Fifteen years ago, in the depths of my workplace chaos, I was also dealing with a sick body and an exhausted mind. I was delirious during the day and
couldn’t sleep at night. My doctor had me on antidepressants, then Ritalin, convinced my problems stemmed from depression—my hundred hour work weeks notwithstanding!
But as a result of my mini-enlightenment regarding the systems of my business, I knew that my body was likewise a collection of systems. I asked myself, “What is my physical body made of?” It was obvious. The human body is composed of chemicals. Armed with this realization, I asked my doctor to give me a wide range of blood tests. Convinced of my depression, at first he balked at the idea but then he conceded.
The blood analysis showed that my adrenal glands had shut down and so the master hormone, DHEA, was not in evidence. The stress hormone, cortisol, was in the stratosphere, two other important hormones were deficient, and I was chronically dehydrated.
My task was to work on the dysfunctional systems individually and one by one bring each back to normalcy. Once I got all five flawed systems back to proper functioning, I would have a balanced, holistic body and an alert mind. How could it be otherwise?
For the next two years I took blood tests repeatedly while I faithfully took supplements, doubled my fluid intake, and modified my lifestyle, bringing my problematic chemical systems back into balance. At the end of that time period I was physically strong and my thinking was clear.
Was it that simple? Yes and no. On the one hand, the road to recovery was obvious—what I had to do was clear. On the other hand it was sometimes a struggle to be self-disciplined enough to do what needed to be done. I stumbled once in a while, but I succeeded enough to enormously improve my physical being. Do I still stumble? Yes!
How about you? Are you sure the chemicals that compose your body are OK? If they aren’t, could this be negatively affecting your physical and mental performance; your happiness? Consider taking your health into your own hands by directing your doctor to perform full-screen blood tests. Then again, your solution may not require a doctor. Maybe you just need to get regular exercise, eat better, and go to bed earlier.
System improvement!
A final thought about measuring your body. If you are addicted to a substance, however benign, an imbalance exists. Any foreign substance throws your systems off, so a good starting point is to quit those substances and face the world cold turkey. It may not be easy, but if you can pull it off you’ll be in select company.
There is no better place than one’s body to start getting matters straightened out. Using systems strategy to analyze and then repair the physical chassis—the vehicle that holds and transports individual consciousness—is the most dramatic outside-and-slightly-elevated effort you can make.
Photo Credits: Craving Crusher
