Who is your best friend? Not in the junior high context of a bestie but who truly gets you? Would you do anything to help your special friend? Do you show love to this significant influence in your life?
What if your best friend was yourself? Do you love yourself? Do you do everything you possibly can to take care of yourself? Do you love your body? Do you appreciate all the things your body does for you? It has carried you through all the years to this exact point where you are now! Do you appreciate that? Does it make you want to care for your body so it can continue this important and vital role in your life? Let’s look at the options.
Option One: You don’t care for your body and as you age it begins to break down which then impacts your ability to continue doing the things you love.
Option Two: You care greatly for your body and give it everything it needs and asks for because you are in tune with your body. In return, your body is strong and although aging, (fact of life) your body continues to allow you to be mobile and participate in the activities you love!
We can ask the same questions about your brain health since paying attention and caring for your mental health is equally important. My previous blog post talks about this. Brain Health
There are other aspects of life we can also ask these same questions. Community, nutrition (leads to body), exercise (also leads to body and mobility), and much more. In fact, ALL the pillars of health are overlapping and contribute to your well-being.
The concept I want to focus on is YOU. Are you your own best friend? Have you ever thought of yourself that way? Please do not misunderstand, we fully and completely need other people in our lives. I do not advocate becoming a loner as your own best friend. I suggest you consider caring for yourself as well as you would a dear friend.
On the topic of self-care. What do you envision? A day at the spa? A shopping day without responsibility? A day hiking in the woods with good friends? These are ALL really great as well as helpful for your mental health and well-being. However, if your life is like mine, these are not things you do every single day.
Let’s look at things you do on a regular basis when we talk about self-care. We have mortal bodies that are not intended to live forever. Sorry for the downer, but it is truth. Since we cannot live without our bodies, this means that time is an important consideration in our lives.
“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” Eph 5:15-17
Scripture tells us to be wise in the use of our time. Time is our MOST precious resource! We are challenged not to be foolish with our time and may I throw in, our health. Health impacts life. There is a cliché’ Health is Wealth but it is totally true! You cannot buy health.
You do have the power and the choice to optimize health through your daily actions. Are you doing that? Could you be better at it? If not, why not?
Sometimes we as human beings can be very hard headed and not see the forest through the trees. We think time will never end and do not see the need to take care of ourselves as well as we could. Then a life-changing event occurs (health or otherwise) that gets our attention and we realize we need to take better care and it becomes a necessity rather than an early choice.
Regardless, it’s not too late to begin treating yourself as your own best friend. Your future self will thank you! I am happy to share very specific actions with you privately. This is what I do! I help others find the wellness path I have found – even with chronic disease! It is an honor and a privilege!
In love and health,
Terri