Two Cents Worth
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I woke up last Sunday morning still stuffed from two days of nibbling.
Never ate a big meal just grazed and still felt like I was two months overdue for birth. I vowed not to eat anything all day. When I got home from Sunday Mass I was hungry. How does that happen?
Losing weight is always a good New Year’s resolution as is getting more exercise and to stop smoking. I did the latter some 20 years ago and am working on the other two. I seem to go in fits and starts but have never made it to the maintenance part. Maybe in 2016.
What we should all resolve to do this New Year is to take better care of ourselves. Now, all that stuff I just mentioned is a good start but there is much more we can do besides making physical adjustments to our lives.
Quite a few years ago I suffered daily from a health issue which could be very distressing for me and often aggravating for those around me. I saw many doctors and specialists. The tests were endless. Some tests were easy but others invasive and uncomfortable. Nothing ever showed up in any of the tests. Nothing was wrong with me, which is a good diagnosis but I suffered with it for years.
Stress was often suggested as a likely verdict. Stress? What stress? We all have tough times, bad days, hassles, trauma, it’s just life, right? Well, once the stress was eliminated from my life the medical issue cleared up.
Tension and anxiety can be something we often tolerate not even realizing it can cause untold physical symptoms. It is not something you should learn to live with, it is something you need to first identify, then control, reduce and eventually remove. Often it’s work related and that can be a tough one. Occasionally it breeds at home. Also not so easy. Sometimes it is the people you are connected to or associate with. And now and then it is just the demands you place on yourself. There are always methods to help you deal with those kinds of stress and they usually require changes in your attitude and behaviour. Bosses or family members might not appreciate the modifications you are making to how you relate to them because they are used to you being who they want you to be.
If you are going to take care of yourself you need to make the necessary adjustments to what you are willing to accept from others. If they are not willing to make the appropriate changes you may need to decide if that association is worth your happiness and wellbeing.
I have determined what causes me stress and I work really hard at not ever letting myself get to that place again. I remove the cause long before it can trigger medical problems.
So, I think, we should all make a resolution to take better care of ourselves so we can be happy and healthy. That is not too much for any of us to ask for.
Happy New Year everyone.