I started seeing Candie of Massage Intentions after a women’s retreat when she did some massage therapy on me. The amazing work she did reconnected me to a bunch of mind-body philosophical stuff that’s still percolating. Some of it goes back to attitudes I’d had as a child about mortality, how the brain works during and after death, etc. I won’t go into that too much. I’m, perhaps optimistically, assuming that you all have had similar thoughts.
A few years ago a friend of mine died of colon cancer. He was ‘lucky’ in that he survived for five years, which was a kind of miracle considering the stage of his cancer when it was found and his prognosis, which was extremely poor.
One of the things he discussed openly was the mind-body connection that he’d largely ignored most of his life, and could no longer ignore. He was very much an intellectual person and paid little attention to his body except when he needed it for a task, like sex, or when it wasn’t working properly, specifically when it was hurting and impeding his usual activities. He lived ‘in his head.’ And though this attitude didn’t cost him his life, as he would have died anyway (we all will), his illness brought home to him how much more he could have accomplished if he’d been more conscious of his health.
Chemo brain robs a person’s abilities to think very well, especially when it comes to logical and creative thinking. Chemo, though, is just an extreme case of what is generally ‘known’ but largely ignored: when we’re fit and healthy, our brains work at their best. When we’re in poor shape and sick, our brains still function, but not as well as they could.
The difference between my ability to think and create after a workout vs. when I’ve been sitting on my butt for days is pretty apparent. All that extra oxygen does amazing things. I’m sure there’s chemical stuff going on too. My ability to think is also enhanced by drinking lots of water, eating whole foods cooked at home without an excess of processing, eating a high-veggie diet with a variety of animal proteins as side dishes rather than the main course, and taking it easy with the carbs. My thinking and energy levels (which affects my desire to create) drop drastically when I eat junk food, drink alcohol or sugar-laden drinks, and when I load up on easy-access carbs.
I swing between practicing healthful habits and neglect. I’ll get into a creative slump and decide that I need to get out of my head and exercise for a while to get the juices flowing. After just a couple of days I’m energized and I usually have an epiphany (or a dozen of them) and I’ll start writing like crazy. Then exercise falls away in favor of writing. After a few day of no exercise and writing almost non-stop I’m usually so deep into the story that I don’t want to spend time to cook for myself, and out comes the junk food. With the junk food I tend to crave drinks with ‘flavor’ and tea just doesn’t cut it. After a few days of this body abuse, I hit another creative slump and it’s back to the gym…
I went through a period where each cycle would take me farther away from exercise and healthy food. This past year, though, with each repetition of this cycle I usually end up closer to the healthy food/exercise lifestyle. And now, I have a new element: massage therapy. (Bet you didn’t think I’d come back to this!)
Candie has forced me to recognize that exercise and diet aren’t enough. I have an ergonomic setup for my writing, but even if it was perfect (it’s not), I’m still going to damage my body while I’m writing. I’m also starting to feel my old judo injuries, skiing injuries, etc. I thought I’d just have to live with it, but actually, it turns out that there’s a lot that can be done with a good massage therapist.
And she’s awesome.
Now, when I’ve had a fourteen hour writing day, I can confess my sins to Candie, and after she thoroughly chastises me for being bad, she helps mitigate the pain and damage I’ve inflicted on my body.
It comes as no surprise to me that my twice-monthly therapy sessions have increased my productivity.
In the back of my mind, I hear the voice of my writer friend (RIP) telling me, with a smile, “I told ya.” We may think that we live in our heads, but actually, we live in our bodies.
Take good care of yours.
If you’re in the Portland/Metro area in the Pacific NW, you can check out Candie here.