People who believe in souls will sometimes say that bodies are merely vessels for souls to inhabit. From that point of view, the human body can seem inconsequential. It doesn’t matter what you look like; who you are and what you do is far more contingent on thought and action than on skin color and outward gender. While this is true, the body does have significant importance in that it supports all of the higher functions we wish to pursue.
People are not at their best when they don’t take care of themselves. Oh, they might seem more productive due to the sheer dint of hours logged for corporate record-keeping, but they’re probably dying a little more inside because of those hours and the workload and the barrage of requests, corrections, and rejection that is part and parcel of life in a cubicle. Couple this with sub-par nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle, and things can go downhill pretty quickly.
I’m guilty of this myself. When your therapist comments on how exhausted you look, something definitely needs to be done. I’m going to try and sleep more, exercise more, and worry less. It can be difficult to keep things in perspective and not get drawn into a cycle where I work too hard or too long and leave myself insufficient time and energy to write, plan for the future, or get my non-work ducks in a row. I struggle with it daily, and I can’t imagine such struggles are that great for my circulatory or digestive systems.
You have to take time to take care of your body. It’s the only one you get. It is what you make of it, and you can make it as great as you want. So get out there and do it! Take some time for you today. You deserve it.
