Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand April / May 2015 - The Health & Wellness Issue | Page 45

Most of the time we are aware of what is going on
in our heads. We tend to know what is worrying us,
what is keeping us awake at night. If you know what
is concerning you, then this gives you the possibility
to do something about it. You can take control over
your thoughts and take actions to prevent jeopardising your physical health.
Let’s suppose tomorrow is the day you usually
swim, but you had a terrible night and all you want
is to sit on the lounge with a cup of coffee. Instead,
you pack your swimmers and go out, knowing that
both your body and your mind will be refreshed and
energized by the exercise, letting you start the day
in a better mood. Clearly, this would be a step in
the right direction.
The practice of meditation, yoga, and mindfulness
exercises can be extremely useful in helping us discern our thoughts and gain control over them.
However, there are times when it is hard to put our
finger on what is actually the reason of our concern,
yet it sits there like an unsolved riddle. You might call
it “hidden stress.” You can’t see it, but it is there, and
it’s putting pressure on you, slowly affecting your
life in ways you would never expect. You may find
yourself eating for comfort or accepting more drinks
than you should when out socializing with friends.
10 pounds aren’t hard to find.
In this case, having a chat with a counsellor or psychologist would be the best way to go. A professional
therapist can help you discover the nature of your distress and support you in the effort of overcoming it.
There are two common denominators in the scenarios we’ve just described: relaxation and balance.
Removing the cause of your mental stress while undertaking some regular physical exercise will give you
and your body finally the chance to relax, to let go,
to release what you have been holding on to — not
only metaphorically.
It will be easier then to acquire a balanced lifestyle, as you will be able to analyse your behaviour
with some detachment and pinpoint the habits or
situations hindering your progress. For instance, you
may have been hopping from one diet to another
sending your body into a meltdown instead of allowing time to adjust to the new routine. Or you may be
repeating the same old diet that you had tried successfully years ago, while now your lifestyle and your
body have changed. Fasting isn’t a solution either.
Think of your body as a car; without fuel, it won’t
take you anywhere. And not any fuel will do either,
as you know. For food matters, I suggest you see
a qualified dietician or nutritionist able to provide you
with a diet or