We tend to think of grief as an emotional response.  And, because emotions cannot be controlled, we fear that our grief can “get away” from us and we will lose control.  But grief is not simply an emotional response to an unwelcome change.  It touches our whole lives, including our body. It effects the way that we act upon the world around us. 

The good news is that we do have some measure of control over it.  We cannot make it go away, but we can exert control over how we express and respond to it.  This is especially true of the physical experiences of grief. 

Our bodies may experience grief in several ways.

Tiredness – Grief demands a great deal of energy from us.  If you have ever had to spend time in an extremely uncomfortable social setting, then you know how tiring it can be.  Being constantly on guard against the waves of grief that wash over us or simply trying to hide our feelings from the world can wear us out.  We use up our reserve energy with a trip to the grocery store or bank.  When we place out heads on our pillows at night we may be too exhausted to sleep.  Thus, we may live each day in constant need of a good long nap!

Disruption of Sleep and Eating Patterns – We may experience a significant change in our sleep and eating patterns.  We may eat and sleep more or eat and sleep less.  We may eat for comfort or sleep to get away from our thoughts.  Or, we may not want to eat at all. We tell ourselves that we are just not hungry.  We may also spend every night wide awake and then struggle to stay away during the day.  Grief is a profound disturbance in our lives and our bodies may try different ways of coping with the emotions and challenges that come with our unwelcome loss.  This may include our eating and sleeping habits.

Lowered Resistance to Disease – More and more literature is suggesting that grief, as a type of stress response, has a subtle but powerful effect on our immunity to disease.  As our bodies become more tired and our eating and sleeping patterns change, we may find ourselves catching a cold for the first time in 20 years.  The chemical changes within the body may make us more vulnerable to the ordinary, garden variety of virus around us.  We may become more likely to have stomach or intestinal problems.   According to some authorities, grief can literally make you sick.

With these physical changes that may come with our grief, self-care demands that we do our best to reduce our risk.  This is where we have some measure of control which I will cover in the tips section to follow.  We cannot control the ebb and flow of the feelings of loss or sadness or loneliness.  But we can do something about how they act upon our body.  We can reduce our vulnerability to tiredness, poor eating or sleeping, and disease.  When we grieve, we are not simply victims.  We can become agents for healing in our journey through grief. 

Rest Well – The key to a good night’s rest is in allowing the body, mind, and soul time to decompress and be ready for sleep.  When grief interferes with this, it becomes more difficult that we have trouble getting to or staying sleep and we end up napping during the day.  One tip for getting past this is by establishing a routine before bed.  Try to follow the same routine every night for a couple of weeks and see if it helps you get to sleep.  Avoid snacks and liquids before bedtime.  Avoid exercise or spending time on your phone or iPad before bed.  Listening to music or reading can be helpful for some folks.  Finally, resist the temptation to sleep during the day.  Stay active during the day and your sleep pattern should return to something more normal

Eat Well – Many are prone to either binge eating for comfort or losing their appetite.  Force yourself to eat 3 – 5 smalls meals a day.  Avoid overly starchy or highly processed foods like junk food.  Eat simple meals with healthy portions of fat, protein, and starch.  Eat whole grains, fresh fruit, and nuts.  By eating smaller meals more often the craving for snacks will not be as strong.  Many find it helpful to enjoy at least 1-2 meals a day with someone else.

Exercise Well – A short walk will help your body relax and release you from the bondage of your grief, at least temporarily.  These are not strenuous exercises, but simply keeping your body active.  Take the elevator for two floors up and three floors down.  Leave the car in the garage for a quick trip to the neighborhood store.  When shopping make a few extra laps of the store.  Rather than sitting and watching TV after supper, take a quick walk around the block.

Protect Yourself from Infections – Be aware of your environment when you are out.  Avoid areas where you will be brought into close contact with people who may be sneezing and coughing.  While this is not always possible, limit your exposure as much as you can.  Wash your hands frequently and follow with an alcohol disinfectant cleanser.  Watching your diet and exercise will also help your immune system stay vigilant.

Each of these tips are good for any time.  But when we are weakened by our grief they can be lifesavers.  Take good care of yourself.  You may be sad and lonely now, but you have a life to live.  Help yourself discover that you are not a victim of grief.  You have choices that can improve your life even while you grieve.

