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Some things have been occurring to me since I started my path to
true wellness. The first is that, in general, most people I encounter
or interact with outside of the board seem to be AGAINST the idea of
me doing good things for my body, mind, the environment, humanity
etc. I am repeatedly scoffed at when I tell people I try to eat organic
foods, and drink (gasp!) water without chlorine!!! And these are
people CLOSE to me as well as aquaintences. They tell me I am
strange, crazy, a hippie, you name it. That it will make no difference
what I put into my body, it is all of my worrying about food and drink
and relaxation that is going to kill me. That I should just relax and
eat the fast food, fried food, pesticide filled food. I tell them it is an
easy choice, to put pure things into my body and remove the
stressors from my life. They laugh.
I cannot understand how so many seemingly rational people can deny
that certain things are detrimental to health. It boggles my mind. It
also is vaguely annoying to have be surrounded with countless
people who seem to want to sabotage my wellness practices!
I am so thankful to have a community here that encourages wellness.
It has helped me when I was SO down, and now that I am
experiencing success, I hope to do my part by letting people know,
especially the skeptics.
What do all of you say to the skeptics, in your everyday lives? I want
to have some informed, and most of all simple comebacks to get
them to leave me alone and not drink their contaminated water!!!
Haha!
Thanks for listening.
melissa
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
People call me organic head at work. Just today they were joking around asking if my hair tie was organic. Hee hee. If I could find one I would buy it, hee hee.
In Reply to: Re: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by Amy [369.1351] on March 02, 2006 at 19:02:35:
LOL Amy! Maybe we work with some of the same people! I for one
think organic head is cute!
In Reply to: Re: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by Amy [369.1351] on March 02, 2006 at 19:02:35:
I've had the same husband for years, and after I started on health food & good things, like pure water, I get told, it doesn't "help" me!!
We just gotta ignore them :-)
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
Just don't listen to them and keep doing what you are doing. If they recognize that what you are doing is right and with purpose, then they would have the responsibility to change what they are doing. Change is hard for people. As long as they are putting you down, they are not rocking their own boats. Get it? It is much more about them than it is about you. If you truly know this, you can just smile at them and walk away. Comebacks would be unnecessary.
Anita
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
I know some of what you're talking about, Melissa. But I get it from my mother. She tells me the exercise I do is a waste of time and that she is so busy she doesn't have time for "such nonsense". Just the other day we were talking and I just mentioned that I had to get up early the next day to take my son to work. She said, yeah, but you can go back to bed when you get back home. (This was a dig because she has to get up early to babysit three times a week and I supposedly don't do anything). I said that I usually stay up and get my day started and she said, "All you do is roll around on your ball all day and jump on your trampoline".
Like, yeah right. I do this all day long. The next time I talk to her and she asks what I've been doing, I will say that I've been rolling around on my ball all day. BUT, miraculously, the floor got mopped, the wash got done, the dishes got done, the beds got made, the bathrooms got cleaned, dinner got cooked and dishes got washed ALL BY THEMSELVES, and the taxi service is closed for the day. She's just jealous like the people that you are talking about probably are.
Sorry, I'm venting a little here.
(My mother is an incorrigible, vindictive, and hateful woman). I hate to say it but why mince words on the truth. I say this not just based on this last incident. You wouldn't believe my other stories.
Thanks for listening.
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
i find its a herd instinct response. if in a group and the topic of organic or whole foods or any sort of wellness diet comes up, people immediately feel compelled to berate it. in fact, i'm usually surprised by the petty remarks and personal attacks they use to disqualify these choices. initially, it bothered me and i would avoid situations where i'd have to explain it. now i simply shrug and tell them not to worry, noone's going to force you to eat any of this.
but if i speak to a person, one on one, about my diet and lifestyle choices and what led me to change to a wellness approach (it became a necessity because of my poor health) as well as the amazing results i found from changing my diet and lifestyle (energy, weight loss, mental clarity, eased my depression and anxiety), then i get a lot of support and encouragement, and usually a ton of questions and personal interest. often they acknowledge that they should pay closer attention to how they treat their body.
i think for a lot of people the criticism is masking some defensiveness about their own personal choices regarding health, because i have found those who take the most effort to discount wellness efforts are the people who could most benefit from it.
in the end, its a personal choice. let them say what they will... be happy with your choices and reap the personal rewards it will bring.
