Staying Strong at Work During This Mess
Last week we concluded a multi-post discussion of an email from an old acquaintance. He published thoughts about our current mess. But rather than focus on the usual health and economic details we're all used to hearing, he lifted our gaze. Looking at this mess from a spiritual perspective, he drew us into considering how our society and culture have faired after being subjected to the ravages of modernity for the last few centuries. It's not a pretty picture. I think it's safe to say that there already was a mess before this particular mess hit us.
Meanwhile, we who are expected to show up for work every day must forge ahead, mess or no mess. And today, let's consider some ways we can all stay strong no matter the mess that surrounds us. And, as with our recent discussion, we'll consider not only health and the economy but our spiritual lives as well.
When it comes to our health, I'll just share what I do. Remember I'm not a medical or health professional. So take what I say with that famous grain of salt. With that in mind, here goes.
First, I get a good night's sleep. Specifically, that means in bed by 10 PM and getting at least 7-8 hours of decent sleep. I used the word "decent" because, for me, that's a struggle. Not only do I not sleep through the night, but I sometimes am awake an hour or more during the night. I have my theories about why this happens. And I've tried a number of different remedies, short of bringing this up to my doctor. Some work a bit for a while, some don't. But I manage. When I have a "bad night," if at all possible I try to squeeze in a longer nap during the day.
(BTW, I've read - in more than one place - that if we get to sleep by 10, our night's sleep is much healthier. If you don't know this, you can look it up yourself. I'll just say that what I've read has convinced me.)
I eat reasonably well. That means no junk food, minimize carbs, fresh stuff rather than packaged foods, basically three meals a day. I could be more specific, but, in the interests of time, I'll just leave it at that. Given that different folks can have different nutritional needs. You should know yours. If not, get on it and find out. I think of it this way: I know my body - at least to some extent. Over time I've fashioned a diet that works with the body God gave me. That means I've experimented with my diet and noted whether a given change led to improvement.
Here's a quick example with specific detail to show how things changed over time as a result of my "experiments": cutting out most carbs at lunchtime. So I no longer eat sandwiches. The fact is, the bread in a sandwich - or any other carbs - spiked my sugar levels and caused me to "crash" around 2-3 PM. I'm pretty sure you'd call this a "hypoglycemic" reaction. It's not pleasant. Embarrassingly, it took me years to figure out it was eating carbs that caused this, and that eliminating the carbs would eliminate the hypoglycemic reaction. (I think I was emotionally attached to those hero sandwiches I used to eat. I know, silly. But true.)
And just so you understand, I'm no health freak when it comes to eating. I've been known to eat a few chips and imbibe an adult beverage or two (which I'm convinced is not really unhealthy anyway). The one thing I'm pretty strict with, though, is sugar, as well as grains and other carbs that spike blood sugar after you eat them. That's not healthy. So desserts aren't a regular part of my meals.
(By the way, for those of you with a "sweet tooth" who can't' imagine giving up your dessert, I used to eat ice cream every night after dinner. Every. Night. But it really is true that when you cut down or mostly give up sweets, after an initial period of craving, the desire for sweets really does dissipate. It just does.)
Well, you likely know what goes with eating healthy food, right? Yup, exercise. we'll get into some detail about that next time.
Meanwhile, we who are expected to show up for work every day must forge ahead, mess or no mess. And today, let's consider some ways we can all stay strong no matter the mess that surrounds us. And, as with our recent discussion, we'll consider not only health and the economy but our spiritual lives as well.
When it comes to our health, I'll just share what I do. Remember I'm not a medical or health professional. So take what I say with that famous grain of salt. With that in mind, here goes.
First, I get a good night's sleep. Specifically, that means in bed by 10 PM and getting at least 7-8 hours of decent sleep. I used the word "decent" because, for me, that's a struggle. Not only do I not sleep through the night, but I sometimes am awake an hour or more during the night. I have my theories about why this happens. And I've tried a number of different remedies, short of bringing this up to my doctor. Some work a bit for a while, some don't. But I manage. When I have a "bad night," if at all possible I try to squeeze in a longer nap during the day.
(BTW, I've read - in more than one place - that if we get to sleep by 10, our night's sleep is much healthier. If you don't know this, you can look it up yourself. I'll just say that what I've read has convinced me.)
I eat reasonably well. That means no junk food, minimize carbs, fresh stuff rather than packaged foods, basically three meals a day. I could be more specific, but, in the interests of time, I'll just leave it at that. Given that different folks can have different nutritional needs. You should know yours. If not, get on it and find out. I think of it this way: I know my body - at least to some extent. Over time I've fashioned a diet that works with the body God gave me. That means I've experimented with my diet and noted whether a given change led to improvement.
Here's a quick example with specific detail to show how things changed over time as a result of my "experiments": cutting out most carbs at lunchtime. So I no longer eat sandwiches. The fact is, the bread in a sandwich - or any other carbs - spiked my sugar levels and caused me to "crash" around 2-3 PM. I'm pretty sure you'd call this a "hypoglycemic" reaction. It's not pleasant. Embarrassingly, it took me years to figure out it was eating carbs that caused this, and that eliminating the carbs would eliminate the hypoglycemic reaction. (I think I was emotionally attached to those hero sandwiches I used to eat. I know, silly. But true.)
And just so you understand, I'm no health freak when it comes to eating. I've been known to eat a few chips and imbibe an adult beverage or two (which I'm convinced is not really unhealthy anyway). The one thing I'm pretty strict with, though, is sugar, as well as grains and other carbs that spike blood sugar after you eat them. That's not healthy. So desserts aren't a regular part of my meals.
(By the way, for those of you with a "sweet tooth" who can't' imagine giving up your dessert, I used to eat ice cream every night after dinner. Every. Night. But it really is true that when you cut down or mostly give up sweets, after an initial period of craving, the desire for sweets really does dissipate. It just does.)
Well, you likely know what goes with eating healthy food, right? Yup, exercise. we'll get into some detail about that next time.
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