Integrity Counseling Services

Pennsylvania's Premier Center for Catholic Counseling and Spiritual Direction

Tag: stress

Hiking

Having a Healthy Mind, Body and Spirit: What Does that Really Mean?

By Cindy Dowling, M.A., L.M.F.T. — How many times have you heard the importance of having a healthy mind, body and spirit to live your life to the fullest? It is something that I share the importance of with my clients. You may be wondering what exactly that means. Read on . . .

A healthy mind is the ability to maintain emotional balance, cognitive clarity and mental resilience.  A state of mind where you have control or authority over the negative thoughts that pop into your head daily. Studies have shown we have over 6,000 thoughts a day. Those thoughts affect our actions and reactions to situations and people in our lives. When one lets their thoughts cause them to get stuck in the past (past regrets/mistakes/ losses/failures) it leads to depression. When one lets their thoughts lead to over-thinking fears of the future, a person can suffer from anxiety.  A healthy mind also includes emotional stability, the ability to process and express feelings in a healthy way, and the capacity to adapt to change or adversity. Finally, maintaining a healthy mind means taking care of your emotional needs, setting boundaries, and nurturing your sense of self-worth and purpose.

To maintain a healthy body there are many avenues to explore. Your diet should be full of nutritious, minimally processed foods including a healthy supply of fruits and vegetables. If you typically eat healthy, you will know when you eat something unhealthy because you can feel it in how your body functions. It’s like putting the wrong fuel in your car and then it just doesn’t run the way it should. You should exercise regularly. When you exercise, your body naturally produces endorphins which help regulate your body’s response to stress and anxiety, and contribute to a feeling of overall well-being.  Sleep (7-9 hours a night) and hydration are also important pieces to having a healthy body. Finally, avoiding unhealthy habits such as smoking/vaping, drinking alcohol and drug use is important.

A healthy spirit would include having a sense of inner peace and being confident in your religious values and practices. A healthy spirit is nurtured with a disciplined prayer life that encompasses gratitude, compassion and self-reflection. It would include a personal relationship with God that instills a sense of belonging to the body of Christ and a deeper meaning for life.

Working to maintain a healthy mind, body and spirit can help keep you functioning in an optimal condition and enhance your overall quality of life. If you feel you are lacking or struggling in one of these areas and may need the help of a mental health practitioner, please give our office a call to set up a consultation with one of our therapists.  God bless.

Integrity Counseling Services

Living on a Tightrope

By Deborah Rojas, MA, LPC — There are many great analogies for describing a sense of feeling overwhelmed. When I was in graduate school, I would often equate it to being on a tightrope, riding a unicycle, juggling plates. Did I mention that the tightrope was suspended over the Grand  Canyon and that it was in the middle of a hurricane?

Reality check!  I can barely walk a balance beam, do not know how to juggle, and am afraid of heights!  While in graduate school, I was working full-time and raising teens as a single parent. Life was stressful academically, relationally, financially, and I struggled knowing what to prioritize. Often, the most urgent item in the moment demanded my attention, and I became accustomed to responding to the tyranny of a deadline.

Feeling overwhelmed made it difficult to maintain the level of productivity necessary, and I began to develop strategies to feel less like I was living on a tightrope and more firmly planted on the ground. These needs were spiritual, physical, and relational. There were many subcategories, but I will share a few that were particularly helpful.

Prayer became a mainstay. I made it a priority to spend time with God daily. It became a regular habit to constantly ask for help. I would ask for God’s grace to get a paper done, plan a liturgy, help me talk with one of my kids, or simply for a moment to breathe. Prayer could not be an hour sitting in quiet, but instead became a way of life. It was a powerful reminder that all of my work was not being done in my own strength. This brought an abundance of peace and helped to navigate away from hyper-independence.

Physically, I started walking and eating more intentionally. I also made it a point to sleep adequately. And, every month, I took a full day to do something in nature, often going to see my friends at a Catholic worker farm. It was challenging to take time away from the time-sensitive pressures of school and work. However, the rejuvenation from taking a walk, eating a healthy meal, or taking a break for a longer moment testified to the benefit of a change of pace.

Relationally, it is amazing what happens when we prioritize love. Every moment with family and friends served as a powerful reminder that we are made by Love Himself for love. I always felt better after a talk with my kids, a phone call with a friend, or the rare dinner out. If I could go back, I would have been more available to my children during those precious teen years. But I struggled to be present in the context of deadlines.

I am so grateful for the changes I was able to make and the lessons I continue to learn in this lifetime journey of growth. It is humbling and good to recognize our needs. Ignoring them leaves us feeling like we are being pummeled by a storm about to lose balance and fall to our demise. The reality is that we are safe in God’s loving hands. Anxiety tells us otherwise. Feeling anxious and overwhelmed may be an opportunity to grow, to better learn how to listen to God’s voice and gain more balance.

Sidebar