Yeah, so I broke my strict diet, daily energy and meditation practices, minimum exercise goals and general discipline the past couple of weeks. I could give you all the excuses but they don’t matter. What matters is that I veered off the course of self-care and the universe didn’t hold back in letting me know that my self-indulgent sojourn comes with a price.
I’ll just say that for the past three weeks I’ve indulged in eating anything and everything, and I’ve enjoyed cocktails, staying up late, and just generally neglecting the healthful path I’ve diligently been on to clear up my autoimmune challenges. Defensively, I chalk up all this revelry and indulgence to going with the flow and sharing merriment and moments with friends, colleagues and family. In reality, I think I just needed a break.
My body likes clean eating, daily Qigong and meditation, vigorous workouts, and long nights of sleep. And all of these things make me feel so good!! However, my brain likes the nightlife…it likes to boogie. And, before this recent break in self-care, my brain has been on a time-out for quite a while.
Well, my brain saw my incredibly busy spring work and social calendar and decided to make a break for it. And I let it. It has been a blast!
However, my body feels otherwise and it has reared its disapproving and ugly head.
I have had a relapse of some autoimmune/Candidiasis symptoms that I thought I had handled. Ugh! Nothing major and all of it truly nagging at worst, but I know that my body is telling me that I’m neglecting it.
The most compelling mark of punishment is a slight patch of psoriasis under my left eye. It’s as if my body gave me a (light) shiner for being such a disrespectful punk. (Okay, got it. Message received. Sheesh! Go away already.)
Let’s face it, we all have limits. Physical, social, emotional, financial, and existential limits. I have always struggled with balancing all these varied aspects of life. Despite the struggle, I always try to maintain a balance but who doesn’t like a good party and good food with friends?!?
Well, my body doesn’t like it, that’s who. And your body probably doesn’t like it either. All of us pay for having too much ‘fun’. We all pay differently. My body likes to flaunt its authority by placing its mark of disapproval on the most egotistically vulnerable part of my body. My face.
It’s hard to hide an ugly patch of angry skin on your face and often cover-up only makes it angrier. So it’s my wake up call. Time to heed the warning that I don’t get to just run around and act like the youthful, indestructible, bon vivant that my brain wants to believe I am.
But I don’t regret, and I refuse to lament, this little recess I gave myself. I truly believe that we all need to let loose in life sometimes. We all need to give ourselves moments of indulgence and allow ourselves to fully enjoy life, especially when rare and interesting opportunities arise that can reinvigorate or reconnect us in a positive way.
We need to live in balance, in the duality of yin and yang. It’s important to keep life fun and interesting.
So, if you go off course, don’t sweat it. Just get back to business and keep moving forward. The key to long-term health and wellness is that whether you’re being disciplined or self-indulgent, both are good for you if you’re having fun and mindful of keeping a balance.
If either one isn’t truly fun and fulfilling then that’s the course that needs correcting.
Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash
