The body is an amazing tool that God has given all of us. We are designed in a such a unique way that we can experience intense emotions and have a creative thoughts and imagination with our bodies being a part of that process.
But like all good things, we take what God has made and distort it. In this image-obsessed world, our bodies get pulled into the mix. For years there has been a diet culture narrative that bases your worth on what your weight is and how clear you skin can be. So we go through drastic measures to become whatever the current standard is.
As a way to contrast the culture, the Church has swung the other way and has all but condemned the body. We give no thought or care to it because it's considered "vanity". It's selfish of us to look and feel good. It's unholy and ungodly to be focused on our physical health because we see the obsession the world has.
In listening to both narratives, we destroy our body both ways. What if there is a different way of looking at what God has given us? What if I told you that your body is meant to be a messenger?
It still continues to amaze me how intricately we are designed. Our body is meant to survive. We survive by our digestion and elimination process. Most people know that we need to drink water and get sunshine. We understand digestion as an elimination process. But that's not the only way that we get rid of build-up. Most people are experiencing what's called a "toxic burden". It comes from living in the modern era of Wifi and DoorDash. We eat highly processed food, burn candles almost 24/7 and don't do nearly enough exercise that we should. I don't say this to be mean or guilt you. Rather, it's the state of our reality. While our liver is designed to get rid of the excess, we keep clogging it with more toxins.
The body is also actively working on getting rid of toxins and emotional build-up from our stress hormones. When your body goes in an emotionally stressful state, it thinks that you are in physical danger. So it will try to do everything is can to bring you back to safety. Your adrenal glands will be on high alert and you can find yourself with shot nerves. It takes a lot of energy for your body to be in survival mode. And unfortunately it can't distinguish between a life or death situation or you being late for work. So when we don't have a way to release that energy, it stays stored into our body.
We are designed to survive. But ultimately, we want to thrive.
When that understanding is taken away from us, and when our body goes into a survival state, we neglect the warning signs.
Some warning signs of toxic burden can be:
-brain fog
-acne
-adrenal fatigue
-insomnia
-constipation
-difficulty with weight
-etc.,
Our physical health can very much be an indication of our mental and emotional health. The tool the body plays in our lives is a great way to understand who God is and how He works. Food is meant to nourish us. We are supposed to enjoy the sunshine and get fresh air. Physical health isn't just regulated to the diet and workout industry. But when we neglect warning signs, the life we were meant to live now becomes a survival space.
The good news is once you start becoming aware of the signs and use the tools we're given, you will be able to move from a survival state to a thriving state!
Environment wise, let's be more conscious of what we're bringing into our homes and bodies. Fragrance is a BIG umbrella term for a variety of complicated issues. So If you need to start somewhere, I say start there. The amount of things that contain fragrance will shock you! Read this to see more about why fragrance is a big no-no.
Internally, recognize your stress points. Life isn't meant to avoid stress. Stress will come up but we aren't meant to constantly be stressed. Watch how often you say "yes" to something you should have said "no" to. What obligations are putting undue burdens on you? What story are you telling yourself about it? There is a lot of internal work that we need to do when it comes to stress. No one will 100% have it figured out. Life is filled with ebbs and flows. Learning to recognize your needs and obligations will help you become aware of stress that's always been there but you didn't see.
When stop to realize that God designed us body, soul and spirit, it will help us work through the difficulties we are experiencing. We will always need to be in alignment with God spiritually, but it doesn't mean that we neglect the hard work of our soul and body. We will never be fully perfect this side of heaven. Yet, maybe we might just learn a little more about who God is when we realize how big a role our body plays in healing.
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