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
Many reg. docs are against things pertaining to wellness. At the same time, many people who push wellness are like a cult against conventional medicine or if you mention that their holistic approach doesn't/didnt work.
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
Hi Melissa,
I think I can see why you may be getting that response at work...
Are you replying to the questions of others when you explain what you are doing, or do you
point out where others may be going astray by eating
what they eat? (without being asked)
How long are your replies when they ask "How Are You?"
Do they fear that you might be selling something?
I find that people really don't want to hear about
things that are bad for them..
Look what happens when smokers are told that they should quit.
Did you want to be told by your parents that staying out late and having lots of boyfriends might make you ill with some sort of infection?
(even if they were right)
Do you enjoy a religious conversation at your front door, when they tell you that you can be "saved" if you
join some church/cult/temple etc?
Just do what makes you feel healthy and stop preaching.. If not, I ask you to go to a t-shirt shop
and ask if they have a shirt with the statement on it... "Everyone Is Entitled To My Opinion"
I come here because my friends are tired of hearing me
tell them what is wrong with them. :>(
It is no different than a liberal trying to block out the sound of Rush Limbaugh by saying that he is
being too abrasive and uncaring.
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
All good points.
I guess the best thing is to just keep plodding along and smile in the
face of the haters. The thing is, (Ron) I am not extremely vocal about
what I am doing, it is just when things are offered to me and I refuse
them, I seem to get the barrage of comments. I try to avoid an
explanation, but most of the time people will continue to prod. And
then upon my explanation will make fun of me. I guess the old
addage is true: misery loves company. If I am not following the
masses I am no good to everyone who doesn't want to think about
what they are doing to their bodies.
And Carol, my husband says things like your Mom does when I
meditate, like Gee, that must be the life!
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
Hi Melissa,
Interesting. Nobody I know or have discussed wellness with has that kind of attitude.
In fact that what you do is a good way to treat your body is obvious. It can't be that they are against it, they probably just think it's unnecessary and eating the fried chicken and drinking the chlorine won't hurt so much.
That is a little mind-boggling that people would taunt you or scoff at you for taking care of yourself.
It's one thing to say I don't care that much about my body that I won't do what you do, and another to make fun of someone for their healthy lifestyle.
In Reply to: Re: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 21:18:13:
Hi Melissa,
You may be coming across as "holier than thou"
Why not just tell them that you are on a restricted diet and leave it at that.
Tell them that you are converting to Muslim... (That should change the conversation.) ;>)
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
Hi Melissa,
Do you have a "before wellness" picture of yourself?
When that is compared to an "after Picture" of you now...
you might not have to do any more explaining about wellness.
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
Melissa,
I think many people are threatened by the idea of wellness because it brings them to the edge of what they know is intuitively true, but aren't ready to face. Most of our daily patterns of life - what we eat, how we talk, how we (don't) have time for contemplation/prayer, our lack of connection, our bombardment with environmental toxins - car culture/work culture/fast food culture/etc - are deeply unhealthy. We all sense this, we all yearn for more connection, more fullness - but it's terrifying, no?, to begin to grapple with the changes that might take not only in the patterns of our daily life but the re-organization of our social, economic, and political systems.
It's scary, and most of us just want to shut our ears, turn on the tv, and grab a beer, and unwind for awhile before we have to jump back in in the morning.
Just keep being a ray of compassion and light - hopefully as you become more and more healthy people will begin to notice and wonder why you shine so bright and you can let them in on the secret.
--
As an aside, my parents laugh at the concept of food allergies, and were aghast when I suggested some sort-of elimination diet a few years ago. Yet their dog is on a special lamb/rice diet because they noticed every time she had wheat her ears filled with crud and her joints acted up. so they happily accept the idea of food allergies for the dog, but not for them :)
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
I guess it boils down to why 'most' of us here are inclined to wellness in first place ? Either we have problems we acknowledge and are willing to work towards a healthy life style or conventional medicine did not work for us the way we thought it would.
I am sure the same people who ridicule wellness today or call us hypochondriacs may well be into it years, months or days from now.
So the bottom line is its the problems in life which bring us to boards like this and change lifestyles dramatically.
Thank God for the internet, its a blessing.
