I know that there are many things that affect our attitudes, but one thing I’m really realizing lately is how much our physical well-being affects our mental well-being.  Obviously, there are other factors as well.  I’m not trying to diminish the importance of spiritual health – that’s the most important of all.  It always surprises me, though, how much our physical health affects our attitudes.  The side effects I’m experiencing on prednisone are making such a difference in how I feel every day.  Yesterday, I had a pretty physical day working on the “big” cleaning items in our home.  It felt good to get things done, but my legs (even my feet!) swelled up so much that by the end of the day I felt like I could hardly move and I was exhausted.  I was in my bed  with my Nook by 9:30pm!  I really needed to get my feet up and just rest. I pushed myself to the absolute limits of what I am capable of doing right now.   I got a good night’s sleep and I feel so much better today!  It gives me a mental boost to have accomplished so much housework yesterday and today I can enjoy my clean house and focus on some less labor intensive chores like laundry and bills!

I’m thinking today about those people who have health problems that they have to live with on an ongoing basis.  It must be so discouraging to feel bad day after day with no end in sight.  I never realized how difficult that must be.  I know that my situation is temporary.  Once I get off the drug, I will begin to feel like my old self again physically.  It helps me cope on the tough days, knowing that I just have to hang in there a little longer.  I have a new respect for those who know they won’t improve, but still maintain a positive attitude and still find ways to serve in spite of feeling poorly.  Wow!  What giants in the faith!   Makes my situation seem pretty insignificant.

We live in a society where over-extending ourselves is the norm.  Most of us are walking around sleep-deprived and tired much of the time!  I wonder how much that affects our attitudes as we go about our days.  I suspect quite a lot.  It makes me realize how important it is to make some time to take care of ourselves physically.  I’m not good at this – that’s obvious by the fact that I have a significant amount of extra weight I carry around on my body.  It always surprises me how much better I feel when I eat healthy foods, at least get a moderate amount of  activity in my day, and get enough rest.  Isn’t it easier to put off whatever we want to get done or skip our daily Bible time and prayer when we are tired?  Aren’t we more prone to being cranky and saying or doing things we might regret?  Aren’t we more likely to dwell on the wrong things and feel sorry for ourselves?  Aren’t we more likely to give in to temptations?  I think that simply getting enough rest on a regular basis could make a huge difference in these things.  Combine that with filling our minds with God’s Word and the attitudes He wants us to have…..now that’s a winning combo!!

I’m realizing that even though I often joke about how old I’m getting (I’ll be 50 on my next birthday) I’m really not that old in the big picture.  I can feel changes in my body, though, and I can see that if I don’t get to work at being as healthy as I possibly can be  it’s only going to get harder.  Because of my weight, I’m starting to have issues that are more typical for people who are older than me.  My husband and I have lots of plans (Lord willing) for after he retires and if I don’t work on the things that I can improve, I may not be physically capable of doing the things we want to accomplish.  There are always things that we cannot control, but I need to take care of the things that I can and be a better steward of the body I’ve been given.  I know that each person has different struggles and weaknesses, but I suspect that most of us could improve in taking care of our physical bodies. It makes a difference in ways we may not even think about!