Physical Signs of Grief

64 Tips for Working Out and Eating Well While Grieving

Grief and Illness

During the Holiday Season we are challenged in four ways that have consequences for our Body as we engage the world around us – Calendar, Carbs, and Cash.

Calendar – It is very easy to become over-booked during the holidays.  In addition to our routine activities of work etc. we also have the added activities of shopping, socializing, decorating, and preparing for family.  Many who work also must include year-end responsibilities.  These added items on your calendar/to-do list complicate our self-care.  Do not delegate any portion of your calendar to someone else, keep control of our schedule and do not be afraid to say “No!”

Carbs – It is very easy to snack our way through the holidays.  Carbohydrate and fat-laced goodies are available 24/7.  Overeating Carbs can lead to lethargy and, in some people, depression-like symptoms.  Enjoy the season but enjoy some fresh fruit or other diet friendly carbs.  Enjoy carb free treats like jerky or soy snacks.  Limit your carbs to a safe level.  It is also important to watch how many of your carbs come out of a bottle.  Alcohol can be a killer during the holidays.  Enjoy all your carbs in moderation.

Cash – A final area of temptation is to overspend on Christmas.  It feels good to give.  Buying presents can be a very enjoyable activity.  This is especially true when we are buying for our children or grand-children.  Buy gifts out of a sense of “want to” rather than “ought to.”  Allow yourself the joy of giving by avoiding the duty of giving.  And, consider making rather than buying a gift.  Make gift giving a time to celebrate your relationship rather than an obligation to completed.

By watching our temptations to over-schedule, over eat, and over spend we will take care of how we physically enjoy this holiday season.

Our tip for Self-Care of the body in holidays is a word very few people like, budgeting.  Many see a budget as an oppressive tool, something that limits what we do.  But a budget is a way of taking control of our resources and using them in ways that we choose.  Far from limiting our freedom, it gives us room to pursue our dreams.  A budget allows us to Prioritize, Simplify, and Stay Focused on our goals.

Look at your calendar.  Whenever I scribble in whatever I want, whenever I want, I usually run out of days for something I really wanted to do.  The same thing happens with a financial budget.  Without a plan that considers my income and my priorities, I generally run out of money before I run out of month.  A budget gives us the option to make choices and that measure of control allows us to let go of a great deal of holiday anxiety.  (It doesn’t do much for the anxiety that grows out of wanting more than we can afford in time or money.  That is where lowering expectations comes in.)

Sit down and look at your calendar, plans for holiday eating, and your finances.  What are the things you want?  Prioritize them and plan on the items that are higher priority.  Simplify your lists by setting aside those that are not very high on your priorities.  And then, as you go through the next few weeks stay focused on your plan.  Make changes only when those changes are in tune with your priorities.  Keep the impulse calendaring, eating, and shopping to a minimum.

Self-care opens your world to greater control and freedom to choose.  Give yourself the gift of less stress and more control this holiday season.

Taking Control of your Holidays

Setting Priorities

Regaining Control of Your Life

Multiple studies have demonstrated that human contact is an essential part of the human experience.  The largest organ in our body is our skin.  It is designed to receive and to share human contact.  It allows us to know that we are not alone.

Along with human touch, we also can sense another’s presence through Spatial Contact.  Physical touch is primarily a skin sensation interpreted through the mind and soul.  Spatial contact is a multisensory experience of hearing, seeing, and feeling a presence interpreted through the mind and soul as well.  Together, physical touch and spatial contact allow us to enter into and participate in relationships.

These capacities come in many varieties.  There is the tender touch of the lover and the abusive touch of the attacker.  There is a comforting presence of a friend and a threatening presence of an enemy.  These senses allow for one person to communicate non-verbally with another non-verbally.  They assist us in assessing whether a relationship is healthy or unhealthy. The mind remembers previous contacts and interprets this contact.  The soul then responds with a feeling that will guide us in making a decision about whether to pursue or break off the relationship.

Physical touch and spatial contact also allow us to develop the most intimate and close relationships possible.  They permit a closeness that language fails to capture.  Touch and spatial contact are key to developing and maintaining proper distance in our relationships. 

There are concentric zones of safe space around our bodies that no one may enter without our permission.  There are limits to the places on our bodies for physical touch.  Each of us are responsible for permitting or denying Physical Touch and Spatial Contact.  In doing so we establish and manage the relationships that surround us.

