Holistic Wellness ~ The Mind (Part 2A)
© T. Darlene Cheek
Last week, we took a long look at keeping our bodies healthy. This week and next, we'll focus on the mind and emotions. Is there anyone who hasn't had to heal in some way in the mental and emotional area? Have you ever suffered from stress, depression, anxiety, mental fatigue, brain fog, confusion, anger, sadness, memory loss, fears or phobias, or any type of emotional pain? Or, to the other extreme, does your mind work so fast that it hardly ever seems to slow down, do you find it hard to relax, have you been obsessive-compulsive or an over-achiever? The mind is a complex system. There are so very many areas where we can need to heal. The possibilities are endless.
So, as I thought about where to go with this article, I realized that when it comes to the mind, healing is probably the first step towards wellness. Hardly anyone is already completely healthy in this area. So, this week and next week we'll cover some of the disorders of the minds and emotions, ways to heal, and ways to remain healthy.
I will go ahead and say here that if you are having any of these problems you should speak with your doctor or therapist, possibly join a support group, be open and honest with your friends, family and co-workers, and learn all you can to complement your healing. We do not have to be stuck in a pattern of illness, especially in these areas where there is so much help available.
ADDICTIONS
When we think of the word addiction, we usually think of alcohol, drugs or nicotine. An addiction is described as an overwhelming craving for a substance, a mental dependence, and there is more often than not a physical withdrawal from the substance we've been abusing or over-using for a long period of time. I have learned over the years, though, that addictions aren't bound to the substance realm. Addictions can include shopping, relationships, sex, and many other areas. I've seen alcoholics become clean and sober from the substance alcohol, only to replace that addiction with sex, as well as drug addicts who have stopped using chemicals only to replace that addiction with shopping or eating binges.
How do we know if we're addicted? (Remember, these are just a few examples that we might be addicted.)
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