Four LIFE CHANGING reasons to take good care of yourself.
One thing I have learned from my role as a physician, working with clients as a coach and reflecting upon my own personal journey, is that when you change how you care for yourself, you change your life. I really mean that. No matter what you want to change, it can start with how you care for yourself. The lifestyle choices we make and the activities and beliefs we adopt impact us on so many levels. Here are four ways that self care can transform how you experience your life:
1.You can feel physically better now. Our bodies have internal reparative mechanisms that keep us healthy and feeling our best. Regular physical activity, a healthy food plan, stress management and sleep, all affect our energy level and biological systems such as hormonal balance, digestion, and immune function. Like any machine, proper maintenance is essential to keep running smoothly. The nonspecific headaches, fatigue, bloating, constipation, aches and many other symtpoms reported by so many people can vanish with healthier lifestyle choices. Feeling better....feels better.2⃣ You can feel emotionally better now. When you take care of yourself, you are demonstrating your self worth and meeting your own needs. When our needs are being met, we all feel more secure, loved and supported. From there, we can be our best selves and share all we have to give. Anger, resentment and depression can diminish and hope, self esteem and joy can flourish. How you see the world and how you appear to the world can shift.3⃣ You can stay healthier in the future. Researchers have determined that an astonishing 80% of chronic disease (stoke, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, dementia, etc) is lifestyle related. It is not all in your DNA. You have to ability to affect which genes are turned on and which genes are turned off to support your well-being and maintain your health and vitality. You can avoid the epidemic of chronic illness sweeping the globe and stay vibrant throughout your life.4⃣ You can heal old wounds. We all come from childhoods where some of our needs were not met. This may affect what we bring into our current lives and how we function in the world today in ways that run much deeper than we realize. This basic act of meeting our own needs with recurring small acts of self care can serve as a corrective emotional experience and fill up some of the holes we try to stuff with external comforts, such as food, shopping, alcohol and relationships. From this place, we can feel more authentic, joyous and connected to others and ourselves.
What changes have you wanted to make in how you take care of yourself? What are your motivating reasons to overcome any resistance or procrastination and live your best life? What can you do TODAY that will support where you want to go?
