How to make your body sing!

Written by Dr. Brian Thornburg

Do you ever wake up in the morning feeling unrested, anxious, uncertain, and overwhelmed?

Or maybe you can’t even fall asleep to begin with. Or you stay up once you wake up in the middle of the night. 

Being a parent, working, taking care of your aging parents, managing a house, being a good partner, remaining curious about life, and taking care of one’s self is a lot. Who can manage all this? No one. But no one tells you this.

You are expected, or rather you expect yourself, to manage everything gracefully.

Why? Because your mother did and her mother before that.

Until a generation ago many families had multigenerational help. The grandmothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandfathers were all around to help. We had community. Now we are in a brave new world of vertical silo solo parenting. Community is no longer a birthright.

The American experience of individuality that forged the Wild West has led us to move to new cities while leaving Aunt Gerty in Albuquerque. Truth, liberty and the American Way has led to loneliness, depression and exhaustion.

The reason the extended family worked so well, beyond the obvious assistance, camaraderie, experience, trust and communion, is we are wired to work, play, eat and relax together. Fortunately this wonderful synergy extends beyond the family.

(Image of Bayanihan.  The traditional custom of an entire community moving a house.)

Positive interaction happens all the way from the atomic to the universal with us humans somewhere in the middle. We are designed to resonate with our surroundings. Nature sings when in harmony.

Social nourishment is just as important as cellular, self, family, community, environmental and species interactions. So how can natural harmony help you? The answer is self-care.

Stop and look at how you vibrate with your heart, mind, body and soul. 

If the first paragraph strikes your emotional cords then you may have your priorities wrong, Here are a few ways to get your centering back:

CELLULAR:

1. Exercise.

2. Eat well.

3. Fish oil with omega 3/6/9 to stabilize the cell membrane.

4. Mitochondrial support vitamins and minerals, such as B complex, Magnesium, alpha lipoic acid, Manganese and Selenium, to help create power.

5. Glutathione and resveratrol to help reduce inflammation.

 

SELF:

1. Go for a nature walk in the morning and evening barefoot.

2. Take a soothing mineral bath.

3. Breathing exercises.

4. Take a nap.

5. Dance.

6. Drink herbal tea.

7. Eat green leafy vegetables.

 

FAMILY:

1. Hugs.

2. Laugh.

3. Cry.

4. Gratitude.

5. Kind words.

6. Waste time with loved ones.

 

COMMUNITY:

1. Learn and teach.

2. Journal and write.

3. Talk rather than text, email or social media.

4. Put your cell phone on airplane mode.

5. Create routines with friends and family.

6. Set clear boundaries.

7. Garden.

 

Remember, there’s no need to rush! That would be contrary to the point of this article. So go at your own pace. Do as much or as little as feels comfortable to you. Most importantly, be consistent.

Allow yourself to sing in how you move, speak and act.