A few weeks ago, in December just before the holidays, things caught up with me and my immune system crashed and burned a bit. I caught a cold and cough, then I overdid it physically during Christmas and had horrible back pain, then I didn’t sleep for a week, became exhausted, lost my appetite, and had some major digestive issues flare up. It was like a domino effect that I couldn’t stop! Things kept happening one after the other, despite what I thought were some pretty good efforts on my part - taking herbs, canceling one day of work, taking OTC stuff, steam inhalations, flu prevention, chiropractic etc. I started to worry pretty badly about the turn my health had taken, especially in regards to being pregnant and only 9 weeks away from this birth! Mentally I was draining myself.
I realized that I have been over-doing it, physically AND mentally. I needed to rest. Luckily, I had 3 days between Christmas and New Years to do just that, and boy how it did wonders for my health. I stayed in bed almost a whole day. I delegated household chores to my husband. I walked barefoot in the grass outside. I sat in the sun and meditated with my animals wandering around me. I took time each of those days to nourish my mind, heart, and body. I encourage you not to lose track of the importance of nourishing yourself, especially if you are one who takes care of people for a living. Moms, nurses, teachers, mediators, Dads, nannies, doctors, caregivers – don’t forget yourself and the space you need to recharge your batteries. I love the image above to remind us all how to “take a break” before we take someone’s head off… or just can’t keep up anymore. ♥
