Work is work, whether it’s doing something you love or hate, it is still work. All work and no play not only makes Jack a dull boy, but dulls Jill’s senses just as much. We are not designed to work constantly and our bodies will remind us of this every chance it gets, as an act of self-preservation. Listen to your body, it has your best interests at heart.
Making time for yourself is not a luxury, but a necessity. I know many people (especially mothers) who have a hard time accepting this as a fact. It is a fact, whether you accept it or not does not make it any less so.
Mass media, their mouseketeers (marketers), and many a zealous personal trainer have made us feel guilty if we don’t “push through it”, “work through it”, and “just do it”.
As a martial arts, fitness, and yoga instructor I have been on both sides of this well-meaning commentary. As with all things there is a balance, and you must honor yourself to achieve it.
You are the caretaker of your body, and vice versa. Think about that for a moment. This is an interdependent relationship; one cannot exist without the other (well technically they can but the quality of life would be questionable).
I digress. The number one excuse for not taking time for self-care is “I have to work”. Please just copy/paste those words and drag them right over to the recycle bin as its just plain rubbish. Yes, most people do have to work. Think of it this way: every type of work requires some type of tool, be it physical or mental. Wouldn’t that make you the most important tool for your work? If you try to work with overused, or substandard tools wont your work suffer?
Wait, what does this have to do with herbs and green living? Everything.
Our botanical allies are always ready to generously offer nurturing support to help us find, maintain, or restore balance. The power of the plant world is absolutely astonishing. I have never understood why it is called “alternative medicine”, indeed it was the first medicine, the basis for the much later western medicine, and is still in wide used today. 80% of the world’s population use plants as their primary source of medicine *. Why? Because it works, simple as that.
So just quit it, honor yourself, and go embrace some green!
*Chris Kilham, medicinehunter.com/about-plant-medicines sourced 8.5.16
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