If you thought the virus problem would be gone by now; why it has not, if it will get worse, and what can we do, has ever crossed our mind, please keep reading. How do we feel after an all-day food binge over consuming beverages, snacks, and unhealthy foods in abundance? I will give you the answer to that rhetorical question from first hand experience. We feel terrible! Our bodies are not processing information, calories, or operating proper functionality of the different systems in our body. We begin to weaken our immune system along with other parts of the body that could become compromised. This weakens us who are at ease with things which can create “dis-ease” and we get sick, sometimes deathly ill. That is where we get the word disease. My friends, that is the last thing we need right now.
In this blog I will share a perspective that may allow you to see past the situation we are in and ask why? It will also allow for a more solution-based mindset that will have you asking how. How can I make this better for me and the ones I love? How can I help? I don’t mean you are going to want to abandon your responsibilities to save the world, but what I do mean is you will begin to feel better and find solutions for yourself of greater value as well as being able to share ideas with others for the greater good. If that only happens to be with family or friends, it is better than doing nothing, and it will leave you better off when this is over. Good Talk is all about that…a good conversation about ways to make ourselves and the world around us better. I hope you enjoy the story…
During Lent this year, I would fast for 24 hours on Sunday night starting at 8pm, and I would not eat again until Monday night at 8pm (besides black coffee and water). I noticed that my best days; the days I felt gave me the most energy; mental clarity; more productive at work; got more done by the end of the day; and many other things that added value to my life. I began to realize that the fast was a major part of that. See, with an eating fast, we allow our bodies time to process the calories it takes in at the most efficient rate possible. This is going to stimulate our immune system, but mainly allow the body to process what’s already inside that is most likely over-working the system. This break of consuming too much of everything allows the body to heal and leave you better than you were before. The body adapts and makes itself more efficient. Efficient in the way we think, they way we eat, and the way we operate.
The result that comes from the distraction of the norm and the fear that comes from what is not normal is our divine survival ability we have through our fight or flight response from our own nervous system. We begin to change, change the way we think, change the way we communicate, and change the way we operate. This change is the solution to what may have caused the problem in the first place. The change is an adaptation to the stimulus. The change is a form of endurance that allows us to gain resolve for future problems as well. This is a good thing. It is pain and discomfort that teach the most…good times and pleasure are just better ways to kill time, but they don’t actually help us in the future, they just give value now. Survival is the name of the game and our feelings are not part of the equation. We are better through suffering and in the end, it will be good, but don’t worry if things aren’t good now because that only means it’s not the end. 😉
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A good example of that can be heard from a story about a cat and a maze that I read from the book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. In the book he talks about the “cat experiment” that this particular scientist was doing. The scientist wanted to test the adaptive nature, resolve, endurance the cat would have when put into a new environment where he was not familiar and had to escape on his own by finding a certain lever that would open the trap door to let him out. The first time the cat was put into the maze it took him over a minute and a half to get out. In the meantime, the scientist noted the stress level rise as the cat made a very fast attempt to relieve himself of that situation. The cat was placed back in the maze one after the other for 3 or 4 more times and each time his time got better and his stress level went down (the cat was adapting to the stimulus). By the time the cat escaped from the maze on the last time, it only took him 6 seconds.
What just a few times ago took over a minute and a half, took only 6 seconds to accomplish and overcome on the last try. The point there is the cats instinctive willingness to face the obstacle and act on that mission was how he was so successful in getting out in such a short amount of tries. If the cat was as emotional as human beings, you can see where that might have caused the cat to need many more tries to get out at even half the time. The cat left his emotions out of it, and only used the stress of the stimulus (the problem) to drive his desire to act. The rest was just a form of revise and repeat until it was so easy, he didn’t even have to think about it. Now his problem is solved and his mindset is clear.
We can all learn a lot from that cat. Covid 19 is our cat maze and we are currently running around trying to position ourselves to understand what is going on for the purpose of bringing life as we know it, back to or better than the life we had. Don’t give up! Don’t stop moving forward! Don’t stop looking for solutions to your problems and those around you. Don’t stop caring about others! Don’t stop thinking and creating ideas ways to make life the way you see it in your minds eye! Don’t let pride or emotions keep you from staying the path and growing into a better version of yourself each and every day. Don’t stop grinding & climbing through obstacles! Don’t stop believing in yourself! Remember the cat! Traction is what we need to keep moving forward. Our fears are nothing more than a “dis” traction, and it is no coincidence that the root word of distraction is “traction”! Stay the course, and smile…this too shall pass! 😉