Despite being the wealthiest country in the world, Americans are one of the unhealthiest humans on Earth and this is due to the careless misconceptions that we carry about our feelings that are scrapping years off of our lives that once in for all we need to confess.
The last thing you want to do when feeling any sort of unhappiness is call it a mental health disorder or even worse, illness because that doesnât make it our fault. When it comes to our health, we prefer to blame other factors such as our environment, food, people we hang out with, our job, and worst of all, the doctor not advising us the right treatment.
I had to break it to you eventually. It is 99% our fault and that 1% is to make you feel a bit better. Believe it or not, as much as we want to believe that Type II diabetes is hereditary or lung cancer is bad luck even if you live in the cleanest part of Nigeria Falls and never came to close to a smoker, usually the most unexpected things cause health problems that we believe we cannot control.
There is no doubt our health controls everything we do. With a lack of Vitamin D, you have less leptin, your hunger controller hormone so you end up eating more, and athletes who play less coordinated sports such as tennis or ping pong, die earlier than those who donât.
So when it comes down to a mental or health illness, it shouldnât be shameful, it can just be prevented from the start. Cancer, diabetes, heart disease, shingles, and anxiety, the top medical expenses can all be cured through the things we lack or blame on ourselves if we took more initiative. It is incredible what can be prevented on our own with diet, mindset, lifestyle, location, and most importantly, your voice. But most importantly, it all comes down to diet and your stubborn mind.
When you are trying to lose weight, if there is one âdietâ regime you should follow itâs the 80/20 rule. 80% food, 20% exercise. You are what you eat and it is fuel. Over time, just by eating one sodium-packed meal once a week, that immediately raises your blood sugar levels putting you at risk for diabetes later in life. Yes, you need to enjoy your life with a juicy Shack Shack burger and milkshake and that is 100% achievable with the mindset of moderation. 85% of Americans are overweight and 20% obese. You are causing your own anxiety, no one else is. You really donât need that much food to live and there is no shortages.
Here are the most common misconceptions we tell ourselves that are preventing us from feeling, living, and growing a better life.
Myth #1: If I calm my body and take proactive measures, I will have less anxiety.
Most of us assume that anxiety is due to being scared about something. It isnât. We are usually scared of the anxiety itself and in an attempt to treat it, it will get better.
The problem with trying to calm ourselves down before a scary presentation or interview is that it is only temporary. Once you are out of that scary brief moment, the next time you have another one and it is inevitable, you will be even more scared becuase you perceive it as a threat instead of an emotion or just event you are overanalyzing. Trust me. You arenât being chassed by animals. They are just people like you.
We have 2 reactions:
Worrying = Thoughts
Anxiety = Emotion
I get it. Youâve taken the public speaking classes, practiced in front of your stuffed animal audience and still can never get over the gitters. Well, number one, you are not alone. The number one fear is public speaking, second unfortunately is death. Not financial hardship or health in there which is sad. That proves to you that people are what you are worried about. Judgment and opinions. The best thing you can do for yourself is stop thinking and just go. Less time ruminating and more time living and getting over your fear is the true way to become more confident and ready fo the future. There is no need to pamper yourself or do meditation unless it really helps you, it will usually make you more anxiety prone in the future.
Our first resort with these feelings is to prevent them and that isnât always bad, it is coming from our fight or flight system in our bodies. This means our body is properly working. When you start breathing more heavily or get shaky, sweaty hands that means you require the same amount of oxygen while doing moderate exercise. Nothing harmful only not normal while sitting so we get even more panicky.
The worst thing you can do is try to pamper yourself and stay rest assured it will be gone soon. Donât take it personally, donât think about it too much, and then next time it happens, you will remember how courageous you felt. You wonât even feel the urge to be nervous again.
Myth #2: Food will only control the nutrients my body takes in, not my mental state.
Food is a superpower but especially in the states where everything is cheap and in bulk, we go overboard and treat our bodies like a consumer instead of a machine that needs to work properly.
