Last night, I went to the gym. Mentally, I wanted the physical benefits but, I didn't feel like actually going and doing the work for it.
How common is this? Very.
Not just for me I am assuming. The slightest ailment, twinge or mood and people are more than happy to skip on doing whatever takes effort, even if it is in their best interest to do so. This is not limited to exercise of course as it can pervade every area that requires an energy investment.
What kind of ramifications does this have?
Physically of course it is quite easy to see what happens when people avoid moving their bodies as they get out of shape and aches, pains and illness start to increase in frequency and severity. Funnily enough, it was because of these complaints that they didn't exercise in the first place.
Mentally, the 'I am not up to it' approach to life may have an even more drastic effect as piece by piece one withdraws from all kinds of actions that require energy investment and the mind starts to atrophy just like the body.
The obvious ones might be the social interactions that get avoided and replaced by sitting in front of a screen but this is by far, not the worst.
The worst might be all of the missed opportunities that have passed by while a mood has limited action. Opportunites missed is potential missed. When potential has been left unused, it is gone.
Often when trying to learn something new, mood plays a role in the willingness to take part, ability to concentrate and also in the retention of the information itself. The 'make learning fun' concept does carry some merit.
Most people take it to mean turn learning into a game but fail to recognise the implications carried by an ill mind, one that is suffering from an atrophying lifestyle. The game may actually end up covering much deeper issues at play.
When 'not in the mood' takes hold, it starts to develop a rut of lethargy that buries ever deeper into the lifestyle and mind. 'Stuck in a rut' has merit also.
The problem being that it appears to be a catch-22 situation that you can't have the positive because of the negative, but to get rid of the negative, you need the positive.
So, something has to change and that would be where one must be able to recognise the cycle and have the strength to break it. This strength may require development, like a muscle that needs to life a heavy weight but is not yet capable.
For some, just the recognition of them being trapped is enough of a catalyst to begin the process to destroy the chains that bind them. For others however, they need to be pushed deep into a corner before they are willing to attempt a move out of it.
We all go through periods of procrastination and complacency to some degree in a lifetime but recognising it as early as possible and chipping away at it is paramount to regaining control over body and mind.
From my view, body and mind are actually body/mind and use each other as reason to move, or remain still. Moving one will cause the other to adjust to the new situation. Not moving one will lead to the other slowing down also.
There is no problem with both being still unless there trouble getting them started again. Unfortunately for most, the inactivity is not noticed until it starts to create enough suffering that it is painful.
When there is enough discomfort, either the mind or body will be forced into action. By this time of course, it can be too late or extremely difficult to get started again and return to a well-functioning state.
Without attention and maintenance, humans can fall into a state of disrepair. This can happen over time that is quite subtle until one day one looks in the mirror of life and realise the trouble they are in.
The problem is compounded because over the space of years, the processes of degradation are actually identified with and become part of the self. Have you ever heard someone say, I have tried but this is just the 'way I am' or the 'way my mind works'?
Is this truly the way they are? Perhaps, but I can guarantee that the majority of people have not spent that long investigating deeply whether what they do, what they think and who they believe they are, is actually them at all.
How about you? Do you have trouble getting motivated to do the things that you now you should do? No energy to spend developing the skills that will enrich your life, but plenty to spend on entertaining the mind? Are you where you want to be? Why not?
Maybe you are incapable of change. After all, it may just be the 'way you are'. If you believe that, it is likely that I know who you are better than you know yourself.
There is of course only one way to test this and that is to do all you can to prove that you are actually incapable of any kind of change.
Go.
Taraz
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