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
when people don't have a problem, they don't need a solution. If you are allergic to something, would anyone who wasn't, listen to you telling them it was bad. Bad for you, yes. If you do or eat something, and see no difference between that and what is Supposed to be better, is it easy to believe? I don't believe organic food is always organic, since they Only have to not use chems on the land for 3 yrs to call it organic. I would go by how I reacted to it IF I had a problem, as to what it really was. If I had no problem with either, I would need to Believe there was a difference, or have a fear. I always went by what agreed with me as a guide, and often times chose the right thing, or one no worse, no matter what they said it was.
I listen to all the claims, like soils are depleted and the like, and unless I can prove that there is a problem, I don't go out of my way. I'd think I was pretty foolish to believe in something that wasn't true, just because someone says it was. With mechanical things. People say you need to change your tranmission fluid and antifreeze after so many miles. Since they are in sealed systems with no combustion products in them like motor oil, which you can see how it changes with age and use, I can't see changing them Unless I see a problem. My dad used to try to convince me to put Dry Gas in the gas tank in the winter because you Used to have to do it. I Know that the gas co's have been doing it for years, so don't see a need and why handle methyl alcohol if you don't have to? He thought I was foolish, but Only if I had a problem that I Knew it would help, and there could be a rare one, I didn't see a need. Odd that I and most others don't have the problems that He was protecting against, and there have been situations where the stuff Did do damage.
In Reply to: Re: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by opinion [3138.2321] on March 02, 2006 at 23:59:46:
Hi Opie,
You are right about the internet... It may be a time waster, a social hideaway and certainly entertainment for some.... but it does have the ability to share comforting ideas across huge distances.
I do not watch much TV since I got online in 93 or so.
Back then it was private BBS's (bulletin boards) That was so much like this forum, in that it still feels like a place to go to ask questions on various topics. The difference is that we no longer have to dial a modem phone number to get to the BBS.
Can you remember using DOS and a 2400 baud modem to get connected? (this will separate the windows flock) :)
Ron
In Reply to: Re: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by Vince F [4572.9] on March 03, 2006 at 00:18:44:
Hi Vince,
With many newer engines it can be costly to put off changing coolant, since the aluminum parts can corrode when in contact with other metals in the presence of a conductive liquid.. Electrolysis is not something that only happens to hairy people.
Intake and head gaskets can also fail causing expensive problems.
Coolant also must lubricate your water pump seals and
that can diminish as additives age.
Ron
In Reply to: Re: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by Ron [2014.2318] on March 03, 2006 at 00:33:56:
have a 20yr old car and haven't had to deal with Al. I did change the antifreeze 10yrs ago when I roded out tubes in the radiator from a mineral buildup from tap water that had come in the car, and added distilled. I change my own oil and flush out all the dirty oil that stays in the motor. Some things make more sense.
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
I have learned to only engage those folks who are interested. I have been living this way for a while now, and at first I, like you, wanted to tell everyone about my new knowledge.
Since then, I have come to realize that I can't educate everyone - especially those who choose to remain ignorant!
Now I just keep a low profile, and go about my own life. If someone asks, me I explain things, but otherwise, I figure they need to learn on their own just like I did. If someeone gives me flack, I just smile and You don't need any comebacks, just do what you know and let them do what they know. Your glowing health will speak for itself eventually. I dont' take any prescriptions while many of my colleagues and even younger friends, are taking at least one...
I feed my dogs raw too but don't tell many folks about that either - when I do many of them become alarmed and think I'm hurting my pets! Even after I tell them it's been more than 3 years, and my dogs are thriving. It's really wierd.
~~~8>
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
Thanks, Melissa.
I call it hewing to the principle of "survival of the fittest". By the time they begin to pay for their lack of self-responsibility (an extremely painful thing for most people to experience) they will be long gone from your circle. Even the media is beginning to jump on the bandwagon of wholesome foods, exercise and stress management being the keys of reversing the dramatic increase in younger people coming down with old person's diseases.
Do these naysayers think that somehow they are outside reality? What a perfect example of "denial".
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by labrat [1119.74] on March 03, 2006 at 06:49:34:
I meant to say I just smile and shrug my shoulders.
