Learning to Nurture Yourself

Starting a business is amazing and often daunting.

I can easily switch on my workaholic-mode and go go go until I drop, but never quite drop because I never quite turn it off. It's a cycle of constant over-exertion in order to get everything done for myself, as well as for everyone I care about.

But going nonstop has consequences for everyone, and having Fibromyalgia, when I crash I crash really hard. And having anxiety and depression means my stresses are translated through my dreams and I often wake extremely beaten down and confused. Medication can only do so much if you're making it do all the work.

It's hard to allow myself to have a 'nurture day', since every day is part of the countdown until the next art show, the next Etsy update, the next event to plan, the next something.

Today I rhetorically asked my mom if I have time to have a nurture day today, and she simply threw the question back at me. Do I have the time? You have to know your own body, your own limits and lines. Your lines are not actual limitations, but rather markers that show you how you should go about doing things at that point. I've been nonstop for months, waiting for the crash to come every week then ignoring it and pushing through until the next one. I haven't been honoring my physical vessel in which my creativity grows- and how are you suppose to thrive and be successful if your body is rejecting simply being awake?

Throughout my childhood I rarely got sick. My mom, however, knew it was necessary to have 'nurture days' to get me back on track when I had been over exerting myself and was lacking true balance in my life. I would take a day off of school every now and then when there were no tests or any 'important' activities going on, and I would nurture myself.

Nurturing yourself includes getting the rest your body needs, eating healthy foods, drinking tea, taking a warm shower or bath, freshening up your living space, catching up on a tv series that brings you joy, reading the book you otherwise don't make time to read, and anything else that allows your body and soul to be rejuvenated.

If it weren't for Fibromyalgia I may have never truly learned this lesson. I like to 'suck it up' and push through until I physically can't anymore, and Fibro stops me in my tracks a lot faster, opening my eyes to the abuse I put myself through without balancing it with nurture. I can't say I'm stoked to have it, it's not fun, but it's a lesson for me in many areas of life, lessons I'm grateful to have learned so I can continue to better my quality of life.

Thank you for reading this. You've allowed yourself to sit still for a few minutes and contemplate a topic that urges you to take care of yourself. Whoever you are, I want the best for you. Find a time to nurture yourself- I know I will be today.

So with that, I'm going to light some incense, kiss my bunny, soak my achey limbs, drink a ton of tea, and ultimately nurture myself.

Love & Light