#343: The 5-Part Feel-Good Fix for When Your Physical Health Impacts Your Mental Well-being

I promise you this, is that by the end of today's episode, you will discover five awesome tools to help you handle these difficult days.

And that is all inside of today's episode, my friend. I look forward to seeing you inside.

Welcome to episode 343.

Yo, are you ready to flip the script on life? Because those bad days, they're just doors to better days. And that's exactly what we do here at Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

Your host, Kevin Lowe. He's been flipping the script on his own life, turning over 20 years of being completely blind into straight-up inspiration, motivation, and encouragement just for you.

So, kick back, relax, and let me introduce you to your host, Kevin Lowe.

I want to share with you the inspiration for today's topic.

But before I do, I want you to understand that I'm talking about myself here, but I want you to think of yourself because what inspired today's episode is a couple of weeks ago, I had a few days where I wasn't doing real great.

I was feeling off. There was some issues related to some of my medical issues.

And what always happens is even though I know it's temporary, I can't help but find myself going into almost like a depressed state.

I start thinking about all these things from the negative.

From a guy who is all about the glass being half full, if not overflowing, I instead start seeing that glass is bone dry. I don't know if you can relate.

Maybe it's a day you just wake up on the wrong side of the bed.

It's an afternoon that just doesn't go right. And maybe you're just not feeling your best.

You're sick that day. You're having to go to work when you don't want to.

And you can't help but find that your mental state is impacted by how you are feeling physically.

Ironically enough, I'm recording today's episode later than normal.

Yes, my amazing editor, Angela, can testify the fact that I am a few days late because I had another one of these instances hit me when it was time to record today's episode.

Yes, it's being inspired by what happened a few weeks ago, but now it just hit me again. Another similar situation.

And like before, I didn't feel well. So then what happens? Well, then my mind starts getting in the way.

But here's the thing is that I've had this happen enough that I've come up with some strategies, some tactics, some tools to help me get through it.

And I wanted to share those with you today in the hopes that it can be a help to you.

So when you find yourself in a situation like I'm talking about, when you're not feeling your best physically, your mental state is going down the drain, here's what I want you to do.

First and foremost, I want you to listen to your body. I don't want you to push yourself beyond the limits.

I want you to give yourself a break.

If your body's telling you that you're tired, well, then maybe you need to sit down, take a little rest, take a little nap.

I want you to listen to your body. Don't fight against it.

Just be one with it. Number two, I want you to practice self-compassion.

Yes, my friend, it is easy in these moments these days to beat ourselves up.

We start talking bad about ourselves. We can't stand ourselves of why we feel like this, why we don't feel good.

Why can't we be like, quote, everyone else?

Instead, I want you to focus on giving yourself the grace to heal without judgment.

It's okay that you're having this happen today. It's perfectly normal.

I believe it's part of being a human.

There's good days and there's bad days. My third little tool is to stay connected.

I encourage you, even when you're feeling down and you don't feel like talking to anybody, I want you to reach out to somebody, Whether it's a close family member or a friend, somebody who's in your circle, somebody who knows you better than you know you, I want you to reach out to them. Send them a text message. Give them a call.

Because even though you don't feel like talking to anybody right now, I promise it's going to help you.

So, figure out who that person is, and you reach out to them.

Don't try to get through these days alone.

Now, my fourth little tip is what I'm going to call mindful movement.

I'm not encouraging you to go out for a jog or to get on the elliptical machine and start pumping it out.

No, you're not feeling good physically.

You darn sure aren't feeling like doing anything mentally. And so instead, I encourage you just to do some meditation, some yoga, some gentle stretching, anything to start trying to move your body.

Obviously, if you're sick, physically sick, give yourself the time to rest.

All of these tactics, they play in with how you are feeling.

So if you need the rest, I want you to take the time to rest.

But if you're at that point where it's really more your mental state than anything else, well, this is so good for you. Get out and take a walk.

It doesn't have to be far. You don't have to walk fast, but just get out and take a leisurely stroll.

Anything to get you outside. Get your mind focused on things that aren't related to you in your life.

And then my number five little tactic, a tool, whatever you want to call it.

Is kind of goes right in line with the movement. It's your nutrition.

Now, I get it. When we aren't feeling well, we're feeling depressed.

I'm all about a pint of chunky monkey ice cream with a spoon just for you.

But in reality, if it goes on for more than a day...

We need to really start thinking about how can we really take care of ourselves.

We need to start feeding ourselves the stuff that our body needs, getting good nutrition.

Don't use this as a time to totally just ditch nutrition and go full in on junk food and getting drive-thrus.

No, all that's going to do is end up making us feel worse.

Not only is the food total crap, but we're going to end up, you know it, beating yourself up about what you just did.

Why did I do that? Why do I always have to fall into this hole?

You know exactly what I'm talking about.

So instead, I encourage you to bust out some fruits and vegetables.

Plan out a meal. Go to the grocery store. You can knock out two birds with one stone.

Get you out and about. Plus picking up some good food for you to feed your body.

You need good energy, especially when you're not feeling your best.

Now, the biggest thing I want you to hear is that you're not alone.

That I've been through this. I go through this.

As somebody who has my own medical issues, well, I get it.

And I go through this periodically. And I know it's temporary.

And yet it still affects me.

And I guarantee you that it affects you as well. And that's why you're listening to today's episode.

So I want you to remember to give yourself a break, to please remind yourself that it's only temporary, that tomorrow is a new day, that you'll feel better tomorrow. You just have to get through today.

And my hope is that at least one of these five tactics you can use to help make your day a little less horrible, to help you get through this day and so you can get back to living the life that you love to live.

So to recap, to emphasize what I just said, The three biggest takeaways for today's episode was me wanting to be sure that you understood that you're not alone. You're not the only one.

Number two, that these days don't last forever. But you will get through this, and tomorrow is a brand new day.

And you will feel better soon enough.

You know this. You've been through it before. You know that this is not forever. It's temporary.

You know it. So just realize that it's going to be okay.

And of course, number three takeaway is that hopefully one of the five strategies that have helped me can hopefully help you. If you need to hit rewind, listen to them again, well, then by all means do so.

And hey, if anything else, if you would ever just love to have somebody to talk to, you don't ever hesitate to reach out to me. I know I'm just your podcast host.

You don't know me. I don't know you. But you know what? It doesn't matter.

I'm in your ears talking to you twice a week, every week. And so I would love to get to meet you.

Inside of every episode's show notes, you will find a link.

You can send me a voice message. You can also book a time for me and you to have a virtual coffee date.

Whatever you want to do, the information is inside of today's show notes, as well as all over my website found at GritGraceInspiration.com.

And with that, my friend, I hope today's episode helped you, encouraged you, inspired you, and maybe have you realizing that you're not the only one going through these hard times.

Music.