Any type of food in moderation is the best diet. As someone who follows the paleo/keto diet since I was young in Europe, there is no restriction of anything except the same food. I get it. You might be on a budget or donât want to find specialty ingredients every day with your lack of time that you are using as an excuse to watch more of The Crown, but it new food every day doesnât mean breaking the bank or having to be fancy. Donât bother with originality in food. This isnât an art project. Get down to the basics. Instead of Salmon one night, use Cod, a different type of protein, not some crazy Talibut.
Diversify your finances and your plate. The way you nourish your body will leave lasting effects for your mind and life which translates into how you will work and become more efficient with everything from having a stronger mind to memorize things to be able to be open to more conservations and bring a new light to them. Salmon cannot directly do this to you but overtime with a straightforward, no analytical mindset, it will make you feel like a better person inside and out.
There are worlds of wonders when you start eating whole, unprocessed cheap junk that may be good for the wallet short term, but with lasting medical, maybe permanent side affects of disease and death, that will be an endless regret.
Top foods you should eat every day for optimal brain health:
Blueberries: Antioxidant power, improve memory
Bananas: Reduce stress, improves digestion
Leafy greens: Boost cognitive development, improves blood flow
Whole Grains: Reduce cancers, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure
Nuts, Fish, Avocados: Great source of health unsaturated healthy full fats, a great source of protein
Also donât forget chocolate, icecream, and chips for once-a-year parties and weekend desserts. Moderation is key.
These are my staples that I live by and the Japanese, the healthiest, happiest and oldest people on Earth eat.
Remember: Every time you eat something, it is either killing you or healing you.
Myth #3: Not everything can be cured
Ever heard of psychedelics? I never believed in the power of internal medicine and healing until it worked for me in a scenario where I couldnât get over my anxiety. I believed that I was the only one in the world feeling helpless and miserable for no absolute reason. A common feeling people with depression have.
Iâve always been a big proponent against any drugs or medicine. Not that I believe in conspiracy theories that they donât work but rather the less I can put into my body the better because the worst thing you can do when relying on pain killers is get addicted. I had a colleague who loved the taste of medicine so much she ended up having it for every meal. I donât know what happened to her now but I only hope she got over that serious illness of medicine itself.
Your mind is the most important force in your body and doesnât just control what comes out of your mouth or thoughts, the biggest misconception of them all. It can tell you what is hurting and just by disassociating pain with an area, you will feel better.
If you believe you cannot do something, your mind will follow. If you donât feel good, your mind can play tricks on you that will make you think you are fine. Follow your body cues seriously and relying on less what you cannot control or the future, will make you stronger in the long run. Before medicine was around, people were much healthier than we were today not because there were less processed food or car fumes, even though that plays a big difference as well, there wasnât modern medicine to rely on. Only the power of our own mindâs healing.
People healed a broken wound on their own and cancer was prevented from deep breathing practice, meditation and getting outdoors in nature, putting your feet in the grass, screaming at the top of your lungs and being mindful, not constantly enthralled in the act of taking medicine, usually through a plasebo affect. Your mind does wonders. Stay attuned with your best friend, especially when it can be the healer as the most cost-effective and healthiest option out there.
There is a crazy world out there but is only felt that way because of your perception. Mental health problems are through the roof because Millenials are stuck in doors with no communication and just a box of brownies 2 ft away in the snack drawer while retirees feel fine as they are used to this lifestyle.
People hate change not because it is different but rather we donât know what to expect when it happens. Everything you want can change behind a brave choice to be intuitive to your feelings and what your mind, not the doctor or Dr. Oz is telling you. Waking up at 5am to exercise exhausted running on 2 hours of sleep and caffeine will do you much worse than getting a full 7â9 hours with moderate exercise every other day. Our anxiety is what we perceive it as and cannot be prevented or treated with a soft pillow or therapist. It is inside of us to understand that nothing in this 21st century is a real threat. Guns arenât needed and we cannot overexaggerate everything anymore. It is wasting years off of our lives and putting wrinkles and increasing the odds of dementia. Keeping your body in order is all in your control through food and mindset. Donât make it seem more complicated than it is and donât be like everyone else who is struggling because they donât understand what their brain is telling them.
How you think, what you put into your mouth and becoming more stupid less analytical and future prone will bring you more than ever expected.