Health Homework (9) Throw away 3 things that are hurting you

Much of our suffering, drama, and victimization is what we voluntarily drag around with us, which we could let it go to suffer less and thereby live more freely and more happily.

“Throw away your low self-esteem clothes.”

Julia Cameron, Artist’s Date Book

I have mentioned in most of my books the writings and influences of Henry Rollins and Julia Cameron. I chanced upon Henry Rollins’ book One from None at a used record store (Record Rack, Houston Texas) in 1991, which was the same year it was published. To be sure, that book changed my life, mostly for the better, but not without some costs. Two of his lines (page 28) that occasionally recurred to me are at the end of this paragraph:

“Tonight I was trying to sleep, I saw all the sad things in my life…

I used to think that I was followed around by it all

Now I see that I drag along”

The practical implications of what he says are plainly obvious: that much of our suffering, drama, and victimization is what we voluntarily drag around with us; this implies that we could let it go to suffer less and thereby live more freely and more happily.

The assignment for Health Homework #9 is for you to discard 3 things* that are hurting you.

*These could be any (or all) of the following:

1. FOODS that you bought but which you know are hurting you or slowing you down from accomplishing your health goals

   1. Carbohydrates that you don’t need, especially bread, grains,

   2. Chocolate

   3. Alcohol

   4. Foods sold as health foods but which don’t work for you and your body and metabolism

2. ADDICTIVE/DISTRACTIVE BEHAVIORS and their means: video games, too much alcohol, easy contact with “friends” who you know are hurting you or slowing you down from accomplishing your goals, too much television

3. CLOTHES that are “comfortable” but which you know drag you down, keep you trapped in the past, or make you look frumpy so that you and everyone else will lower their expectations of you:

   1. Dirty shoes

   2. Jeans with holes

   3. Frumpy T-shirts (my personal fave, especially since I tend to overheat or feel trapped in more formal clothing)

4. MEMORIES and “sentimental tombstones” that we have all carried for too long

What do you need to let go of (discard, burn, recycle, “donate”) in order to feel, function, and live better for yourself and the people around you?

I have also mentioned in Inflammation Mastery a comment made by one of my psychology teachers in naturopathic medical school (Keith Grieneeks PhD. “Psychological Assessment” taught in 1998 at Bastyr University) who taught us especially with regard to addictive behaviors that people have to "act their way into new ways of thinking and think their way into new ways of acting."

From this insight, everything matters: food, clothing, music, friends, habits and routines—each of these shapes and forms us, for better or for worse.

https://www.inflammationmastery.com/book-nutrition-functional-medicine

What do you need to let go of (discard, burn, recycle, “donate”) in order to feel, function, and live better for yourself and the people around you?