about their sleep. Why?
Sleep is Number 1.
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Sleep is the great recharge and recovery gift. With good sleep we think and perceive more clearly and effectively. If we are doing the heavy lifting of personal therapy and problem solving, we need sleep as much as a top athlete does. And we will achieve our goals faster and better if we get that sleep.
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There are many reasons why we don't get a good, long, restful sleep, including anxiety, negative thinking, nightmares, tight schedules, stressful environments, child needs, sleep apnea, social media, digital stimulus, headaches, insomnia, and physical pain. However, since poor sleep negatively affects everything else in our lives, these factors may be as important to address as the issues we came to therapy with. I believe that if we investigate complex situations slowly and thoroughly, small opportunities for change are more likely to occur. Take those opportunities and build improvement from there.
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Rest
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Rest and relaxation also benefit therapeutic process. Unfortunately, modern life is often a hurricane of stimulus and tightly scheduled demands. Not only is it difficult to slow down, but it's almost impossible to find the time when it seems there's not enough time as it is.
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Just as with sleep, such a situation deserves compassionate curiosity because the alternative—being chained to the stress wheel—has no upside. We need to carefully look at all the forces at play and find small ways to create the space and time for meaningful breaks.
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When we can find those breaks, it is beneficial to use that time to do nothing—or whatever we prefer—to breathe easier, move slower, lay back, and do things that are enjoyable even if those breaks are relatively short. Quantity is ideal, but quality time can still be very restorative.
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Food
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Food and nutrition are essential to life and our efforts to solve problems and improve our lives. No matter how hard we try, suboptimal nutrition will interfere with any therapeutic program we undertake.
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There are so many diet and nutrition systems that it is up to each individual to find an approach that is balanced. Most of us know the eating habits that provide better health, so it is our responsibility to find and maintain them. Sometimes a good starting point is just knowing what habits are not healthy—and find ways to understand and curtail our attachment to them.
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Water
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When considering water intake and hydration, it's reasonable to assess what else we drink throughout the day. If all animals and our human ancestors (until the last few thousand years) drank pure water, it seems reasonable to assume that drinking more water than other beverages is a good idea. Whether that's tap water, spring water, bottled or filtered water, the choice is yours.
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Since the human body is, on average, 60% water, drinking enough will definitely promote physical health and mental/emotional functioning. This is a relatively easy action that will benefit any therapeutic process.
Movement
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Movement isn't just about strength, and movement isn't just getting what we need to survive. Moving the body keeps the cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, and digestive systems active and healthy so that all our organs—including the brain—operate efficiently.
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Movement is especially important in modern society because most of us are not involved in daily physical activity. An interesting experiment is to measure the number hours spent actively moving compared to sitting. If the conclusion is “not enough movement,” that opens the door to finding ways to change that.
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Proactive movement includes: forms of stretching (intuitive, yoga, tai chi, etc.), dance, yard work, vigorous housework, walking, hiking, and informal games.
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Exercise
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Exercise refers to vigorous cardiovascular activities, focused strength-building activities, as well as a variety of sports.
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Cardio builds the heart and the whole cardiovascular system. To be effective, this requires that the heart rate stay at a certain level for a minimum amount of time. Jogging, running, swimming, and cycling are classic options for this.
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Strength exercise builds and tones muscles and tissues throughout the body and requires a balanced program that avoids injury. Workouts vary from home programs without equipment to gym routines with equipment—and everything in between.
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Games and sports that use the whole body in a vigorous way are excellent because they're naturally engaging and enjoyable. While competition is a great motivator, with sports it can lead to excess strain and injury, so care must be taken.
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In conclusion, physical health is a wonderful support for all our therapeutic efforts, but need not turn into another stressful obligation. Finding the right mind-body balance is key.