Pregnant with my oldest, I hit Einstein Bros Bagels drive-thru on my way home from working out and ordered the usual: an everything bagel with strawberry cream cheese. (Side note: By the end of the pregnancy, I ordered two! So that’s some heavy-duty post-workout refueling. LOL!)
Driving home inhaling that yumminess, I was deep in conversation with myself and asked, “WHY am I a doctor, anyway?” I was a year into my solo primary care practice. My question stemmed from my desire to stop primary care (which I never loved) and somehow follow my heart (though I wasn’t sure what it wanted.)
“WHY am I a doctor?”
The answer I heard floored me.
“It’s your SALVATION.”
What? What does that mean?!?
Honestly, the answer “salvation” scared me. It felt deep. I had a baby to deliver. So I dropped it. I let it go. But years later, when my physical health took a nose-dive, my spiritual fitness went into high gear. It felt like Spiritual Bootcamp for someone who wasn’t so (eh-hem) spiritually fit. It was intense, but I came through it knowing a path for my spiritual fitness, and the answer “salvation” began to make some sense.
Spiritual connection is where true healing resides. After reading this post, may you know that healing is still possible whatever pain, dis-ease, or discomfort you or a loved one is experiencing. A part of you is limitless – beyond your physical limitations or your feeling of unworthiness or whatever you feel holds you back. There is a part of you that can always heal.
Spiritual connection is where true healing resides. A part of you is limitless – beyond your physical limitations or your feeling of unworthiness or whatever you feel holds you back. There is a part of you that can always heal.
SPIRITUAL HEALTH
I’m not sure which day of med school I missed, but I never learned that health is balance. This pearl of knowledge didn’t squeeze its way into my brain until years later in practice when a confused mother looked at me like, “What you talkin ‘bout Dr. Sue?” LOL. She spurred me to come up with an analogy for heath to explain the path forward for her child to heal. So now, I explain health and dis-ease (balance and imbalance) with a teeter-totter.
When you’re happy and healthy, you’re balanced over the pivot of the teeter-totter. Despite what life stressors plop on either end of your teeter-totter, you can adapt and remain stable. But life inevitably smacks something on your teeter-totter that throws you off balance, as if someone sat (or a boulder plopped) on one end of your teeter-totter. When you’re unable to rebalance (adapt to your genetic or lifestyle stressors), you’re in dis-ease. Your body lets you know with symptoms like sticky pounds, sleepless nights, moodiness, or you fill in the blank with whatever ails you.
You can apply this health teeter-totter analogy to your spiritual health. When you’re balancing back and forth between your head smarts (intellect) and heart smarts (intuition), you’re spiritually fit. You’re tapping into your creative resources. You’re manifesting your desired results. You’re in the flow, yo!
But what happens when life throws you an overwhelming obstacle – a devastating diagnosis, a challenging relationship, a financial hardship? It feels like a giant boulder plopped on one end of your teeter-totter, and your flow goes, “Whoa!” You get stuck in worry, sadness, pain, anger, regret, overwhelm, self-doubt, or fill in the blank with your favorite flavor of suffering.
Then what? How do you rebalance back to a peaceful place – get back in the flow, to be, do, and give your best self? Not only to those you love and the world but to yourself? You discern a path to follow – becoming more Spiritually fit – so you can rebalance and heal despite any boulder you incur in life.
When you’re happy and healthy, you’re balanced over the pivot of the teeter-totter. But life inevitably smacks something on your teeter-totter that throws you off balance, as if someone sat (or a boulder plopped) on one end of your teeter-totter. When you’re unable to rebalance (adapt to your genetic or lifestyle stressors), you’re in dis-ease. Your body lets you know with symptoms like sticky pounds, sleepless nights, moodiness, or you fill in the blank with whatever ails you.
BECOMING MORE SPIRITUALLY FIT
As an achiever type (eh-hem), I’m unraveling from the false belief that my worth increases through doing more. Spiritual fitness is a practice of doing less to become more. Suppose physical strength is holding the heaviest weight possible above your head. Then, spiritual power is putting the weight down and resting beside it. As the saying goes, it’s sitting down so God can stand up. It’s recognizing there’s a force greater than you at work – realizing you’re not the smartest one in the room! That’s when you begin to heal.
“I was recognizing there was a greater power than me. And that is how I began to heal.“ – Reb, from Mitch Albom’s, Have a Little Faith
Putting down a heavy load beside you is easier said than done – human nature desires control. So lean in and get curious. As Robin Arzón says, “What can you relax right now in order to empower?” Each of us will discern a different path to become more Spiritually fit. It doesn’t matter what you choose, as long as it feels aligned with your highest good. For me, I breathe, write, pray, and play to feed my soul. As my mind quiets, my soul speaks – my perspective shifts. I discern how to rise above my current perceived obstacle – the multiple miscarriages, the strained relationship, the feeling of not enough. “Queens always find another level.” – Robin Arzón @robinnyc See Vibrant Health Guide Step 05: Quiet Your Mind.
“I was recognizing there was a greater power than me. And that is how I began to heal.“ – Reb, from Mitch Albom’s, Have a Little Faith
FEED YOUR SOUL
Becoming fit in Spirit is really about feeding your soul – doing more of what’s good for you, good for others, and for the highest good. At pivotal points in life, feeding your soul what it wants can feel challenging, like eating vegetables when you were little. It’s temporarily uncomfortable, but for your long-term good. The rest of the time, feeding your soul feels comfy, cozy, and creative!
What’s your creative outlet? What do you do because it makes your heart smile? Your soul happy? Do you feel alive when you’re doing it? For me, it’s when I write or help another reclaim their health. For my daughter, it’s music – listening to it or creating it. Whatever it is for you, do more of it! This helps you rebalance your head with your heart, your intellect with your intuition. The more you tap into your creative resources, the more you can manifest your desired results. You become more in the flow, yo!
Create your PLAYlist – anything you do for pure enjoyment that makes your heart smile, your soul happy. And play it often! Especially when you get stuck in worry, sadness, pain, anger, regret, overwhelm, self-doubt, or fill in the blank with your favorite flavor of suffering. This is how you put down that heavy boulder you’ve been carrying. This is how you relax to empower. This is how you sit down so God can stand up. This is your spiritual path to heal.
Spiritual connection is where true healing resides. Whatever pain, dis-ease, or discomfort you’re carrying, you heal not by trying to control it – forcing into what you feel should be its destiny. Instead, you heal when you see it and release it – to shape you into what your soul desires. You become more aware of the part of you is limitless – beyond your physical limitations or your feeling of unworthiness or whatever you feel holds you back. This is the part of you that is already perfectly healed. Healing is always possible.
#WeAreInThisTogether for #HealthyChange
Feel Better, Be Better!
P.S. Download my Vibrant Health Guide for a simple path to vibrant health. And discover how to harness the power of your intuition to make better decisions in life – which, as you know, often feels chaotic and complex.
About the Author: Dr. Sue
Sue McCreadie, MD (aka Dr. Sue), is a Pediatric Physician and Breakthrough Coach for Midlife Mamas. For over two decades, she’s helped thousands achieve vibrant health as a wellness expert. Bringing three daughters into this world, she lost four along the way, and crossed the pregnancy finish line a digestive–hormonal–emotional mess. But, over the following decade, she found a deeper meaning for miscarriages, reclaimed vibrant health, and grew emotional resiliency. Dr. Sue is obsessed with living her soulFULL purpose and helping other growth-minded Mamas do the same. She believes we are in this together to rise up, realize our dreams, and feel fulfilled in every facet of our lives.