#2: When the body says "No" and other assorted thoughts
An enlightening read, an illuminating tweet, an amazing meal, and more!
Today, I shall reverse the order from last week and talk about…
1) A book I’ve recently finished
2) A random scene from nature
3) A video essay on YouTube that struck me
4) A lovely meal I had
5) Finally culminating in an insightful tweet I saw
Ready?
Let’s go!
A book I’ve just finished
It took me over 2 months to finish this captivating and somewhat depressing read. I cried so hard halfway through because the author seemed to be describing the story of my life.
When the Body says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress is a game-changer written by palliative care physician, Gabor Maté. In it, he puts forward his theory, supported by various papers he quotes, that many physical ailments affecting the human body, such as cancer and auto-immune diseases, are largely a direct result of stress, all else being equal.
This is probably the most convincing case of how if two people lead the same sort of lifestyle, in terms of diet, exercise, and more, that when one develops an illness, it is very likely a consequence of repressed anger over a prolonged period.
This is a bold assertion to make, for it puts to death many other reasons doctors and researchers have put forward over the years, which forms the basis of cancer.
I myself have a bias, for I believe that the reason why I developed Graves’, an autoimmune disease, was due to microaggressions living in a homophobic work environment, exacerbated by my friend’s suicide, and a homophobic church.
My body literally said, “No!” and promptly broke down, causing me to make significant changes to my life, where I’d before avoided making.
Now that I’ve taken care of the above, things are so much better.
I highly recommend this read, and if it gets too depressing, just jump forward to the very last chapter where he provides solutions in a chapter suitably titled, “The Seven As of Healing”.
A random scene from nature
Spotted these beautiful lantana camara flowers which seem to be perpetually in bloom as I exited the hospital after a routine blood test last week to make sure my Graves’ disease is in check.
Flowers within the hospital compound remind me that life sprouts in the most unlikely places, and that life is often like a phoenix - rising from the ashes.
When all seems to be dead and hopeless, the phoenix reminds us what is possible.
A thoughtful video essay
This video by @anattynook, titled slow living and degrowth | a personal reckoning has been one of the more thoughtful long form content I’ve had the privilege to watch on YouTube.
In it, the narrator talks about how mindless and excessive consumerism has been terrible for the planet, and provides thoughtful and constructive suggestions on how to combat that, starting with herself.
She comments that it had been books that have brought her to this conclusion, and notes that it will continue to be books that she will turn to for continued nourishment and sustenance.
Highly recommended if you’ve got half an hour to spare.
An amazing meal I had
I think this week has been marked by many meals consumed alone, and the only one that stood out was a birthday party a dear friend invited me to.
It is an absolute blessing to be invited into a place where one feels welcomed and safe to express oneself as who they truly are. And I was both grateful and happy to be in that space with my friends who are incredible, bitchy and funny, all rolled into one.
I don’t know what I did to deserve friends like that but I am thankful for them.
Here’s to many more birthdays to be spent together with safe ones!
An inspiring tweet!
My friend @visakanv inspires me on a daily basis. His authentic living and compassionate sharing on Twitter has been one of the motivating forces in my life and also in starting this substack.
The above tweet was a reminder to not dwell too much on the negative things that permeate my life, and instead, to focus my time and energy on what I want to see more of.
I want to see more kids happy and liberated to explore their talents and where their curiosity brings them.
I want to see myself writing happily, on a full-time basis.
I want to see a queer bookstore filled with thoughtful readers making friends, and chatting over their latest find, gushing over their newest literary crush.
I want to see a country blossoming in a golden age we are on the cusp of.
I want to see healthcare transformed into a place not just filled with silos, but where a holistic approach is taken and time is spent with each patient.
I want to see myself loving myself more, and not always bowing to the demands of others, unable to enforce boundaries, unnecessarily repressing my anger and frustrating in an unhealthy manner.
I want to see us taking better care of nature and our lived environment.
So let me take a baby step each day, and you’re welcome join me in this journey, come what may.
If you enjoyed this article, feel free to subscribe to my newsletter!