General Information
For the last four weeks I have been considering how weariness can take over our body-mind-soul. Today I conclude our explorations of weariness with a word or two about preventative care.
Weariness is not always self-inflicted. When it arrives on the unyielding waves of grief or illness, we must respond well and just move through it. But, when we become unwitting accomplices in our weariness, we can do something to prevent it.
First, we need to recognize the signs that we are heading into weariness. Have you experienced a major change in your life? Have you noticed an increase in negative chatter in your soul? Has it become a little more difficult to get going in the morning? Are your friends asking you if you are feeling okay? Each of these may be signs that there may be something going on under the surface of your day to day living.
Take some “mental health” time and talk with a trusted friend about this. Listen carefully to yourself as you describe your experiences and then listen more carefully as they respond to you. If, in fact, you suspect that you are just around the corner from weariness, read the Tips section below. If you decide that you are just tired, spend some time assessing where you need to make some changes in your life. A little TLC can go a long way at this point.
Weariness may be part of life, but it is not intended to be a lifetime residence. Remember, self-care is “Job One!” You alone are responsible for your life. Do the best you can to prepare for those life events that will bring weariness. And stay in touch with your inner self so that you can feel when you are creeping up on weariness. Be well, my friends. You are a gift to yourself and the rest of us. Take good care of yourself.
Weariness is not always self-inflicted. When it arrives on the unyielding waves of grief or illness, we must respond well and just move through it. But, when we become unwitting accomplices in our weariness, we can do something to prevent it.
First, we need to recognize the signs that we are heading into weariness. Have you experienced a major change in your life? Have you noticed an increase in negative chatter in your soul? Has it become a little more difficult to get going in the morning? Are your friends asking you if you are feeling okay? Each of these may be signs that there may be something going on under the surface of your day to day living.
Take some “mental health” time and talk with a trusted friend about this. Listen carefully to yourself as you describe your experiences and then listen more carefully as they respond to you. If, in fact, you suspect that you are just around the corner from weariness, read the Tips section below. If you decide that you are just tired, spend some time assessing where you need to make some changes in your life. A little TLC can go a long way at this point.
Weariness may be part of life, but it is not intended to be a lifetime residence. Remember, self-care is “Job One!” You alone are responsible for your life. Do the best you can to prepare for those life events that will bring weariness. And stay in touch with your inner self so that you can feel when you are creeping up on weariness. Be well, my friends. You are a gift to yourself and the rest of us. Take good care of yourself.
Tips
There are two things we need to do when we feel ourselves slipping into weariness.
First we need to Learn Our Limitations! We all have them. We can only run so far without a break. We can only concentrate for so long without a little rest. We can only offer care and compassion for so long without a bit of self-care. Our body-mind-soul has a way of telling us we are approaching our limitations, pain. As long as we remain aware of our pain we will generally avoid going past our limitations. Unfortunately, many of us have taken to heart the words of the coach who screamed in our ear “No pain, no gain!” We were taught to push through the pain if we wanted to excel. But this is not a philosophy of life, it is a coaching technique. Pain exists to tell us something is wrong. We ignore it at our peril. Listen to it and you will know and understand your limitations. Listen to our limitations and we will avoid becoming mired in body-mind-soul weariness.
Second, we need to Recognize Our Human and Personal Exceptionalism! Exceptionalism is the belief that we or our group is beyond special. We believe that the rules or usual expectations do not apply to us. Many of us in our youth lived as if we were immortal because we believed that the laws of physics did not apply to us. As we aged we wanted to believe that the laws of aging did not apply as we tried to live as if we were 20 years old. Many want to believe that because they have exceptional genes they can eat anything we want without consequences. We all have something that we believe makes us the exception rather than the rule. This exceptionalism can mask the pain and hide the consequences of our choices from our mind. Identify those beliefs and make them part of your self-inventory as you scan for signs of weariness.
When we learn to accept our limitations and let go of our exceptionalism we will be better prepared to see the preventable weariness coming on and take steps to avoid it. In the same way, accepting our limitations and letting go of our exceptionalism will take away many of the unknowns that surround those inevitable moments of weariness and allow us to move forward with our healing.
Be well, my friends.
(I will be on vacation the week of October 24th and will not be sending out a Self-Care Note. Talk with you on Halloween!)
First we need to Learn Our Limitations! We all have them. We can only run so far without a break. We can only concentrate for so long without a little rest. We can only offer care and compassion for so long without a bit of self-care. Our body-mind-soul has a way of telling us we are approaching our limitations, pain. As long as we remain aware of our pain we will generally avoid going past our limitations. Unfortunately, many of us have taken to heart the words of the coach who screamed in our ear “No pain, no gain!” We were taught to push through the pain if we wanted to excel. But this is not a philosophy of life, it is a coaching technique. Pain exists to tell us something is wrong. We ignore it at our peril. Listen to it and you will know and understand your limitations. Listen to our limitations and we will avoid becoming mired in body-mind-soul weariness.
Second, we need to Recognize Our Human and Personal Exceptionalism! Exceptionalism is the belief that we or our group is beyond special. We believe that the rules or usual expectations do not apply to us. Many of us in our youth lived as if we were immortal because we believed that the laws of physics did not apply to us. As we aged we wanted to believe that the laws of aging did not apply as we tried to live as if we were 20 years old. Many want to believe that because they have exceptional genes they can eat anything we want without consequences. We all have something that we believe makes us the exception rather than the rule. This exceptionalism can mask the pain and hide the consequences of our choices from our mind. Identify those beliefs and make them part of your self-inventory as you scan for signs of weariness.
When we learn to accept our limitations and let go of our exceptionalism we will be better prepared to see the preventable weariness coming on and take steps to avoid it. In the same way, accepting our limitations and letting go of our exceptionalism will take away many of the unknowns that surround those inevitable moments of weariness and allow us to move forward with our healing.
Be well, my friends.
(I will be on vacation the week of October 24th and will not be sending out a Self-Care Note. Talk with you on Halloween!)
FYI
“Self-Care for the Greying Goddess”
Accepting Limitations
Personal Exceptionalism in Recovery – Focused on Alcoholism but applies more generally as well.
Accepting Limitations
Personal Exceptionalism in Recovery – Focused on Alcoholism but applies more generally as well.
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