(An Excerpt From Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less)
My chassis was a wreck.
Ten years ago, in the depths of my workplace chaos, I was also dealing with a very sick body and an exhausted mind. I was delirious during the day and couldn’t sleep at night. My doctor had me on antidepressants, then Ritalin, convinced I was “depressed”—my hundred-hour workweeks notwithstanding.
But as a result of my mini-enlightenment regarding the systems of my business, I grasped that my body was likewise a collection of systems. I asked, “What are my body’s systems composed of?” It was obvious: The human body is a chassis composed of chemicals. Armed with this realization, I asked my doctor to give me a wide range of blood tests. Convinced of my “depression,” at first he balked at the idea, but then he conceded.
The blood analysis showed that my adrenal glands had shut down and my master hormone, DHEA, was not in evidence. The “stress hormone,” Cortisol, was in the stratosphere, another important hormone was deficient, and I was chronically dehydrated.
My task was to work on each of the systems individually and, one by one, bring each back to normalcy. Once I got all four dysfunctional systems back to efficiency, I would have a balanced, holistic body and an alert mind. How could it be otherwise?
For the next two years, I took blood tests repeatedly while I faithfully took supplements and modified my lifestyle, bringing my various chemical systems back into balance. At the end of that time period, I was physically strong and my thinking was clear.
Was it that simple? Yes and no. On the one hand, the road to recovery was obvious—what I had to do was clear. On the other hand, it was sometimes a struggle to be self-disciplined enough to do what needed to be done. I stumbled once in awhile, but I succeeded enough to improve things dramatically. Do I still stumble? Yes!
How about you? Are you sure the chemicals that compose your body are okay? If they are not, could this be affecting your physical and mental performance? Consider taking your health into your own hands by directing your doctor to perform full-screen blood tests. Then again, your solution may not require a doctor. If your chemicals are okay, maybe you just need to get regular exercise, eat better, and find more sleep.
A final thought about measuring your body. If you are addicted to a substance, however benign, an imbalance exists. Any foreign substance throws things off, so a good starting point is to quit those substances and face the world “cold turkey.” It may not be easy, but if you can pull it off, you’ll be in select company.
There is no better place than one’s body to start getting things straightened out. Using systems strategy to analyze the physical body—the chassis that holds and transports individual consciousness—is perhaps the most outside-and-slightly-elevated position one can take.
Hard questions: Are you moving too fast? If so, what steps can you take so your life slows down? What’s your addiction? Do you think it is hampering your forward motion?
Photo by Egor Gribanov via flickr used under a creative Commons License.
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Sam,
I can identify with your “Chassis is wreck”. You may know that I had problems of my own but with different results. I was severely depressed and had all the symptoms which go along with it. I sought the help of three doctors, one being a psychiatrist, one a regular MD and one a Naturopath. None were able to help me. In the end I solved my own problems. One of the tests I took was a brain neurotransmitter test. It came back with all my ‘Happy chemicals’ in the extreme low zone (severe burnout part of the chart). Another test had my testosterone (sex is just one small part of healthy testosterone levels) at lower than the lowest part of the ‘Low’ zone. In short, I was pretty much a mess. Both the MDs recommended chemicals, including Paxil and the Naturopath recommended a bunch of natural products with high price tags and my insurance would not pay for them. The bottom line was nutrition, which was the last thing I would have thought of as I had been taking a handful of supplements every day. However, I had overlooked one item – protein . My breakfast consisted of coffee and a pastry. Lunch was about the same. Dinner was the only real meal. I calculated that I was only getting about half the recommended protein per day, for several years. Well, without protein there are no amino acids and without amino acids there is no making of hormones. I started eating a substantial breakfast, usually two eggs and sometimes with meat. Even if I had pancakes or waffles, I would make them with two eggs an mixed grains. I would just snack for lunch but I made sure there was protein – nuts or peanut butter or tuna, etc. Anyway, my problems slowly disappeared, confirmed by recent tests with all the important markers now in the normal zone. Now I am back to my wacky self. One thing I found out is that others don’t understand chronic depression, especially if they have never had depression. They see no bones protruding through your flesh or blood dripping from your body so to them, there is nothing wrong with you. However, it can be much more debilitating than a physical problem. What I am getting at is none of the doctors asked me about my diet, not even the naturopath. In actuality it should have been the first question they asked me. I suspect that protein deprivation can be a serious problem with the elderly.