Rejuvenation Reinvigoration – food for the soul!

The very definition of health includes physical, mental, emotional and spiritual but often the focus is on the physical and the other elements are relegated to the background. We often get into a rut, a monotony of sorts, and that affects our mental health and well being. Join me on this podcast as I share an interesting tidbit about the sea slug (wonder what's the connection?),  rejuvenation and reinvigoration. 

Transcript

Rejuvenation Reinvigoration – food for the soul!

Hello Everyone and welcome to the podcast of the Ordinary Maverick. This is Ajey, your host, an ordinary Maverick sharing real life thoughts and experiences and Maverick tips.

Time surely flies. What an unprecedented turn of events we’ve all gone through in 2020. A pandemic that turned the world upside down or rather managed to stop the entire world, a global lockdown!

Had anyone said this to us a few years back, am sure none of us would have ever believed it. But reality did sink in, and each one of us faced it and coped in our own unique ways.

And we also discovered something about ourselves, our families, each other, right? I’ve been reading articles and speaking to many friends and colleagues and there’s a common thread of yes, it was really bad, BUT, we learnt something, we realized how much stronger we all were, and how important it is to sometimes just stop, recharge and in a way rejuvenate ourselves. So important for the soul. 

Well, there’s another way to rejuvenate oneself. To reinvigorate…bring out the reserves of energy, of creativity we all have within. It’s linked with moving places, changing workplaces, moving into a new home, a new community, a new club….all of these give us a chance to reinvigorate ourselves. And to those who’ve experienced this, you know how critical it is. We often get into a rut, a monotony of sorts, and that affects our well being. We are hearing more and more about the importance of mental health and well being. You know some decades back it was all about our physical fitness. Suddenly everyone around us were focusing on physical movement, fitness, joining gyms, body building, remember watching WWF on TV?... Ha ha! It was like a wave of awareness of being fit which was great. And I must say the fitness industry got a real boost…there was a sudden mushrooming of gyms, fitness clubs etc. but now, the last few years and more so during the pandemic, we are understanding the reality and importance of our mental health. The very definition of health includes physical, mental, emotional and spiritual but often the focus is on the physical and the other elements are relegated to the background. While in fact, mental, emotional and spiritual have a great bearing on the physical fitness. Right?.

Well, today, I would like to share something that we’ve found as a family somewhat essential for our collective mental and emotional wellbeing. You know, the bit about reinvigorating oneself.  I’ve shared earlier that we are explorers by heart, and absolutely love taking up new challenges. There are of course many ways we do this but one of these is moving places. And recently, we did our 20th move! Yes, I did share in an earlier episode that I’m speaking from Dhaka, some of you might have picked this up, HA HA… well, we moved continents again and are now settling in another new country.

There’s just something about leaving a country, transitioning out, saying good byes and starting afresh in a new place. There’s definitely an emotional overload and it’s tough but more on how we deal with the pains of leaving and the farewells in another episode. For today, let’s speak about the feelings of anticipation, of traveling with hope, dreams and excitement to a new place. Finding a place to stay, meeting people, getting connected, settling into a new home, discovering new routes, new foods, new smells….it’s just so rejuvenating, right?

You know nature does this as well. Let me share something about this, see the trees…shedding their leaves in winter, the beauty of the changing colors of autumn and then the coming of spring and the blooming, flowering plants and trees. And here’s an interesting fact, did you know that the green and orange Elysia Marginata sea slug decapitates itself when its body becomes infected with parasites. And something more bizarre…. the head gets around fine without its body! And in three weeks, it regenerates a new body, perfectly functioning and parasite free!

Wow! What a phenomenon. It’s the only creature in the world that does this and has the ability to do so. It’s something to think about, the sea slug recognizing the infection inside its body and then managing to decapitate to preserve itself and also regenerating a new body.

This is what I mean, it’s part of the Maverick formula, listening to your gut. If one practices mindfulness, being quiet and listening within, one understands and picks up the signs and recognizes the time you need to rejuvenate, to reinvigorate…when your emotional and mental well being needs attention. That’s the critical part….go with your gut. Always.

We do the same individually and as a family. And when it’s time, its time. When it feels right, whether it’s in a relationship, a job, a new home, a new city, one needs to find the courage to do so, to take that one step forward. That’s when one has to be true, the second element of the Maverick formula. 

And of course, the most important piece is falling forward, the third and final element of the Maverick formula. Once decisions are taken, we go forward. 

Now we’ve been in Dhaka about 3 and half weeks. It’s been amazing. There’s a wonder in exploring a new place, and Dhaka is ‘quite’ the city. We also came in at the time the country is celebrating the 50th year of independence as well as the 100th birth centenary of the founding leader of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. We’ve also come to realize another fact, we arrive at a new place with some understanding based on our readings, our interactions with people who might have been there or are from there, from the media etc BUT and I say this with emphasis, living in a country, a city means getting to know it firsthand. And I have to admit, we’ve always left a place with a completely different perspective than when we first got there. It’s opened our minds to embrace change and to always be open. And that’s also something our children have picked up. Always keep your mind open, it’s like the famous saying, never judge a book by its cover.

Now isn’t that like a true Maverick. We do not settle for the norm, but are seekers and explorers, pushing ourselves out of the comfort zone. And you know what, that is a huge contributor to our mental and emotional well being. 

So ask yourself, what did I do new today? You may not be changing cities, countries, places, homes…but can you change your walking route? Can you try a new dish, cook a new recipe? Read an author you’ve not read before, watch a show you’ve not seen before? Go out and join a new hobby, a sport, meet new people…

Try it and see what happens, experience the magic for yourself. Be like the green and orange sea slug! Rejuvenate and reinvigorate.

Write your comments, share your feedback, I would love to hear from you. And for some more Maverick tips, do subscribe to the Ordinary Maverick podcast. 

This is Ajey, signing off and wishing you have an amazing day. Keep well.