Is your body screaming at you? Out beyond the altar of doing more, faster, there is a space of awareness, wisdom and compassion. I’ll meet you there. May these true confessions of an alchemist guide your way.
Ever look at yourself with a sense of humor?
I had a bumper crop of that recently, three days post-abdominal surgery.
I was under general anesthesia, complete with a breathing tube. Since I was released from the hospital the same day, I expected I would feel fine and have a great excuse to take a few days off and bond with my kids.
Check out my weekend to-do list:
Make fresh yogurt from scratch,
Teach my kids how to make natural facial sprays and masques,
Watch a thought-provoking movie w my daughters followed by a life-enhancing discussion,
Re-cover the antique footstools from my office,
Complete my personal tax prep,
Write an article on “The Mystic” for a new online magazine
Want to guess what actually happened?
None of the above.
Bet you saw that coming.
Surgery went well, but nausea threw me to the floor.
Great news: I guarantee I’ll never become addicted to codeine, torodal, or whatever the hell else they gave me.
(Cue hysterical laughter.)
My kids got the super-fun throw-up mommy to play all weekend.
(This is definitely not one that you want to buy for your kids during holiday season.)
I got exactly no nourishment, as everything that went down, came right back up, including the anti-nausea medication.
Going somewhere? I don’t think so.Monday was better, but better is a relative term.
I concluded that if I wasn’t well enough to drive my kids a mile and a half to the bus, seeing clients would have to wait.
After gritting my teeth and rescheduling, I had a good talk with myself.
I asked myself the same tough but loving questions I ask my clients.
And I realized something important.
I was treating my recovery process as an inconvenient interruption of daily life.
That is some really screwy logic that deserved to be flipped on its head.
So I re-decided. My priority was to fully and completely heal at all levels….even though his meant taking more time off than I wished.
To be clear, by “time off” I mean being still instead of pushing against the necessary boundaries my body screaming alerted me to when I ignored the whispers.
Which meant there was no freshly prepared yogurt, no eco-friendly skin care line and the tattered (but beloved) foot stools will be here a bit longer.
Tax prep was delayed and that article may or may not get written in a timely fashion.
But it also means I listened to my body, rest when I needed to, recovered as quickly as possible, and walked my talk about self-care.
love yourselfWhat good are pretty words if the the tongue they’re rolling off of isn’t true to their message?
So I ask you today, what will help you move into alignment with your healthiest self? Peek behind the fear of not being good enough, fast enough, strong enough, and inquire with love: “What do I need most in this moment?” With love and persistence, you will find yourself beginning to listen and respond to the subtle whispers instead of your body screaming. These blissful mind-body wellness strategies can help immeasurably, as can this tip on reconnecting with your body to find your joy!
Give yourself permission to take a step (or two) back and tend your deep needs right now. You are an amazingly bright being and I guarantee the world needs you WHOLE! And if you’re willing to join my true confessions, please share – where are YOU being guided to walk with more gentleness and compassion?
You’d think I would know better. My youngest daughter was bouncing around, climbing my leg and being a naturally distracting (if adorable) three-year-old. Looking back, I recall a blessed moment of quiet when she discovered my wallet sitting on my desk. I remember thinking, “I’d better take that away before something gets lost,” and even reached out to take the new “toy” out of her hands. But those big blue eyes looked up at me beseechingly, and I let her keep the credit card she had plucked from my wallet clutched in her hands.