Who You Really Are

By Dr. Mark Arcuri

With spring comes renewal; Springtime is the perfect time to commit to healthy changes in lifestyle. Body, mind, soul, spirit – they are all grist for the mill at this time of year as we take opportunities to make new, and to renew old, connections with the things and people most important to us. For our efforts, we evolve. We become ever more complete. We get closer and closer to fulfilling our destiny as, in the words of the French philosopher, priest, and mystic, Tellhard de Chardin, “…spiritual beings having a human experience.”

While most of us could stand to take a look at all these areas as we do our spring cleaning in preparation for new growth in the months to come, the single most common reason that people cast resolutions and commitments aside is that they become overwhelmed by the journey that they set upon. Simply put: We take on too much. But it’s best to “do small things with great love,” as Mother Theresa once said, and to watch those things blossom into the greatness that is who we are. Small steps chosen wisely are all that we ever really need to worry about. Dreams are built on those small steps, on glimpses and ideas of a better way, and ultimate fulfillment is borne of those dreams.

The good news is that while it’s best to start small and to choose one or two areas to focus on, all are connected as One. Put some time into nurturing your body, for example, and you will find that mind, soul, and spirit support you; The mind goes to thoughts of summer and to the desire to be in the best shape possible – Motivation! The soul feels a stronger call to connect with others through heart – Spring love! The spirit is nurtured by religions and other faith teachings or by personal practices – Greater consciousness!

Motivation, the energy of love and connection, great awareness and consciousness. Together they form the synergy that is our movement toward being perfect expressions of who we really are.

So start small as you contemplate healthy changes, and begin where you are and in a place that makes sense to you. Bigger changes – the stuff that evolving is made of – will manifest on their own. There is no need to tackle them directly.

Perhaps the greatest challenge that people face who come to my practice is in making physical changes that they feel will support their overall life goals. At this time of year in particular, even those of us who are physically healthy are easily overwhelmed by the pressure to get the beach body, even here in the desert southwest. The error, though, is in the perception that there is something that must be done to get there, when in reality it is a matter of being.

We spend lots of time dieting, working out, and maybe even praying. But none of it works, at least in the long run. Efforts are much better put toward allowing a lifestyle of natural health and wellness – on being the healthy person rather than trying to become through doing. Law of Attraction says that if we wish to become something, we can never be that. It is only when we begin to see ourselves as already there, that what we wish will manifest.

Often it is as simple as a shift in attitude:

I’m not going to the gym or taking up walking to lose weight or to build muscle or to forestall diabetes. I am a healthy person who goes to the gym as an expression of who I am.

I’m not dieting so that I can fit into my summer clothes, or so that I can shed my winter clothes. I am returning to a nutritional lifestyle I lost track of over the winter, because it is a better expression of who I really am.

The differences may seem subtle, but they are huge when it comes to ultimate success. It’s not so much about doing something, which we usually think of in terms of a beginning and an end – beginning a diet, joining a 6-week fitness class – as it is about being something. The latter is about starting or returning to a lifestyle that ends only when life ceases in its physical form.

Many spiritually-oriented teachings talk about illness and dis-ease as being nothing more than manifestations of a misalignment with who we really are. We are always whole, healthy, and pure at our core. Any evidence otherwise is simply a manifestation of the need to realign with who we really are. The goal is simple: Return to alignment.

Springtime offers a wonderful opportunity to do this. And nutrition is perhaps the easiest place to begin. I always offer my clients a way of reconnecting with themselves through nutrition first, because eating is so tangible that it’s easy for them to make changes that they can quickly see and feel. It results in increased energy almost immediately, and that sense of accomplishment leads to motivation to do bigger and better things. And the simple act of realigning with food begins of a process of allowing of similar alignment in other areas of their lives without even putting attention toward them. It’s almost as if by magic!

I’m a big fan of Andrew Weil, MD, and of his Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid. The full pyramid can be viewed and downloaded here: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02995/Dr-Weil-Anti-Inflammatory-Food-Pyramid.html. An adaptation of the Mediterranean eating lifestyle and a life-sustaining modification of the the USDA’s Food Guide Pyramid, Weil’s pyramid encourages a return to an eating lifestyle that has proven it’s ability to maintain health and foster longevity since the beginning of time. There is a wealth of research supporting this.

The pyramid is modified only to make it more palatable in some ways to Western tastes without altering its essence, and to accommodate access to certain foods in the United States.

Weil’s pyramid is a way of eating, not a diet, though most people who start using it do lose significant weight initially simply as a result of their body rebalancing itself.

Reading food labels is essential as well. A basic overview in an interactive form, and a wealth of other information, can be found at the Mayo Clinic’s online site here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nutrition-facts/NU00293. I encourage all of my clients to get a working knowledge of food labeling.

Despite labeling, there are still many harmful additives to our foods that are not required disclosure. It is therefore important to get in tune with where food choices come from. Santa Fe has a wonderful Farmer’s Market! (http://www.santafefarmersmarket.com/) It was voted as one of the top 10 markets for travelers in the United States last year! Support them as you support yourself. And heed the words of my doctor, Russel Canfield, MD, who told me last year that he did not care so much what I ate, but about the quality of the food I chose. Very wise, indeed.

Buy organic in the market when you can. Weil has tips on what you should always buy organic here: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02985/Foods-You-Should-Always-Buy-Organic.html and for what you don’t need to buy organic here: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02984/Foods-You-Dont-Have-to-Buy-Organic.html. The lists are short. Print them out and keep them in your wallet or purse.

If you dine out, choose restaurants that use local ingredients: Farm to Table is a good place to start. (http://www.farmtotablenm.org/)

A major complaint is that organic, sustainable, and/or additive-free foods cost more. They often do! But as you get more in tune with your body and with the foods you choose to support it, it’s likely that you will eat less and also use many more ingredients, such as fresh herbs, that quickly balance out the cost of other ingredients. My personal experience is that my food budget has decreased over time.

Prepare meals that are quick, clean, cheap, and easy.

There’s a bit of a learning curve, but you’ll quickly see that you will save time, money in the long run, and build a nutritional base to support all your life goals. Watch this space for recipes, and for more tips targeting body, mind, soul, and spirt for your journey of living your life in alignment with who you really are.

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Dr. Mark Arcuri is a nationally recognized life coach based in SantaFe, NM, and providing services worldwide via phone, Skype, and email. He holds a doctoral degree in clinical psychology, with a post-doctoral specialization in behavioral medicine. Office sessions, virtual consultations, and appearances may be arranged by calling 505-216-7635 or by email at office@drmarkarcuri.com. For further information, free resources including the weekly Transformational Tips from Dr. Mark e-letter, and to purchase A Life Aligned: The Journey to Allowing the Magic in Your Life, please visit www.drmarkarcuri.com today!