I’m starting with Pitta mind-body inflammation for a series on mind-body awareness and creating more harmony and balance to the drum of your body-mind or mind-body.
Specifically, if you’re not sure what’s wrong, and at the least you’re feeling less than usual yourself, or internally having a unusually high moody out-of-sorts season, I’ve got you.
Because most mood issues are self-curable. And we all know people we’ve come across that are moody (…we would never admit our own occasions though 😊).
I didn’t grow up openly expressing moods other than tears, because we weren’t afforded the luxury to feel and express as much. In fact, you wouldn’t find anxious or frustration openly discussed in schools back then, as now acceptable highlighted sub-moods to happy or sad.
…And along those lines, anger or aggressive moods weren’t emotionally addressed, and that leads to Pitta mind-body inflammation. So, this week I start with Pitta mind-body where anger is a clear outward sign opportunity to address the inside expression.
Pitta tension runs high in the air in these ending summer days and school year starts. Transitions can test any of us.
At any moment we can have an off-balance reaction in our mind when something sets us off. But if that becomes a week and a season, then that becomes a mind-body problem we would endure.
BUT for better living… we should restore Pitta mind-body inflammation, so we can thrive and not just survive in this one life we get because we know better. Nice reminder, huh? 😉
Sometimes all we need is the awareness and knowledge to know what to do, that experience and age can help us with in wisdom.
And in today’s summer heat awareness, if you’re feeling overheated in mind or body, then you’re embracing some heavy Pitta compounding in this already Pitta season.
If it’s causing a problem when you observe in your self-witnessing thought life, then you want to cool it down.
See, the real problem is our shouting ego wants to act like everything is fine when it’s not. And in the act, sends bullhorn loud messages. 📢
But aware and outsmarting your ego, you can proactively restore and fix your moods by daily small-effort choices that takes little effort. It’s not immediate like winning the lottery or a trip around the world can do 🗺️, but it turns the tide in your mind-body.
You gradually restore back to equilibrium so you don’t spend more days in dissatisfied living or misery. It’s a personal restore recipe.
I learned this in one season when I had off-the charts high Pitta daily that I could look at a clock and know it was Pitta o’clock. And it wasn’t 5 o’clock, so jumping in a pool didn’t work in those hours.
And it was winter time, so an indoor pool would’ve been the only pool meditation option.
And in your case, you have a different makeup or one that’s unique to you.
A Vata body’s natural way is on the cooler side. With cooler season, bundling up in the winter with turtlenecks and dormant turtle moves would be aligned in balance. If you’re a Kapha, then you’re also running these cool tendencies, but less dry.
And following the temps was the drumbeat I moved to. Why am I pointing this out? Because you know you’re not in nature’s balance when you’re feeling different body temps going on that changes your tempo and moods.
See where I’m going with this?…
Sometimes you see guys in shorts in the winter, and you may think it’s the extra body hair like bears to keep grizzly warm, but usually it’s the high Pitta trait common in males that exude this. And instead of feeling cool-cold, it’s warm-hot, and that causes unsaid mood changes too.
…And this can happen to any of us as we all have traces of Pitta, Kapha, and Vata.
My work situation triggered that one specific winter where my Vata was outta whack and showing more obvious Pitta mind-body inflammation signs.
Knowing what your personal makeup is, and what your imbalances are is useful because then you can get a formula to confidently change the tide and not live in a season of unnecessary discomfort, that up to now you’ve written off as subtle moods.
And the first step is to know what’s on fire so you can reverse the effects and then enjoy this season in mind-body calm peace.
Cool The Heated Body-Mind Steps
Weather hot vs. cold may sound like small, silly talk, but it’s a good indicator of your balance temperature. It can definitely be more silently dangerous than stress because it takes a while to accumulate.
And stress triggers can be the cause of Pitta mind-body inflammation… like a low-heat slow pot simmering. And overheating is the fiery pan that can cause a fire.
Heated humans don’t pose environmental danger (unless we deliberately react badly). But we do possess the harmful characteristics that can overheat our bodies.
And at its worse can shutdown or shout out like in burnout.
And it can definitely feel fiery inside us (like when we bite into a hot chili pepper)…
We get clues when we have a short fuse for others’ behaviors that irritate us and cause us to be more opinionated or quick to judge.
…Or we can have outward skin inflammations like rashes, redness, or heartburn.
These are all different signs that your body shows you because it wants to cool down. That’s when you want to nip it in the bud so it doesn’t grow from one spot.
You want to team with your body and run in the opposite direction.
But the usual way is we keep unintentionally igniting our mind-body’s heat by not making changes.
And that’s what’s really needed as part of the prescribed cool down: all food, thought, and mind-body intake.
And doing the right steps prevent Pitta mind-body inflammation. You do have a say in the matter.
But when your body has reached a boiling point that’s common with our busy lives, these are the core body cool down prescriptions (that I think are worth repeating especially in the hot summer).
Intensity:
Athletes do this well because they’re more proned to experience inflammation and sport injuries putting themselves in tough body situations.
And when there’s red inflammation, there are two solutions: ice and ice water.
A cold dip is good, and as painful as that first freezing cold dip is to the skin’s touch, the body is screaming “more please!”
Running toward a bear could sound easier in the moment, but stay as long as you can bear. Our bodies are wiser than we are and will calm down when we calm it down.
And like a fire, what matters is:
Immediacy:
Ice as soon as possible. Don’t wait until you get home. Because inflammation grows and can spread into complicated areas if not attended to. You wouldn’t wait to put out a fire, so in the same way act fast on your body’s inflammation sign.
You may remember in school… if you got hurt in gym class, you went to the nurse’s office and she gave you immediate care. As adults, somehow we think getting through meetings or taking care of everyone else’s needs first is more important. Plus, our bodies were more resilient in those younger years.
Awareness:
If your inflammation is not getting better in a few days after icing that may need OTC relief, then take it seriously to seek more intense protocols or medical intervention as though your body is on fire. Because in a way, it is.
See it as your body’s cry for help. You’re not overreacting. And infections (that inflammations can turn into) are real and can happen at any time.
And in bi-directional effects, when you’ve taken care of your body, take care of your mind…
Running independently is a heated mind. When it’s so bad like in burnout or after the burn when you can’t take anymore… take the right steps so you snap out sooner and avoid a season of catchup from inflammation misery.
Prevention and quick restoration is a healthy decision and lifestyle choice you get to make.
🛒 You can checkout this list of 200 anti-inflammatory foods and/or purchase a comprehensive guide with specific food category lists, and learn what’s nutrition researched important to know in anti-inflammatory foods, that you can also easily print off or use as a check list next time you go to the grocery store or do your online grocery shopping. 🌱