Therefore, self-care requires that we know and protect our physical and spatial boundaries.  Doing so not only protects us from abuse, but it can also foster a sense of security and well-being.  We can use physical touch and spatial contact not only to keep some people “out” but also allow other folks “in.”  In the process, we bring into our lives people who nurture and care for us.  We discover that we are not alone!

InTouch is a practice that allows us to become more sensitive and aware of our physical and spatial comfort zones.

First, remember the feelings that occurred the last time someone “invaded your personal space.”  That sense of alarm serves as a warning.

Second, draw a series of four concentric circles on a piece of paper at roughly 2 inch distances.  Place a dot in the center.  You are the dot and it represents physical touch.  The 1st zone represents intimate relationships, or Kissing Zone.  The 2nd Zone represents the close friends Zone.  The 3rd Zone represents acquaintances, or Conversational or Zone.  The 4th Zone represents the public, or Business Zone.  Beyond the last circle represents the Stanger Zone, or Walk Across the Street Zone.  The actually physical distance may vary depending on the relationship you have with those around you but we each have these zones.

Third, using your Facebook, Address book, or other list of friends, place their initials in the various zones.

Last, over the next week remain mindful of these zones as you encounter these people and begin to recognize the distances that you maintain between yourself and other people.  Do you experience any of the Alarm Feelings with these people?  Do you have some folks in the wrong zones?  Are your boundaries too close or just about right?  How aware are you of the feelings that these people’s physical presence trigger in your soul?

A bonus step might include considering the Physical Contact that you allow in your life.  Which of these trigger an Alarm feeling? Which ones trigger a sense of comfort?  Which one’s trigger a far deeper desire for closeness?  Are your boundaries just about right or is there some confusion in them?  If you have any concerns about these, seek out a trusted friend who can help you sort them out.

Defining Personal Space

Personal Touching Zones

Personal Boundary Setting

Last week we began our exploration of weariness, being tired beyond tired.  It is the price we pay for pushing ourselves way beyond our limits for an extended period of time.  We feel it in our body-mind-soul.  This week we will explore body weariness.

What are some of the signs we are body weary?  We may feel a deep tiredness that will not go away.  We may fall asleep within minutes of putting our head on the pillow and then feel just as tired when we wake up the next morning.  Our muscles and joints may be strained and aching.  We may have an unusual back or shoulder pain.  We may find ourselves gaining weight unexpectedly due to less activity and more “comfort” eating.  We may experience more frequent infections or intestinal problems

This is the ransom we must pay for taking our body beyond the reasonable limits.  We cannot ignore these signs if we want to regain our vitality.  To do so will place us at risk for a chronic fatigue that will be even more difficult to address.  Unfortunately, our times encourage us to ignore them and keep on going.  We may be afraid of losing our job or not being able to pay the bills.  Our ego may resist accepting the physical limits due to age or circumstances.  We may feel the need to prove that we are just as strong as the guy or gal next door.  We may feel that if we don’t keep going, our family or friends will be disappointed in us.  But, none of these are worth ruining our health. 

Self-care is about recognizing and accepting responsibility for our choices and consequences.  When you are body weary, it is time for a little GBC (Gentle Body Care).  Most of the time, following the tips below will help the body recover.  But, body weariness seldom occurs in a vacuum.  GBC will not help a great deal unless we deal with the effects of our weariness on our mind and soul also.  But GBC may be a good place to start.

Here are several ways that you can offer yourself a little BGC.

Light to Moderate Exercise to promote Rest – Complete inactivity is only called for when you have physically injured something.  Short of this, a little exercise will help your body relax and get prepared for healing rest.  A walk around the block, a few minutes of stretching, or yoga can allow the tension that has built up in your body to relax. 

Establish a Bedtime Routine – Start a simple routine for bed time.  It may include personal grooming like a quiet bath or shower.  Perhaps you may want to read or watch TV. It could include a small snack or glass of milk.  The important element is to help the body prepare itself for rest.  The routine allows the “going-to-sleep” process to flow naturally out of your day so that you avoid tossing and turning “trying to get to sleep.”  Do not turn over and try to sleep until your body says it is ready.

Progressive Relaxation – In those times when sleep will not come try a little progressive relaxation.  This is simply being present to the tension and aches and pains in the body and allowing them to ease.  Lay on your back and attend to each part of your body.  It is usually suggested that we begin with our feet and identify each bit of tension and discomfort.  You might imagine that tension being the color red and relax that tension until it changes to blue.  Work up through your body until you reach the tips of your fingers.  This may assist your body in finding a sense of quiet and calm.

