Learning how our bodies like to deal with stress and taking care of ourselves – in whatever form works best for each of us – has to be on our to-do list.  

When I am busy and have a million things to do and every minute of the day scheduled, the last thing I think I have time for is myself.  Taking a walk, going to the gym, rest, sitting still in meditation, talking through a stressful event with a friend, these are all things that the *feel* so “extra.”  Right? 

Who has time to do that?  Have you even seen my to-do list?  

It’s easy to think that taking care of ourselves is something we’ll do when we have nothing else going on.  “Oh, sure, if I had time it would be nice to sit still in my floor for half an hour in meditation twice a day.”  Or perhaps look at someone else and think, “Well, sure, if I had as much spare time as she does, I’d go to the gym, too.”

But if we really think about it — we can’t afford to skip taking care of ourselves.  

The first thing my doctor said was “What are you doing to deal with your stress? If you don’t process your stress, nothing I do will make any difference.”

I recently saw a new physician who focuses on integrative medicine.  He didn’t ask how I was feeling, or what my symptoms were.  The first thing he said to me, essentially, was “What are you doing to deal with your stress?  If you don’t process your stress, nothing I do will make a difference.”  Chronic stress affects our bodies and contributes to each of the leading causes of death in the United States and many other diseases, including my autoimmune condition.  Stress affects our bodies in ways we don’t fully understand.

If we don’t take care of that stress on a daily or weekly basis, our bodies have their own ways of making us slow down until we do.  

I’ve been running behind recently, overwhelmed and playing catch up in too many areas of my life.  Sleep.  My work.  Writing.  I want to put off yoga, or running, or meditating, until later, after I make this phone call, after I finish this deadline, after I mark one more thing off my list.  

But taking care of ourselves is the one thing we can’t afford to put off until tomorrow.  Unlike everything else on our “to-do” list, taking care of ourselves will make the rest of our day go more smoothly. It’s the only way to move the stress from our heads through our bodies and out of our way.

It will help us show up for all of those other things we need to do.

Life feels better.

When I take care of myself, the rest of my day feels more spacious.

I feel less overwhelmed.  

My to-do list hasn’t changed, but it doesn’t freak me out nearly as much.

When a sweet moment happens with my son, I can pause and feel that happiness.  

Frustrating events don’t seem like such a big deal.  People acting badly? Eh.  Conditions out of my control?  That sucks.  

Crap happens whether I work out or not, but I can stay positive much more easily if I am taking steps to process my stress.  The dishwasher will leak. The train will make me late.  My son will get sick.  The car will eventually break down.  I can’t control that.

I can only control whether I’m taking care of myself so that I don’t lose my mind when crap happens.  

Taking care of myself in this way sometimes feels like a “waste” of time.  I’m not actively knocking something off of my to-do list, so what’s the point, right?  But when we’re overwhelmed, when we are searching for a few extra minutes in the day, that’s when we need to do it the most.  Even if it’s three minutes.  Even if it’s four minutes.  Even if it’s five deep breaths.  Because those minutes, that time, it’s actually adding time to our day.  It’s lessening the overwhelm.  It’s guiding us back toward neutral.  It’s helping us that day, and every day after.

Wishing you a few moments of clarity amidst the chaos,

How can you take care of yourself today? Can you take five deep breaths? Can you call a friend you’ve neglect to connect with? Can you schedule some time for a walk? Let’s make time for ourselves! I’d love to hear from you — leave me a message below or send me an email!