When do you feel your best? After exercise, a good meal, a particularly great night of sleep, a power nap? Health is not about the way you look in your clothes or the way the people around you perceive you, it is not appearance and presentation.
When we think about good health here at Go Boldly we are thinking holistically. We are looking across all the avenues of the person. What is foundational to our health and functioning, our enjoyment of life, our contentment with our space in this life? Where do we derive our sense of health and well being? Is it misplaced?
I will be the first to admit my own personal vanity. As I age it grows. Or maybe it’s a cycle. Anyone else notice this? That vanity you experienced as a teen and into your twenties, sort of ebbed a bit and then started to come back as you noticed the subtle signs of age sneaking in? No, just me noticing the fine lines? Well regardless…the urge to focus on how we look and our appearance is real. It’s not all superficial either. How we look is tied to our feelings, and that’s not the terrible albatross it has been labeled. Unless of course it becomes your only focus. The way you value yourself. The worth you attach to your place in the world. That’s when it becomes problematic.
Given that we aren’t focusing on the surface level concept of manifesting health let’s dive in deeper. When I think about what health really means to me and what I desire for a healthy life, I imagine myself strong, hydrated, confident, comfortable in my own skin. I picture a consistent morning and nighttime routine. My mind is clear and connected to my heart. My ego is in check.
The TL/DR version is that for me health is clarity and soundness of mind, body, energy, soul.
We can ask the Universe to assist us in all of these categories at any time. We can pray, meditate, exercise, walk, seek therapy, eat nourishing food, journal, use mantras, or whatever techniques work for our unique needs. At the core of it all is intention. Wake every day and set your intentions, follow through with action, seek assistance and guidance from whatever it is you believe in.
Health is tricky because it means something different to everyone, and there are outside influences trying to tell us what it ought to mean, and how we should look and feel, how we ought to . So much that over time we can lose our way, lose track of our own insight and intuition.
So you might be thinking this all sounds great in these long sentences. Putting it into a daily or manifestation practice is a whole other situation. Here are a few of my top tips on how to really hone in on your own health.
1. Meditate. I know we’ve said this before just a few times. Meditation is an incredible way to reduce your stress, relieve anxiety, relax your body, and set yourself up for improved mental health.
2. Exercise. In any way that works for you. I don’t mean the punishing kind of exercise that often gets pushed as health. Though I also love a good HIIT workout. I mean the kind of exercise that makes you feel good about what you are doing. There should be no shame or judgment involved in your workouts.
3. Drink water. So I love water (drinking, filming, photographing, swimming in…) and I still struggle with this one. I have all the reminder apps, alarms, bottles and things and yet it’s one that I have yet to master. Anyone else?
4. Go to the doctor. Get your routine checkups and screenings. This should go without saying but for most of us it doesn’t. We get busy, our kids, work, spouses, friends, life, and everything else gets in the way and we put it on the back burner. We all know by now that screenings and early detection are so important for prevention and treatment. Plus it sets a good example for the other people in your life. Win-win! Also, as a side note, if you have a doctor who doesn’t listen to you or take your concerns seriously, find another one.
5. Rest. I am also working on adding more rest into my life so if anyone else struggles with this let me know! By rest, I don’t necessarily mean sitting on the couch watching a show while also scrolling IG and talking to my husband. I’m honestly tired just thinking about it. What I mean is real rest. Like setting a bedtime for myself and sticking to it. Sitting outside and reading a book for an hour. Creating emotional and energetic boundaries. Doing the things that bring me peace and ease.
6. Connection. My final tip is to connect to something bigger than yourself. It doesn’t have to be religious (in fact for me it’s not). A sense of connectedness, whether to the Universe, the natural world, your community, or something else altogether brings me closer to belonging on a spiritual level.
Do you all have top tips for manifesting good health in your life? What do you do? Share with us in the comments, drop by our IG feed and let us know, tag us on social @goboldlytogether and show us your good health manifestation practice. In the meantime, check out our Pinterest Board here for inspiration and to follow along.
