I hope you're all doing great things out there today. I'm working on it - and yet, I'm a work in progress, (but I keep learning).
I saw this photo (I'm sharing here), on a social media website and it prompted me to think about the many ways we take care of ourselves, or not. Many of us take care of ourselves in some ways, but may neglect ourselves in others.
Why do we take care of ourselves? The obvious - it's good for us, good for our health, and it's the right thing to do...I'm sure you can think of other reasons too.
The basics: we take care of the body - nutrition, exercise, adequate rest. We want to feed ourselves spiritually, and mentally as well. Most of us try to take care of the body - and may or may not always do a good job of it. In this path we walk here on Earth, I keep discovering and learning various ways that I can take care of myself.
One of the key ingredients for me is to reduce stress in my life. I like Thoreau's quote, "Simplify, simplify, simplify." The less complex my life - the more I stay in the present - the less stress. With less stress, I feel better. Easy, right? Well - sometimes, yes - and I can flow with life like a river of love. Other times there's nothing simple about it at all.
Saying "No" can be one of those ways of caring for myself. Many times in the past I've found myself agreeing to do something, when I really didn't want to, or didn't have the time. But, out of guilt, or maybe even low self esteem, I said yes. Typically - this adds stress to my life. I may obsess about now being committed to something I had neither the desire or time to do. This can manifest in the body - maybe keeping me awake at night, tight muscles from stressing, even possibly causing my immune system to be compromised and getting sick, (if you believe in mind-body connection).
You may read this and think I have a selfish attitude, but I would disagree. Of course, it's a good thing to help when we can. The act of serving others with love, can be such a powerful force in our lives. I like to be of service as often as I can. I like to say "Yes," as well. However, in the past, my tendency to say yes has caused me to spread myself too thin, on many occasions. When I do that, I'm not taking care of myself - and the spirit of service turns into a commitment I regret and don't feel good about at all. It leaves me out of balance and ineffective.
I like the analogy of the oxygen mask on the airplane. The flight attendant giving the emergency instructions tells us, when the plane loses pressurization and oxygen masks come down, put your mask on first, then put them on people around you. When I take care of myself first - then I'm much better for those around me. I need to feel worthy enough and love myself enough to say No, when necessary and let the chips fall where they may.
When I take care of myself in this way so many other good things follow. Number one - I don't obsess with worry or regret about fulfilling what I agreed to. This helps me sleep better at night. This reduces stress in my life and helps me feel better about myself and the world around me.
So take care of yourself - physically, mentally, and spiritually. Cultivate love in your like and be of service to others when you can. But - love yourself as well. Say no when you need to. It's ok.
Have a great day.
Peace,
Tom
If I can help with your self care with massage, reflexology, hypnotherapy, or energy work like Reiki or CranialSacral therapy - let me know. I'm here to serve.
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