Last night was rough.
I’ve been packing for overseas travel. I literally worked so hard, thought so intensely, and worried so much that my nerves, muscles, and tendons twisted up and scrunched into knots. I got sidelined by this mind injury.
But that’s probably nothing new to you. We’ve all known pain from mind injuries. Whether pain comes from a strength training injury or mental overexertion, treatment and elimination involve identifying the cause and addressing it.
Pain from physical causes can be treated by topical care, manual adjustment, and time.
Pain stemming from the mind probably needs the same, in addition to treatment within the mind.
The mind can be considered much stronger, more resilient than the body. Unfortunately this means that we put our minds through more hardship than our bodies, with less rest and recovery. The consequences are often harder to manage than physically caused injuries.
For the mind, resources include nutrition and other physical inputs. It’s important to remember the other type of fuel, too. Rest, meditation, mindfulness, gratitude, love expressed and received, purpose. It’s amazing how much and how often we need these things.
Rather than separate my mind from my body, I try to treat my body as an initial stretch of my person, and my mind as a continuing embodiment, the greater part, of me. This has helped me understand that cultivating my mind involves good nutrition and physical well being, and that just feeling strong and rested physically doesn’t mean my mind is the same.
As for my knot, three Advils and half an hour of meditation finally got me to sleep. Needless to say, I went too far before taking a real break. I would do anything to avoid manufactured painkillers. For the rest of travel preparations, I’ll be taking frequent sun breaks and walks.
Live powerfully,
Steve
The Brilliant Beast Blog 