Living Juicy: Prioritizing Self-Care

There are those of us who put the needs of others over the needs of ourselves.

WHY DO WE DO THAT?

I, for one, have prided myself on the extent to which I can neglect my own needs.  I’ve always thought of myself as “stronger” than other people because I can do without pampering and self-care.  (I think maybe it came from those years of reading about the virtue of being “longsuffering” when I was bored in church as  kid.)

A few weeks ago, I was knocked out by a urinary infection.  It’s only the second one I’ve ever had, and if you’ve never had one, let me just say, there’s no pain like pee pain, ok?  (Let’s be real.)

I know EXACTLY why I got the infection.  I was so focused preparing for my business launch that I went days without drinking water.  And to top it off, I was so caught up in what I was doing I refused to get up and use the bathroom when I needed to.

MY ENTIRE LIFE I’VE NEGLECTED MY BODY…

Partly because I HATE routine.  Having to do the same thing, repeatedly, bores and annoys me.  That includes taking a sip of water every few minutes, and running to the bathroom all the time.  It may sound crazy.  But when I am focused on something, I HATE to be interrupted, even by life’s little necessities.

Another reason I habitually neglect my body, is because, as a child, to survive years of sexual abuse, I trained myself to “live in my head, not in my body.”  (So that the “real me” wasn’t being affected.)  So when I’m busy doing head-work, I tend to completely ignore my body.

BUT THIS RECENT AILMENT WAS THE LAST STRAW…

A few really good coaching sessions with a dynamic new family coach, Sylky Resnicoff, helped me realize that if I don’t take care of myself, everything else that I pour my energy into will suffer.

If I’m not healthy, how will my business be healthy?  If I don’t take care of myself, how can I take care of my family?

I’VE DECIDED TO LIVE JUICY…

Instead of living a dehydrated, shrunken-down-like-a-raisin life, I am committing myself to full-out self-care.

I’m calling this campaign: Live Juicy

Borrowing imagery from a lovely book, entitled, Succulent Wild Woman by Sark (www.planetsark.com), I am on a mission to re-hydrate my body and my life.

For the past 2 weeks I’ve been armed with a 40 oz stainless steel water bottle filled with water, or water + cranberry juice, or water + liquid chlorophyll.

I’ve also been salads filled with succulent spinach, juicy tomatoes, and rich avocadoes.  And snacking on juicy things like oranges, apples, and grapefruit - instead of starchy things like rice and potatoes.

Breaking an old habit like self-neglect takes concentration.  But so far, I’m enjoying this new approach of LOVING my physical body.  I naturally care for anything I love…now I’ve just added my body to the list.

WANNA JOIN ME?

Comment on this post.  Let me know if you’ve also struggled with self-care, or if you have a really good idea about how to incorporate self-care on your list of priorities.

Let’s LIVE JUICY together.

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