Welcome to 2021!! I don’t know about you, but the Covid isolation has lately been taking a great toll on me. Not just the frustration of not being able to dine with friends or see family that don’t live with me. I have been experiencing what I call “brain mush!” and feel my body and brain are just not functioning fully. Case in point, I forgot our last Board meeting and was over an hour late – unheard of for me! So today I pulled out a book that I read several years ago and found fascinating, The Chemistry of Joy by Henry Emmons, M.D. In it, he talks about how the chemistry of your brain impacts your everyday activity, and how to respond to changes in that chemistry to get back to a state of Joy. He also presents many “Unity-like” concepts, such as what you focus on grows, benefits of meditation, releasing negative emotions, and listening to your soul.
I focused on one section of his book that discusses how our modern lifestyles have put us out of sync with the cycles of nature, which I feel has really affected me. He goes through 5 main areas to work on to get back into sync:
Exercise – Getting regular, vigorous exercise is the best possible way that you can alter your own brain chemistry and improve your mood.
Breathing – Done with awareness, it can be a terrific way of altering our mood, overcoming depression, anxiety, and sleeplessness. Proper breathing helps to integrate our body, mind, and spirit, and it is crucial to brain chemistry.
Biorhythms – Our bodies are governed by a set of brief cycles (two hours) known as ultradian rhythms, as well as the daily cycles of sleep and wakefulness known as circadian rhythms. An ideal workday alternates intense activity with times of rest to allow our adrenals to recharge, and a proper daily sleep cycle keeps our adrenals from being depleted.
Rest – After diet and exercise, getting adequate sleep is the most important thing you can do to overcome depression. Your body has an ideal amount of sleep that it needs per day.
Working with the seasons – Winter can impact our hormone levels greatly, causing sluggishness to depression. Regulating the body’s daily rhythms is even more important during this time. Spring is all about cleansing and detoxification to keep brain chemistry in balance.
Working to improve myself in all of these areas will, I hope, work me out of the Covid-induced brain fog, and put me in a better mood. He gives many useful suggestions to improve in each of these areas. So, rather than setting an intention for 2021 to lose weight, get in better shape, save money, etc., I will be working on my Joy!
Beth Schwartz, Unity Board President
