Wellbeing: Realization from Knowing to Becoming

One night, Krishna and Arjuna were on their way back home. The darkness covered the road, prompting Arjuna to inquire about their journey ahead. 'How will we make it back home?' Arjuna asked Krishna. To this, Krishna reassured him, 'I have a light.' Arjuna said we have to go considerable distance and the light seemed to only show a few steps. Patiently, Krishna replied, 'As you take those few steps, the light will show a few more, and this way we will reach home.'"

As I embarked on my well-being journey, this analogy proved to be incredibly effective. Often, we find ourselves overwhelmed while witnessing others achieve success in their endeavors, with little insight into the small steps they took prior to reaching their goals. For my wellbeing journey I followed Krishna's advice: take a few steps. With time, I gained the mental and physical strength to take on more steps.

The framework, as explained in the article, has proven to be highly effective in implementing the following three-dimensional focus areas:

How to energize the body

The nuggets of knowledge: We eat food to gain energy, Eat only so much to have some space left

Knowing:

This pertains to what, how, and when to eat, ensuring that desires are not suppressed. I find myself wondering why I often say, 'I ate too much.' Who is this 'ate too much'—is it me? Then why did I not realize it while eating?

Here are the key hurdles I have identified:

• Priming my brain to indulge excessively when encountering my favorite food.
• Succumbing to stress eating; after a tough work related meetings and conversations, I often find myself frustrated and resort to eating.
• Yielding to peer or family insistence to consume more; it's common for friends and family to ask to eat more.
• Engaging in unconscious eating, like insufficient chewing, rapid consumption, excessive distractions during meals, and eating while on move.

Here are some tools I developed to assist in this experiment:

• I will eat when my body signals the need for nourishment. Before reaching for a meal or snack, I'll pause and inquire, 'Who is hungry?' Is it my body? We are all familiar with the sensation in our stomach when our body requires food. If it is indeed that feeling, I'll provide food to my body. If not, I'll simply have some water and return to what I was doing.
• Take smaller-sized bites.
• Chew the bite longer.
• In the meal reduce intake of carbohydrates (such as rotis and rice).
• In the meal increase the consumption of proteins (like lentils and sabji)
• Not drinking water 45-60 minutes before and after big meal

How to move the body:

The nugget of knowledge: Incorporate daily exercise

Knowing: Growing up doing any kind of physical activity whether house work, just roaming around with friends or playing sports all of these were natural. Although, I wonder, why is it so difficult now when I have to take stairs or even take up house chores.

Below are some of the key hurdles I've observed that prevented me from incorporating regular exercise:

• I held the misconception for a long time that 'walking' was solely meant for the elderly, while 'running' and 'biking' were activities reserved for professionals and not for someone like me.
• My busy schedule often left me unable to find time for exercise in the morning.
• Prioritizing sedentary activities such as watching excessive media, which hindered physical movement."
• My perception of gyms as an intimidating environment led me to believe that regular exercise was difficult 

Firstly, I tracked my 'active cal' burn for a week using a smartwatch and then implemented the following tools to promote bodily movement:

• View household chores as an opportunity for physical activity.
• Prioritize listening to podcasts, music, or other audio content over watching media, allowing for more movement.
• Utilize smartwatch features, such as hourly reminders to stand up and move.
• Embrace spontaneity and maintain a flexible schedule for focused jogging or walking.
• Engage in physical activities without relying on others for motivation; if company is available, it's great, but if not, continue the activity.
• Frequently participate in playing or biking with my child, which interestingly offers additional benefits."

How to rest the body:

The nugget of knowledge: Maintain a consistent sleep schedule; avoid staying up late

Knowing: It has happened sometimes

• I simply lie down and swiftly drift off to sleep, unaware of the time it took.
• I wake up in the morning, feeling invigorated, regardless of the duration of my sleep.

I wonder, why I can't this experience happen every day, or at the very least, most days.

Establishing a consistent sleep ritual necessitates conscious preparation and the avoidance of tempting distractions. Equally important is the cultivation of restful sleep and the avoidance of any disruptions that might compromise its quality.

Here are the hurdles I identified that hindered my ability to achieve restful sleep:

• Allocating 'me time' for media consumption just before bedtime or when the children have gone to sleep.
• Engaging my mind in solving various work and personal challenges, considering this to be the only quiet time available throughout the day.
• Neglecting the importance of an appropriate sleeping posture, thereby failing to fully appreciate the privilege of rest.

To improve my sleep quality, I focused on cultivating the following rituals:

• Preparing for sleep with intention.
• Maintaining a suitable sleeping posture.
• Monitoring deep sleep.

I employed the following tools to assist me in achieving these rituals:

• Stop media consumption at least 15 minutes before bedtime.
• No need to suppress the desire for media consumption instead create a watch list and distributing viewing time throughout the day/week.
• Establish a thoughtless (निर्विचार) state as I prepare for sleep, focusing on deep breathing from the navel to the chest and noticing gentle muscle movements from the toes to the temples.
• Keep a serene smile on my face while sleeping, just like the peaceful repose of Buddha.
• Adopting a sleep posture on my back, reducing sleeping on my side."

Keep realizing. I look forward to sharing more of my experiences soon.

Article in the series:

Wellbeing: My Experience with Weight-Loss Programs

Wellbeing: From Knowing to Becoming