Achieving Peace of Heart | Four Everyday Duties

 

One of the books I'm currently reading, Achieving Peace of Heart by Rev. Narcisco Irala, S.J., is going to be an informing guide for my plans this coming Lent. Irala was both a Catholic priest and a psychologist, so we have the good fortune of finding a path to mental health which is rooted in the Faith. The last paragraph of Chapter I reads as follows:

"Four everyday duties will help me to acheive a more healthy mental life. I must resolve, first, to strengthen and govern my body (nourishment, exercise and discipline); secondly, to feed and enlighten my intellect (serious, concentrated work); thirdly, to elevate and control my heart (love of God and neighbor); and finally, to strengthen and exerise my will (decision and constancy)."

I don't think anyone would argue that the Covid-19 crisis has brought about a worldwide mental health problem exponentially greater than what had existed before, and which had already reached alarming levels. If you didn't have a mental illness previously, likely you find yourself now struggling to keep your wits about you and your emotions on an even keel. If your mental health was already very fragile, you may feel yourself nearly drowning.

I think it's extremely interesting that the first of the four everyday duties Irala lists pertains to the physical body. Arguably, if our bodies are not strong and healthy, we will struggle also in the areas of mental, emotional, and spiritual health, and we will be unable to strengthen our wills for the good. 

For this first week of Lent, which begins in two days, I will be focusing on my physical being. I will write down a system for the benefit of my body, contemplating both my strengths and weaknesses in this area. At the end of the week I'll report back with the specifics of my plan. My primary areas of concern are sleep, respiratory function, and physical strength. Physical pain is an impediment to happiness and makes it difficult to concentrate on other things, so for me, reducing pain needs be a primary consideration. 

I think keeping it simple is always key to making lasting changes. So for this week I will work on only three habits, pertaining to a consistent sleep schedule, exercise plan, and respiratory health strategy. In the area of sleep, I will turn off screens by 10:00 and go to bed by 11:00 p.m., with a wake-up time of 9:00 a.m. I tend to need a lot of sleep in winter, so that gives me 10 hours. 

My exercise plan will include morning warm-ups, done standing up, to a couple of praise and worship songs. During mid-day I will take a 15-minute walk, with a route in my neighborhood I already have planned out. A stretching regimen is part of my evening routine, which I need to make sure to complete consistently. Finally, I will add using my neti pot on a daily basis, likely also as part of my evening routine. 

Each week I will proceed to focus on the next everyday duty on the list, and my hope is to have developed a renewed system of habits by the end of Lent. My ultimate goal is to draw closer to Jesus and to align myself more perfectly to his will, eliminating all manner of clutter and distractions, to produce a lifestyle that reflects my deepest values and personal vocation. I desire a peace that cannot be shaken.

Please join me this Lenten season for this journey to a peaceful heart, resting in the Sacred Heart of Our Lord!