Fresh Fruits and Veggies – One last tip for dealing with body weariness is watching what and how you eat.  Add more fresh fruits and vegetables to your daily diet.  Cut down on the heavy carbs (especially heavily processed carbs).  Do not over-do the proteins. Eat smaller meals more frequently and more slowly.  Allow your meal time to be a time of quiet relaxing rather than a quick refueling before returning to the battle.

If you simply cannot move beyond the weariness, consult your physician and explore medical causes and solutions.  The consequences of pushing ourselves too far beyond our limits can have dire consequences.  Accept responsibility and deal with your weariness.  Take time for some GBC.

Slow Down

One Day A Week

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

This week we will explore self-care of the body when all is well.  In recent years a revolution in healthcare has led to a major change in attitudes.  50 years ago we only went to the doctor when we were sick.  (Actually, many times the doctor came to us when we were sick.)  But we very seldom saw a doctor unless something was wrong.  Today, most people, if they can afford it, have regularly scheduled appointments for “check-ups” to forestall getting sick. We still seek out a doctor when we are sick, but preventative care has become the standard.  Regular checkups, eating well, getting adequate rest and exercise are the usual ways that we “play nice” with our bodies.

Watch your diet.  The old computer programming saying applies, “Garbage in…Garbage out!”  One of our Doctor’s at Vantage Hospice noted that he seldom sees an overweight 100 year old.  That’s because they eat the smallest amount of food that is most densely packed with nutrients.  It is ok to “Live to eat!” from time to time but our everyday diet needs to focus more on eating to not just live, but to live well.

Give your body a little run – or at least a brisk walk.  Not everyone needs to run a marathon regularly.  But we all need to exercise the heart and lungs a bit.  Always check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program.  But is never hurts to pick up the pace a little on your daily walking.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Stretch out your steps and give them a bit of a work out.  If your knees can take it, do an occasional deep knee bend after you have been sitting at your desk or driving for a while.  In short, play nice and give your body a little exercise.

Rest it up.  Studies show that the average hours of sleep in America has steadily fallen.  We stay up too late and get up too early.  Many health professionals recommend between 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night.  But with longer commutes and more productivity being demanded in an increasingly competitive workplace, people are getting 4-5 hours per night.  In addition, being overweight increases our chances for sleep apnea which, if left untreated, destroys the quality of those few hours of sleep.  Our body needs rest,  Getting a good, solid period of rest each night will help keep us healthy.

Drink plenty of water.  With the heavy marketing of sugared and carbonated drinks, the enjoyment of plain old fresh water has fallen.  In recent years, many people have re-discovered the joy of water.  Unfortunately, we still do not drink enough.  Dehydration is a very real problem in our everyday world.  Water is vital to every aspect of our physical life and without it we develop all kinds of health issues.  Mayoclinic.org reports that even mild dehydration can “drain your energy and make you feel tired.”  Studies suggest that the old rule of “Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid each day” is a good rule of thumb.  But our actual needs may vary based on our overall health, our level of activity, and where we live. 

The most important thing we can do for our body when everything is working well, is to learn to appreciate it by learning to accept it just the way it is.  Take care of it.   Our lives depend on it.  Play nice with your body.  It is your original lifelong companion!

The Ancient Celts believed in prayer throughout the day for even the most mundane tasks.  They would have a prayer for starting the morning fire or washing the breakfast dishes.  In this tradition, I suggest you begin to take a Blessing Bath to help you learn to appreciate, accept, and celebrate your body.

When you take your shower or bath, pause as you clean each part of your body and name a reason why that part is important to you.  Try to find a different reason for each part each day.

As you feel your body becoming clean, experience the very life that flows through your veins and fills your lungs.  Allow the water to wash away your disappointments and restore the wonder that it deserves.  It is more than an organic machine.  It is an intricate miracle of creation that has been crafted over millions of years.  And it is all yours! 

Be sure and end your bath with words of appreciation for all that your body allows you to be and do.

Signs we are healthy!

How Much Water?

How Much Sleep?

Physical self-care can be very challenging.  Most folks know that they should eat right, exercise, and get plenty of sleep.  We know that if we drink to excess, smoke, or use drugs we will experience negative physical consequences.  We all know of people who have suffered and died because they did not take care of their body.  We know all of this.  And yet, we remain overweight, out of shape, and sleep deprived. 

