“The man who learns to listen to his body will be wise” so the saying goes. A bit hard to believe perhaps, but in fact it is completely true.
Our body has its own way of communicating with us. When we do something positive our body rewards us by filling us with a feeling of joy. On the other hand, when we do something negative the messages become uncomfortable and very often painful. You see, pain is something we totally misunderstand. We consider it to be our enemy but in reality (except in a few isolated cases) pain is the way our body communicates with us – to let us know that something is wrong. In other words, pain is our body’s way of trying to tell us that, contrary to what we may believe, our life is not fulfilling us.
The only way a baby can communicate is by crying. So when it starts to cry we, of course, respond to the message and try to find out what it needs. When the engine of our car has a problem it stops working properly or a warning light comes on. If that happens we immediately try to discover what needs to be done.
So let’s turn to our body. What happens if there is a problem? Like we said, our body has its own way of sending us messages, and in this case the message is translated into pain or discomfort which in turn causes dissatisfaction with our daily life. So what do we do? Do we react like we would in the other two situations and search for a solution to the problem? Of course not!!!
How absurd but how true. Pain or any other discomfort is just a symptom and underneath there is a cause. This is the root of the problem and this is what needs addressing. Our reaction to pain is like a parent who when he hears his baby crying closes the door so as not to listen to it, or the driver who tears the warning light out of the dashboard because it is on.
This is what we are doing when we try to get rid of pain by taking pills or when we allow aggravating symptoms to become a part of our life. So why, you may ask, do we act so illogically? When our stomach, head or back aches the solution is not to go to the doctor who will give us medicine in order to get rid of what is bothering us, but to discover the reason behind the pain either by ourselves (which is often possible), or with the help of someone else.
Does it make any sense to do everything for our car or whatever else has a problem and not for our body which is the most important thing we have? Of course it doesn’t!! But our misguided behaviour is also a symptom and the real root of the problem lies elsewhere.
As technology develops, material goods are becoming a bigger and bigger part of our lives. These things promise us heaven on earth but in reality cause us to lose sight of what we really need and who we really are.
Of course you may well ask “ so who are we and what do we really need? ” A good question but to find the answer we need to go back in time.
For thousands of years Man has lived in harmony with nature. His first priority was to survive, his second to enjoy what he had. Even Primitive Man, as soon as he had secured his food, retreated to his cave to enjoy it.
Life was about simple things and it was like this until only a few decades ago when, because of the Industrial Revolution, the word ‘progress’ became an integral part of our lives. Every day we try to achieve happiness through material things, forgetting that what we need to satisfy our desires is inside us. Spiritual satisfaction and a positive attitude to life spring from within. But because we are trapped by unattainable dreams and unfulfilled desires, all we achieve is a temporary feeling of satisfaction, often followed by a strong sense of disappointment.
Isn’t it time to change all this and give ourselves what we really need and deserve? The body – soul – mind are all linked and a relaxed, satisfied and calm body is the key to achieving real happiness. Even a simple stomach ache can ruin the best moments of our lives.
But even when people make the decision to change it is often difficult to overcome yet another obstacle – our ego with all its deep rooted habits. While it is true that whoever learns to listen to his body will be wise and happy, it is also true that our ego is our toughest opponent. It is the ego that makes us believe we are right and that we know exactly what we, and other people, need. It also tells us that nothing can or should change otherwise disaster will surely befall us. . .
And so our problems perpetuate causing us to live an unfulfilling and incomplete life. The first step towards changing this is to be honest with ourselves. To clarify not what we want, but what we need. It is we, ourselves, with our fixed ideas and our dependency on material things that create the imbalance in our lives. And so it is us, and only us, that can correct it and thus manage to live a balanced life where inner harmony is the defining feature. Our body can lead us to this point, but only if we are willing (and wise enough) to listen to it. It is easy to realise our mistakes and what to do about them once we have made the conscious decision to do so.
Pain, physical ailments, and psychological imbalances are very often messages from our body that are caused by the mistakes we make in our daily lives. If, instead of repressing these messages, we give them the attention they deserve we can go a long way towards changing and improving our lives. It is the surest and simplest way of ridding ourselves of the problems and difficulties that plague us and to begin to enjoy the life we truly deserve.
It really is time to stop sweeping things under the carpet, to stop ignoring what our body is trying to tell us. If we give our body the attention it deserves then surely our lives can only get better.
If you feel that you cannot, or do not know how to help yourself, then seek advice from a holistic practitioner – someone who won’t feed you drugs but who will talk to you and find the root of your problem.
But don’t be disappointed if things don’t change overnight – habits which have taken a lifetime to form cannot be broken in one day. It is only a matter of patience and perseverance - and you can be sure that the results will be more than worth the effort!
If you have any questions or require more information you can contact me at kiklos@panafonet.gr tel.2285026674 and 6945708074
Andreas Saraliotis