Where I am from, we have a popular saying that we usually say among ourselves whenever we need to rest after a stressful day, _"Body no be firewood,"_ meaning that the body needs to take some time to rest because we are not machines, because it always escapes our minds sometimes that our bodies are not made of stones.
Why I was growing up and even now, because I am still growing, we can usually discuss our physical strength, how long we can work without a break, the number of kg we can carry anytime we visit the gym, and the long hours of work we put into our daily hustle without getting time to rest. Among all this discussion with friends, we often ignore talking about our mental health like it never existed.
But as I mature physically and bodily, I have been noticing that my body looks strong at some points, but I sometimes always feel this tiredness in my mind because life circumstances feel heavier. Let me give an instance. I was in Lagos recently to do something. I was stuck in traffic that broke my soul because it was all these commercial buses. I entered where I was feeling sweaty, and my eyes were starting to bring out water due to the exhaust coming inside the bus. Though I was physically fine, my mental state of mind was draining so fast.
And I have also seen some people even close to me who have decided not to pay attention to their physical health, but their focus has been placed on their mental well-being alone. They get themselves involved in yoga activities, do all sorts of meditations, and claim positive things for their lives, but hardly do I see them having enough time to sleep or eat a good meal. But due to our negligence and act of not caring enough, our body system starts showing signs of constant weakness, unnecessary weight gain, and migraine.
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HERE IS WHAT I USUALLY DO AT TIMES TO BALANCE THE TWO:
So, personally, I have learned and studied my way around balancing the two, which has now become a key. I have gotten to know that at all times, I need my mind and my body to always be in unity. Sometimes when I want to clear my head and free it from things bothering me, I usually embark on a walk within my neighborhood. I watch and study the type of food I take into my body system, and I preserve my peace of mind by not giving any room to any form of argument that will not benefit me positively or allow toxicity around me.
Sometimes, even things like listening to music, smiling with strangers, playing with kids, or attending a church service restore my energy mentally while relaxing my body at the same time.
And yes, I think we need to have more discussions on our body and mind, especially in my country, where hustling 24/7 with stress attached is part of our daily lives, because having a good health goes beyond saying that we are not sick; it is when there is a balance in our body and mind.
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Thank you for reading.
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