0861 THEBEMED [email protected]

0861 THEBEMED

Thebemed Logo

Accessible Care . Affordable Prices

Thebemed Wellness Cafe’

What we can learn from our Superheroes

Mar 17, 2021 | Blog, Flavor Of The Month, The Juice, Thebemed

Thebemed Wellness Cafe’

What we can learn from our Superheroes
With great power, comes great responsibility… Peter Parker, (Spider-Man)

Whether or not you like superhero movies, there is a good reason why they are so popular: Even though the likes of Wonder Woman, Batman and Thor are larger-than-life characters, these superheroes essentially go through similar challenges we do. Spider-Man suffers loss, suddenly has more power than what he ever wanted or dreamed of, and has to confront what this means to him. In his story, we see some of our own struggles reflected, and it inspires us to think differently about our lives:

“What do I do with this power I’ve been given?”

“How do I contribute not only to myself, and my family, but to humanity at large?”

“Can I live with my conscience, if I don’t somehow give back?”

“How much can I expect of myself?”

These are all questions we need to navigate daily as we make our way through the world. And although these are tough questions to ask, they open up incredible opportunities to live meaningful, fulfilling lives.

Reframing responsibility

Do you remember those days when food just appeared on your table, your house was given to you and you didn’t have to think about bills at all?  Your biggest responsibilities were to brush your teeth, eat your veggies and get to bed on time. Oh, what it would be to be 5 years old again!

As adults, our responsibilities can get to the point where we feel trapped / weighed down by them. All the cares of the world, the people who depend on us and expectations of our peers can create a lot of strain. How, then, do we take up our responsibilities as citizens of the world, without buckling under the weight of them?

Ironically, when we were kids, we played dress-up games, wearing mom’s shoes, and pretending we were grown up. “If only I could be big and strong, then I can make any decisions I want!” As adults, you may be wishing you could be a carefree child again!

Responsibility doesn’t have to be a burden. In fact, if we break the word down, we see: Responsibility = response-ability = the ability to respond.

As an adult, you have the ability to respond to life’s demands. As a 5-year old, you may have felt more carefree, but you also had less power. You had less options, you were vulnerable in the world, and you didn’t have the amount of choices and freedoms you have now.

The degree of your responsibilities reflect the degree of your power: if you decide to harness that!

Are you responsive, or reactive?

To harness this power requires skill. Just like our superheroes, we need to train and hone our powers, so we can create the changes we wish to see in the world.

When you are faced with a difficult decision, do you react in old, unhelpful ways?

  • Do you go onto social media to numb out from your responsibilities?
  • Do you blame and complain about how wrong things are in the world?
  • Do you get emotionally worked up, and lash out at your loved ones?
  • Do you collapse into depression, completely overwhelmed with your life’s demands?

It is possible to train ourselves out of these victimizing mind-sets, so we are more available and responsive to the world around us. To do this, we need to practice slowing down.

The next time something happens that triggers you to be negative, slow down, take a breath, and check-in with yourself: “How do I want to respond to this situation?”

The more we allow ourselves to feel into, and trust our ability to respond, the more able we will be to meet life’s demands.

A simple practice:

Focused, mindfulness meditation practices can be very useful to help train your mind to become less reactive. In time, you will be cooler under pressure, make smarter decisions and even improve your relationships

Know your limits

A superhero is not complete without some vulnerability. In every movie, Spider-Man has to confront his own limitations. He has to recognise that, even with the superpowers, he is not all-powerful.

How often do you stop to admit your own limitations, and set some boundaries? Maybe your boss asks you to work longer hours than you’re comfortable with, but you keep saying yes. Maybe your new partner wants you to move in with them, but you don’t know if you’re ready.

Responsibility is not just about doing more, but also about knowing when to do less. Every time we say ‘yes’ to something, we say ‘no’ to something else.

A simple practice

  1. List all your responsibilities on a sheet of paper.
  2. Organise your responsibilities from most important to least important.

When you’re confronted with choosing one thing over another, check with yourself: which of these are more important to me? Remember: by saying ‘yes’, you are already saying ‘no’: make sure you choose wisely! 

Conclusion:

Some days, you may feel like you’re Super Girl. Other days, you may be dragging your feet out of bed. Just give yourself permission to face what you can today, and develop trust that what you do – however small – matters.

“You’re going to make a difference. A lot of times it won’t be huge, it won’t be visible even. But it will matter just the same.” – James Gordon

Latest Posts

How is your resilience?

How is your resilience?

Life keeps throwing us challenges. As we saw with Covid-19, in this globally connected world we are all touched by whatever is happening, no matter how ‘far away’. Resilience is a key quality of those who are best able to respond.

Fully vaccinated? Now what?!

Fully vaccinated? Now what?!

Let’s be clear – there is no quick fix to immediately ‘boost’ your immunity – no ‘wonder supplement’ or ‘power food’ will suddenly strengthen your immune system. However, living a healthy lifestyle does go a long way to keep your immune system strong. This has been found in a recent study showing that exercise may strengthen the antibody response to vaccination – both the COVID-19 vaccines and the annual flu vaccines.

Current News: South Africa and Ukraine

Current News: South Africa and Ukraine

Here in South Africa, there seems to be two active responses on social media to the shock of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. One is a sense of outrage and sadness at the disruption and tragic loss of life. The other seems to be an almost flippant expression of gratitude for being far away ‘down south’ from the conflict zone.

Be mindful while living with cancer

Be mindful while living with cancer

What can those two illustrious South Africans, the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu and ex-President Nelson Mandela teach us about living with cancer?
In 1997 a concerned world heard that the man fondly known as ‘the Arch’, aged 65, had surgery for prostate cancer. A few years later in 2001, we were again shocked to hear that Madiba, aged 83, had also been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

What COVID-19 has taught us about human connection

What COVID-19 has taught us about human connection

One thing we have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic experience is that we are not happy when we are separated from others – loved ones, colleagues and even people we do not know. We like to go to restaurants, coffee shops and just hang around people. Not only do we like it, but the pandemic has also highlighted how we need connection for our mental and emotional wellbeing. Sometimes it seems that it is only when things are taken away, that we learn to appreciate their value and importance.

You May Also Like:

TB awareness – the role of chronic stress and mental health in disease risk

TB awareness – the role of chronic stress and mental health in disease risk

The pandemic has highlighted the idea of a disease being front and center in all aspects of our lives. However, for someone living with a chronic condition, this has been their reality long before COVID-19 came along, and the pandemic has simply made things worse.
Economic, social and psychological distress is common amongst those living with chronic conditions, such as tuberculosis (TB).

read more
Standing up for yourself and others

Standing up for yourself and others

Underlying all human rights is a deep respect for human life. There are those passionate people whose daily lives center around defending and upholding these precious rights so that we can all live in a more caring and just world. Each one of us can take inspiration from this and make choices that demonstrate how our own personal values uphold human rights.

read more