We can be very creative with reasons to justify our inactions when we do not want to do something.  This is particularly true when it comes to ignoring our need for self-care of our body.  Among the many roadblocks, three have become very common.

“I am not my body!”  Since the renaissance, Western Folks have become increasingly attached to our minds.  We place a great deal of importance on reasoning and thought.  Many of us have come to believe that we are not only a body, but a spirit.  In the last 500 years, many religions have taught that the spirit is the true self that will survive the death of the body.  This idea reinforces a belief that the body is just a temporary vessel that will be cast aside at death.  Therefore, we have no real responsibility for taking care of it since it will wear out one day anyway.  Unfortunately, many of us come to our senses far too late.  This body must serve us well until we cast it aside.  By the time many learn to eat well, exercise, and rest they have already done too much damage.

“It won’t make any difference!”  The second roadblock to self-care of the body is related to the first.  Even when we come to understand the importance of our body to our happiness, we may have done too much harm.  We convince ourselves that exercise, proper diet, and avoiding tobacco etc. will not do any good.   Also, folks who have genetic predispositions for high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, or stroke may believe that they cannot fight heredity.  “It won’t make any difference!”  

 “It won’t happen to me!”  A third roadblock denies that we will suffer the physical consequences of our actions.  We want to believe that we are different, we are immortal.  When we were young, many of us took chances with our health because death was too far away to be meaningful.  We could live like we wanted for 50 years and then start worrying about dying.  As long as we feel strong enough to do what we want, we feel immune to the consequences of our poor choices.  This idea, like the previous two, can become deeply engrained in our beliefs.  So that, even at 50, we continue to feel immortal until our health begins to suffer.

Each of these roadblocks can be overcome.  By simply acknowledging them, we can begin to see the mythology they carry.  We can begin to appreciate the importance of the body to our daily living.  We can begin to accept the need for paying attention to our body’s need for proper nutrition, exercise, and rest. 

I invite you to copy these words onto a small card and place them on your bathroom mirror.  Each morning, after your shower, I encourage you to look at yourself in the mirror as you say these words to yourself.

A Morning Mantra for Body Self-Care

“I am a body designed to carry me through many years of life.  If I take care of it, I will live a full and meaningful life.”

“I can always make a difference.  Even though I may experience physical challenges, I can improve my health by eating well, getting enough exercise, and adequate rest.”

“I am not immune from life.  I cannot disregard the risks without suffering the consequences.”

WebMD on Healthy Living

CDC on Roadblocks to Physical Health

Overcoming Roadblocks to Exercise

Stress is a result of the human spirit addressing unwanted situations for which it feels unprepared. It engages the whole human spirit, body-mind-soul.  Over the next few weeks we will be exploring stress and discover many ways that we can deal with it. 

Stress has both short-term and long term effects upon the body.

In the short-term, stress prepares the body to respond to a perceived threat.  It will prepare the body to fight or flee.  It constricts the peripheral blood supply, forcing the blood to the muscles and inner organs where it is available for energy and quick re-oxygenation.  This may make our hands and feet feel cold while our face may flush.  Stress causes the adrenal glands to release adrenaline and cortisol that makes more energy available for the muscles and causes heightened awareness of the senses.  Our blood pressure rises and our liver pushes extra glucose into the blood.  It also slows down the digestive system which may lead to a sour stomach if we are still processing a meal.  Stress may stimulates the immune system to help stave off infection and inflammation from injuries.  All of these are helpful to address the source of the stress, in the short-term.

But, in the long-term, these can become very harmful to the body.  If the stress continues after the event concludes, the body continues to maintain its fight of flight status.  The stress levels remain high if we continue to worry about the event or dread future events.  By allowing the fear that was generated by the event to continue to bubble in our spirit, the physical effects continue.  Our body keeps pumping the hormones and continue to enjoy the “adrenalin high.”

Chronic stress can be a major contributor to headaches, insomnia, overeating, drug abuse, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and Type II Diabetes.  Cortisol can, over time, suppress the immune system and cause existing ulcers to flare-up, inhibit immunity to virus infections, and slow our capacity to heal after an illness or injury.  It has been suggested that chronic stress can suppress our resistance to allergens and increase our allergic reactions.  Stress, while helpful in the short-term, has devastating effects on the human body over the long term.

