You are not your thoughts. You are not your body. You’ve heard that a million times. However – and here’s where things become a little weird – your body is not all you.
For every one cell, about 10 microbes live inside of you. The microbes outnumber our cells. It is believed that over 1000 different species live in and on our bodies, in the stomach, intestines, mouth, pharynx, respiratory system, urogenital tract and on our skin.
That means 1-3 percent of your total weight are guests living rent-free inside of you. Now, before you freak out about the thought of being a host without ever having given housing permission or charged for rent, here’s the good news:
First, you are never alone.
Second, these guests of yours are not trespassers or party crashers. They are in-house cleaners, they help you digest the yummy food you have each day, they educate your immune system, they protect you from harm and much of what else they contribute to your bodily functions and our happiness is still unknown. When it comes to the body, which we think we know so well, there is so much yet to discover.
You are the caretaker of your own ecosystem.
But back to our guests. Imagine having guests that clean your house and help your wellbeing. Have you ever had guests like this? You want to make them comfortable and make sure they continue their great work, right? So, treat your microbial body-roomies really well and make their work as easy as possible by feeding them real food, getting enough sleep, moving your body and investing in your mental and emotional health.
Let’s see…we are not our thoughts, we are not our body and our body isn’t all us…what are we then? We are ecosystems. The microbes dwelling in your stomach or camping out on your skin view you as a whole world. To them, you are an entire planet. Can you imagine? You are the caretaker of your own ecosystem. Think of this if ever you feel insignificant. You are not.
Remember that you are a guardian, responsible for the wellbeing of an entire world.
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