Mind over matter.

I was thinking.
When I go out on trips with my friends, I usually enjoy it to the limit.
I mean, I could be hiking, then “refresh” myself by swimming in a river (with my clothes and shoes on).
Or wake up early in the morning, get out of the tent, and swim on the cold waters of a lake.
Or go to the Causeway to ride my bike under the rain.

Most people I know, would get sick under those circumstances. To them I usually state “kids do not get sick”, as I remember being a kid on the beach on vacations and staying wet all day (and part of the night), and not getting sick.

On the other hand, I can get sick out of nothing. I can come from work, have lunch in a restaurant, get indigestion, followed by 2 days fiver, and finally so much pain in my articulations, that sent me to the hospital in a wheel chair.

That last one was dramatic for me, and made me think a lot. Other times, I only get a flu or intestinal issues. But there is never something “clear” of what caused it. At least on the surface.

My first conclusion was that as I get stressed out, my blood defenses systems gets affected.
But the last month that I have been not running, or biking or swimming (doctor orders), conducted me to think there may be more.

This last month I have been suffering back pain, knee pain, sleep issues, anxiety, intestinal irregularity, you name it. I even lost ten pounds, phew!, I did not know that coming from work and lay on bed all afternoon, was such a good weight reduction program.

Last night I went to ride my bike, very conservative, just 20km. Today I do not have knee pain.

It seems paradoxical. Either I am becoming crazy (witch is very unlikely, as I would have to be sane in the first place), or the “thinking” about being sick, actually made me sick.

Could it be that my mind is actually so powerful, that in can control the health status of my body?
Or that my body is quite susceptible to my thoughts?
(or both).

The placebo effect does exists. Maybe there is an unnamed opposite effect where the mind (under the effect of bad news) influences negatively.

Merry Xmas

My living room.

Date: December 2, 2004.
Time: 6:37am.
Location: The living room.
Description: The sun rises actually on the opposite side of the house. But a glass covered building creates an interesting shade of the balcony lamp.

Luckily the smells are not registered on pictures, because I think I shot this one before taking a shower.