While we have limited control over when and how we experience stress in the short-term, we have a great deal of control over how we deal with the long-term effects.  Good self-care recognizes when we are stressed and offers us ways avoid stress as a “way of life.”

There are three primary ways that we can deal with the effects of stress on our body; exercise, rest, and eating well.

Exercise
Stress prepares the body to physically react.  In modern life, we seldom have the opportunity to burn the extra energy that stress provides.  It continues to bubble beneath the surface.  When this extra energy makes it impossible for us to relax, we need to get up and use our large muscles.  Walk it off.  Take a run if you are accustomed to running.  Go for a swim or an extra session at the gym. Exercise allows the body use up the extra energy generated by the stress response.

Rest
But, exercise can also enhance the stress response.  When we exercise beyond the point of being tired, the stress response may kick back in.  This is the well-known “Runner’s High” of the marathoner.  Therefore, when we feel our legs becoming heavy or our body becoming fatigued, it is time for a cool down.  We need to transition into a period of rest.  This allows the cardiovascular, digestive, nervous, and endocrine systems to return to normal levels.  The effects of the stress will begin to wane.

Eating Well
The last tip for managing the effects of physical stress is to eat well.  Eating well means balancing a diet with high-fiber complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, along with low-fat sources of protein.  Many dieticians recommend that those suffering chronic stress should avoid high-fat foods, caffeine, and refined sugars.  These foods enhance the physical effects of chronic stress and cause more damage to the body.  Eating well will reduce the urge to binge eating on fatty, sweetened, and caffeinated foods when we are stressed.

When you find yourself unable to sleep because of worry or stressing over minor issues throughout the day, you can do three things.  Take a walk then take a few minutes to relax while you eat an apple or other piece of fruit.  By dissipating the energy in the short-term you will more likely be able to reduce the chronic stress that can literally steal your life from you.

Mayo Clinic and the Basics of Stress

WebMD and Stress and the Body

Women and the Physical Effects of Stress

Men and the Physical Effects of Stress

Our Body is an Old Friend.  It has been with us from the beginning. It has carried us through the good and the bad of life.  It wants only the best for us.  It talks to us constantly.  It tells us what is helpful and what is hurtful. Unfortunately, we just do not listen as often as we should.

We ignore the messages from our body at our own peril.  We tell ourselves to push through the pain until something snaps.  We disregard the light-headedness of low blood sugar until we pass out.  We do not let the years of accumulated stress convince us to change our lifestyle.  We convince ourselves that “mind over matter” is more important than listening to an “Old Friend” who only wants the best for us.

Our “Old Friend” tells us more than how the body is doing.  It can also let you know how your soul is doing.  That tight stomach just before your yearly review could be saying, “Relax!”  That hair-raising feeling on the back of your neck could be saying, “Keep your eyes open.  Some things not right!”  When we are distracted by details or lost in though, our feelings are often knowable only through how they affect on our body.  By listening carefully to the “Old Friend” our soul and mind can understand what is really going on with us.

Our “Old Friend” gives us the opportunity to do something about bad situations before that become “I told you so” moments.  Listen well!  It has much to teach the attentive mind and soul.    

This week’s tip is making a quick, Head-to-Toe Body check part of your daily routine.  At certain points during the day we check in with our scalp, face, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, chest, stomach, back…. (I guess you get the picture!) 

Is there tension of comfort?  Is it warm or cool?  Is there pain or comfort?  Are you sweating or dry? 

When you find something unusual then make a mental note.  If you keep a journal you might want to write a brief note with the time of day.  This allows you to come back and see if it was just a passing thing or part of a pattern.  Such information becomes invaluable when you have one of those “Why am I so tired?” moments.  Your body has probably been warning you!

Take a few minutes for this Head-to-Toe Body check throughout the day.  (On waking – at Mid-Morning – during Lunch – at Mid-afternoon – after Supper – at Bath or Bed time) Ask your old friend how they feel.

When You stumble across some discomfort, acknowledge it and spend a few minutes with it.  If you can do something now, do it.  If not make a mental note to check back later.  If it persists, get it checked out.

Body is your only life-long companion.  We only get one.  It wants you to be healthy and happy.  Listen to it and take what it tells you seriously! 

http://www.unimedliving.com/self-care/the-way-to-self-care/your-body-tells-the-truth.html

http://www.chopra.com/ccl/love-your-body-nurturing-ways-to-approach-self-care

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-14321/15-self-care-tips-for-anyone-who-works-too-much.html