Why is it human nature that when others are in need, we'll bend over backwards to take care of them, but when its *our* turn to be taken care of, we instead neglect ourselves and make things worse? I am convinced that if we treated others like we treat ourselves, we'd have no friends. :)
I've been feeling under the weather for about 3 days now. That's when all self-care went out the window, and I decided that poor me "deserved" a trip through a fast food drive-thru for some "comfort food." A friend of mine once told me that she believed the body tends towards health until something gets in its way. Well, I had somehow already gotten in the way of health - no doubt by burning the candle at both ends - and then unconsciously decided that I would continue to get in the way of my health. Of course, if a friend or a client did that, I would counsel them to be gentle to him/herself, let it go, and start from where they were. But since I'm talking about myself, I then went into "beat up" mode - far from "being gentle with myself" - and continued my spiral of feeling I somehow "deserved" to continue to do unhealthy things because it would make me feel better.
It's so much easier to see it when it's happening to someone else, isn't it? I laugh at myself a lot when I figure things out. :)
Better late than never, I came home from work and decided that the self-care needed to begin now. I canceled plans to go to a networking event, cleared my calendar of client appointments for the next few days, and headed over to my office to do a Health Kinesiology session for myself. I made plans for some self-care over the next few days - I started using Young Living's Thieves Oil, which is a blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus radiata and rosemary oils. Those with sensitive skin should dilute Thieves. I rubbed some on the bottom of my feet before bed last night, rubbed some on my chest this morning before work, and gargled with some (diluted in water) for my sore throat. The oils in Thieves have antiseptic properties and may help with germs/colds/immunity. Here is a link to a booklet about Thieves and its uses.
I then diffused Young Living's Raven Oil, which is a blend of ravensara, lemon, wintergreen, peppermint and eucalyptus radiata oils. I think of it as the Vicks Vapor Rub of essential oils. :) I love the smell of it, and it is said to help with respiratory illness relief. I've used it in the past with great success.
I made sure I went to bed last night early so I could let my body rest and get some quality sleep. I made plans to start feeding my body healthy, nourishing foods and supplements to aid in my healing.
If you've ever flown in an airplane, you've no doubt heard during the safety announcements that in an emergency they urge parents to put on their own oxygen mask before tending to their children. Without your own oxygen mask in place, you are useless to others. I encourage all of us to put on our own oxygen masks in terms of self-care so we can be the best that we can be; we deserve no less!
Getting sick is a wake-up call for me that something is out of balance. I will need to sit with that and make a plan - not just for getting well, but staying that way.
What plans do you have for self-care and staying in balance?
Recent Comments