Climbing out of the Cooking Pot

I want to write about perspective because as we all know that how we look at things can drastically change our perception of events... if you don't think so, take a look at the picture below.

Is it a cup or vase?
Is it two people face to face?

Can it be both? Depending on our perspective of course it can.

How can I apply this to what is out of focus in my life?

I look at where I am. I am in recovery from a mental health crisis. No doubt about it. But thats not enough for me. What do I want next? I want to get the hell out of recovery and to dive head first into living exuberantly but I have a feeling I'd end up right back where I am if I don't take manageable, tangible steps to get there (and I WILL get there). SO WHAT NEXT? I get to choose!

I want to shift my thinking from 'in recovery from mental health issues' to a less fallible:

FOCUSED ON HEALTHY LIVING FOR MY BODY AND MIND.

That is a reasonable next step. It's only a SLIGHT perspective shift yet I am having trouble making it come into focus. If I cover one half of the picture I can kind of see what it looks like. I mean, I have been focused on my mental health for a couple months now so I can see what being focused on my mental health looks like. What does it look like to be focused on my body's health? Its been a long time since thats been a priority. I know that if I can get my body back into shape that in turn my mental health may improve. If nothing else I may have more energy - even if my self esteem didn't improve, which I am sure it would. 

Everyday I do something for my mental health. EVERYDAY. When I first started climbing out of this crisis even just taking my medication qualified. Now I meditate daily, keep an anxiety journal etc...  So what small thing can I take pride in doing every single day for my body's health? What am I already doing that I can recognize as a genuine feel good starting point? 

Everyday I feed my body. I may not eat as well as I *could* but I do eat. I try and make healthy choices but I am far from perfect. That is OK. The next step is to make a change. Before I make ANY changes that I feel OBLIGATED to fulfill I will simply BE AWARE of my body's desire for nourishment and how my body feels when I do eat. How it feels to actually eat whatever I'm eating. All I am doing to bring the body part of my next perspective shift into focus is to be aware and take pride in being aware. 

Sometimes gaining perspective is really and truly as simple as being aware. I can make changes later but how will I know what the most effective change could be if I don't know where I am now? I can weigh myself, measure myself, calories, carbs etc etc etc but unless I know how it FEELS to be where I am now I may not be able to see where I want to go. Once I see things for what they are I'll be more apt to try and start climbing out of the cooking pot...

A frog living at the bottom of the well thinks that the sky is as small as a cooking pot lid.~ Vietnamese Proverb 

What are you currently bringing into focus to change your perspective? 

(No matter HOW big or small!) 

What do you WANT to see more clearly?