The word for today: Self care. Okay, it’s two words. Two very important words.
I continue to go through all the stages of this rotten cold I have, and it makes me think that I have not been doing things to help me stay healthy. This cold, and missing out on things because of it, has been a wake up call to consider what else I can do.
I got my flu shot. if you haven’t gotten yours, go do it!
I stopped doing multi-vitamins years ago just because I was lazy. Once my container was empty I didn’t rush out to buy more and then I got out of the habit of taking ‘one a day’. (Do they still have that brand on the shelves?) It’s time for me to get back into it and to figure out what I need to take – as a woman at my age.
Another reason I want to focus on self care is this: I am not good – at all – about going to the doctor’s. I have to be feeling really, really lousy to even consider it. I have a problem with the lack of customer service I find in most doctor offices. They leave you sitting, mostly undressed, way too long in a little exam room – with paper thin walls. You can hear everything going on around you, in the hall and in the other exam rooms. Nobody stops in to check on you. You feel forgotten. Right? This has happened to me more than once. And, think about it, people who go into those tiny exam rooms are usually sick – carrying around all kinds of germs. I appreciate a new piece of paper pulled on the exam table but I don’t think that’s going to stop me from picking up bad stuff left behind by other patients. Same goes with the outside waiting areas. Seriously, are they ever dis-infected?
And, you know that once you go for a doctor’s visit there is always more to be done! oh, the questions that get asked! Have you had this or that done lately? Have you had a mammogram, a colonoscopy, blood work? Let’s schedule it all!?! Ugh. I know those tests are for my own good, but in reality, I’d rather just prefer to keep myself healthy and not live sitting around in more waiting rooms. Oh, and don’t you love the questions about drinking and smoking? Come on – tell the truth, do you fib about it to the doc?
Anyway…
Self care is important physically, but also emotionally and spiritually. I have learned as I have aged and lived, that they are REALLY important aspects of being healthy. I have learned to prioritize when it comes to relationships and when it comes to how I spend my time. I have found ways to keep positivity in my life. I look for joy in simple things. I keep on my rose-colored glasses.
Spirituality develops along a life line. At least for me it has, and it has made my existence deeper through time and it has brought me peace. This brings me back around to Advent. Self care for me includes taking the time to acknowledge Advent, the beginning of the Church year, a purposeful time as Christians prepare and await the birth of the baby Jesus. Keeping my spiritual part healthy means involvement in church related events, and in celebrating with others who are like minded. Christmas is not a one day event.
So, self care is vital. Without it I’m no good to anyone else. And I want to be.
Marla’s Musings 