You see, the weather has been rainy, overcast and just a bit ho hum. Perfect for me to be quiet and allow my body to recharge and rest. I am not feeling any guilt about not getting in a ride or trying to squeeze in swim time. It's been absolutely perfect for me.
This week in my house of boys, we have been dealing with some under the weather kiddos. As many of you know that have kids, the sickness takes it's turn, going from one to the next...
As a mom, I try to instill some knowledge for each about what they need to do to be able to help themselves, i.e. self-care. I'm not talking about the basic's like, drink plenty of fluids, rest, go to bed early etc. What I am talking about is the individual needs that each one of the boys have that is different from the others.
I have one boy that will eat cheese any chance he is given, here is downside, he gets congested and ends up with far too much snot. He is the apple from my tree. I am not able to consume dairy without major congestion either. When he gets sick, stand by. You see, he is a nose breather. Ever since he was little , if his nose was stuffed, his world was turned upside down. As he has gotten older, I just look at him and say, OPEN YOUR MOUTH... BREATHE... sounds silly.. trust me, I know...
The other day on the drive to school, he asked me why I was not putting cheese on his sandwiches. I explained that the reason I have been omitting the cheese has been because of his increased levels of congestion.(in my house we just call it snot, but I think it might be gross to type so much in this post) He then went on to tell me that he does not want to admit that he is not able to eat his favorite food. I tried explaining that he didnt need to completely remove dairy from his diet but when he is sick and congested, he needs to know when to back off, not adding fuel to the fire.
The other night, I was having a conversation with another polo mom about a similar topic. Her son was starting to get acne. Her first step, she began removing all processed foods that he was eating (chips, soda etc) and guess what? wha-la... acne was gone within 2 weeks!
Her son recognized that although he wants to be a typical teenage boy, eating whatever he wants, he realized he is unable eat certain foods without consequence. I consider this awareness a tremendous step forward in maturity..
So...
I used the example of the other boy and processed food. I thought it would help to give better understanding of food choices and possible consequences. My intention was to plant the seed but at the moment I am not sure how well the seed stuck but I will continue to water and bring awareness..
Definition of self-care:the care of ones self without medical, professional,or other assistance or oversight.
Learning self-care..
Self-care has many different faces. One day it could be getting more sleep or resting while your body recharges. It could be eating well, fueling your body with the foods that make it feel best or simply drinking more water.Self care could be exercising more, taking a yoga class or walking the dog! On the flip side, self-care could be saying no to certain situations or asking for help instead of taking everything on yourself.
Self care to me is about creating boundaries for myself, putting my needs on top of the priority list. I recognize that I have others that depend of me. If I am not feeling up to snuff, I am not going to be much good for the others in my life. It is refueling my own tank. This week, it has been about rest, taking lots of liquid herbs and allowing my body to recharge.
The body we have been given is such an amazing gift. If you listen closely, it will tell you what it needs. The signals it gives you are little windows to connect with your intuition. The more you are able to listen, the better your mind body connection and learning what is best for you in that moment.
So as this week comes to a close, I welcome you to listen to your body and what it is asking from you. This is a small step forward in learning how to live a healthier life.
Wishing you all the best,
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