Mind Over Matter

We all know it, I'm sure we've all said it, but have we really experienced it?

Mind Over Matter.

It's that extra 15 minutes on the treadmil- just mind over matter, you can do it.
It's moving that heavy television from one corner of the house to the other.
It's toughing it out at work, when you feel like someone turned the temperature up on your forehead about 13 degrees yet you're shivering and have a rash, just mind over matter, only 4 more hours of work...I'm fine.

I'd like to say this concept is a very American concept... Although Wikipedia begs to differ.

It was started in China.

I can see how another hard working country brought to the world the man who coined this term an philosophy. But I honestly feel as though America has taken it and run with it.

Millions of people in the U.S. clocking in overtime hours daily, ignoring their bodies warning signals - alerting them - "this is too much!", Going that extra few miles in a marathon- only to conclude in blood, blisters, and bandages. Crunching in last minute mid-term papers and study sessions; all the while the sun bobs up and down, taking it's night shift while zombie like humans don't take theirs.

What are we doing to ourselves?
I understand that sometimes we do need to mentally give ourselves that pep talk to go forth and onward. But I see my peers and passerby's completely burning themselves out. I understand that marathons are rewarding and hope to participate in one in the future. I just remember in Hawaii when everyone came from Japan to run a marathon, and seeing them all dropping like flies in such anguish and pain... To me, I'd rather take a nice walk, or go on a hike somewhere beautiful.

This seed was planted in my brain one night as I sat awake thinking of how I got to be soo sick.

Between traveling and the tons of personal stress going on my my life, I tend to neglect my body as my mind is just so wrapped up in it's self. I would still be going about life, putting my body and my health on the backburner as I attempt untangling my mangled mind. That is, until it completely and literally burned out on me.

If I am totally real and honest with myself, I've pretty much physically felt lousy, not awful, just a little under the weather, through most of 2008. I told myself that "no one ever feels exceptionally GREAT, so I'm fine". My mind is so brainwashed into thinking "If I don't think I'm sick, I'm not." But like the old saying goes - or kind of goes- If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's a damn duck. But we all can sit there and say 'Actually it's a goose, the cousin of a duck... So it is definately not a duck.' Yes we talk ourselves out of common sense when we need it most.

I THINK, and this is just my humble opinion.
It is, essentially, BODY over MIND.

Our minds can't work unless our bodies our fed properly. When we fall off of a building and break our leg, our mind doesn't magically piece it back together. When we juggle our days with stress, work, and errands, what does that leave us with? A few hours of sleep to start the nasty cycle over again. People aren't even taking their lunch breaks, shoveling food with the left hand while typing away with your right; is hardly- no- NOT considered a break.

This is why I feel it's a very American philosophy.
If you go to Europe, you will often notice that around lunchtime, everything is shut down. This is the siesta. America throws that idea out the window once we all graduate kindergarten. The seista is a time for a nap, after you enjoy your scrumptious hearty lunch, you rest and relax.

Can you imagine that here? The land of drive- thru's and 24 hour stop and go's ? What one EARTH would the lady with the bluetooth earpiece, who text messages til her thumbs are numb, while ordering lunch for six with only twenty minutes to do so- what would she do with her time? This is where it's tricky... When we're given an open time slot in the day, it's rare that we think "Oh, oh good. I'm going to go take a two hour nap." We've already got plan B, C, D, & F lined up just incase there's time for more.

So All I'm trying to say is- COOL IT. Yes, you, I'm talking to you.

we all are tricking ourselves into things that aren't natural. We have emotions. We, come to find out, are not robots. Time flies, not only when your having fun, even more so when you have no respect or quality time with it. Yes, quality time with- time.

Mind over matter can work. And temporarily it gets you from point A to point B. But mind over matter doesn't seem to care about your feelings or well being, in the process. I mean really, what does laying on a bed of nails for an hour do for you as a person?