Beyond Bubble Baths: Self-care That Empowers

Pain hurts. Sometimes pain comes in a slow, growing way. Sometimes a pleasure becomes a pain, like a hug that gets so tight you feel you can’t breathe. A chocolate tastes great. A pound of chocolate within half an hour is a punishment.
My body is fantastic. In spite of everything I’ve done to it, it has served me well over the past 49 years. When I said to it, “Eat, because eating helps me forget my pain,” it adjusted its weight, circulation and digestive processes. It gave me fat to keep me well-stocked with energy, to comfort me that it was providing for me.
When I said to it, “Don’t go out and walk today, because I want to lie around,” it adjusted my blood pressure and regulated my heartbeat.
When I ate and drank so badly that my body couldn’t process it all, it gave me a kidney stone to remind me that it has needs too.
When I ate so much that carrying the excess weight around was a major undertaking, it gave me knee pain to remind me I need to give it more than food.
It’s not a pleasure when the snack I eat goes to fat because I’ve got plenty of extra energy stored already. It’s a punishment.
It’s not a pleasure when I lie around and don’t go out for fresh air. It’s a punishment.
It’s not good self-care to overfeed my body when it can hardly carry itself. It’s not good self-care to force it to lie around when it would rather be out enjoying itself.
Good self-care includes:
• Resting when I am tired
• Stopping before I‘m full, so my body can use some of my stored energy
• Drinking water to flush out excess weight and poisons
• Eating meals and snacks that provide a variety of nutrients
• Surrounding myself with beautiful things that I love
• Giving myself permission to make bad decisions without eternal recriminations
• Doing my chores to enjoy the satisfaction of a completed task
• Wearing nice clothes in good repair that I love
• Spending time with nature, whether it’s a walk in the park or holding a rock
• Being present for myself when I need it
• Refusing to eat things that feel bad as well as those that taste bad
• Refusing to punish myself for my choices
• Exercising until I feel good
• Sleeping until I feel rested
• Sitting quietly until I feel myself return to an even keel
• Sitting and thinking, but sometimes just sitting
• Rejoicing in my life every day, every moment