~~~8>
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
I agree with one thing - that constantly worrying about oneself is just as detrimental to health as simply not bothering what one eats or drinks. Stress is the biggest killer of all and the danger is that people who agonise over it are not benefiting from a good diet and lifestyle.
Maz
In Reply to: Re: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 19:21:52:
It's cuter than "granola cruncher"!
Eric S had some really good points.
All our friends are on meds. Some, a LOT of them.One had a stomach bypass & still remains morbidly obese.She says she just likes to eat. She also has migranes, kidney stones, diabetes etc, etc. I've shared a little with her but it is obvious she does not want to change. To her it is giving up everything she loves.Which is sad in a way. How confining a love affair with food is.
I "love" food too, but don't want it to control me. Pizza!mmmm Well, the trouble it takes to make these things in a way that won't hurt your body is too much for most people I know.
Plus there is a bit of envying of what they are not willing to do themselves. Your very presence is probably irritating to them for this reason.
The Bible has a descriptive way of saying it, that, I think relates to this: 1 Peter 4:4. When someone becomes a Christian (not joins a church mind you) and they stop the toxic behavior that they used to pursue,others react... it says this: "They think it strange that you don't plunge with them in to the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you."
You don't even have to be preaching health(or Jesus) to get the comments, because you have taken steps to improve yourself, they find that really galling.
In Reply to: Re: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by Ron [2014.2318] on March 03, 2006 at 00:33:56:
I saw where antifreeze is said to last 10yrs now. That should last till a hose fails and it gets changed, if you keep a car that long.
In Reply to: Re: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by Eric S [4279.2552] on March 02, 2006 at 22:15:44:
Hi Eric. I thought I'd just butt in here to say that you have hit the nail right on the head. My boyfriend eats the typical American diet, but is scared to death that he's going to end up with some horrible disease. He knows what kind of diet I eat, but just can't seem to bring himself to change. So, you have two fears, one of changing and one of getting sick from not changing.
It cracks me up and really pisses me off at the same time that now the media is picking up on these "latest findings in scientific research" on whatever health topic that alternative medicine has been yelling about for decades. They think they have discovered America, but those in the know have known all along.
BTW, the story about your dog is just perfect!
Naya
In Reply to: Re: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by labrat [1119.74] on March 03, 2006 at 06:49:34:
we live that way too about everything....it works for us
Lovebird
In Reply to: Re: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by coldjam [266.10] on March 03, 2006 at 11:39:03:
you are so right and very cool coldjam for standing up for the gospel and not being ashamed...
we have such a great life and it shows and we could care less what anyone thinks or says...
Lovebird
In Reply to: Re: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by Eric S [4279.2552] on March 02, 2006 at 22:15:44:
right on
my husband are light light beams in a dark, perverted society and love it.
Lovebird
In Reply to: Re: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by Eric S [4279.2552] on March 02, 2006 at 22:15:44:
Thanks for all of the feedback on this post!
One last thing pertaining to this topic.
Bad enough that I have to deal with the naysayers. But I forgot to
mention that people are always trying to feed my 3 year old daughter
garbage, and when I protest even a little bit I am made out to be a
food nazi! Why is it that the typical children's menu at a restaurant
consists of corn dogs, cheeseburgers, mac and cheese and chicken
fingers? (We don't eat out anymore, so that takes care of that!) If I
have dinner at a friend's house I am the "bad guy" that has to keep
saying that is not ok that they are feeding my child bread and butter
instead of the vegetables I have given her. "It's ok, as long as she is
eating!" they say. BS! Isn't childhood the best time to build a strong
foundation for healthy eating habits?
I hate being the food nazi, but when my child comes home and won't
eat the healthy choices I have to offer, it is frustrating. Oh my gosh, I
am sure she will be trading her healthy lunches that I send with her
to school for Lunchables and Poptarts and cans of soda! I can see it
now!!!
In Reply to: Why do so many people hate the idea of wellness? posted by melissa [3503.2554] on March 02, 2006 at 18:39:04:
I forgot to add something below.
One thing I DON'T like about many of those (not all obviously) who preach about wellness and alternative medicine is that if you dare question ANYTHING, they always shoot back with either "you are not enlightened enough" or "it's your fault" or "you don't have an open mind". Never like to take responsibility to back up their own statements. Meanwhile, they rail and rail and rail on regular medicine all day and night.
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