Someone once told me you wear your stress on your back and your face. I never really thought that was true until I found myself hospitalized for a week for picking up my 7 month old son. As I sat in the office of the back surgeon a week later, I found this to be true as he explained to me that I had the oldest spine he had seen on a thirty year old. For so many years i have been running on empty - taking care of two sick family members, raising a family, taking care of a household, running a division of an international company. Somewhere along the way I stopped doing things for myself. As I looked at myself and the extra 50 pounds I now carry, the wrinkles on my face that should not be there,and the grey hairs peeking out from my auburn head, I realized that I not only felt older than my 30 yrs but looked it too. For the next 6 weeks as watched as my mom and my husband care for my little one, I had my epiphany. I had invested so much time into everyone elses care I forgot to care for myself. I needed to put myself first in order to be the best caregiver possible. It sounds selfish but how could I go on like this playing in bed watching my little guy grow up from afar not being able to hold him or lift him up when he falls down.
My solution was to join the club down the street from us. They have a swim pool, a hot tub, sauna a gym, and a a track. Most importantly 2 hrs of free childcare per day. I have no excuses now not to go. I haven't felt this good in years
I guess the moral of this story is we all have our responsibilities and people that we care for. We have our own businesses or jobs and a bout a million people who try to steal our time. please do something selfish for yourself whether it is that gym membership or a dinner with friends, or even something as simple as a half hour a day to read your favorite book and de-stress.
I wanted to pass this on, because someone shared the news that stress and not taking care of yourself will get you nothing good. It can lead to heart attack, stroke, injuries and how can you care and love your family if you aren't here anymore? This came from a woman who I had physical therapy with. She was in her early 30's and recovering from a stroke and her dr asked her to pass the news along to the people she would meet. That person who asked me to pass it on saved my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment