Practicing Self Care

The last several months I have been on a journey of health, true health-total well being physically, spiritually, emotionally. I have ended unhealthy relationships with people that provide a constant barrage of negativity, focused on a better diet (I still heart crap food but I eat less of it...haha), dug deep into my soul and started dealing with things that I wished never happened, never existed.  The latest thing that I have been focusing on, not by choice, is self-care.  Yes, all these things that I have been doing are apart of self care in some way but I did them without having to put others on the back burner.  That all stopped a few weeks ago.  I had a terrible bout of food poisoning that took forever and a day to get out of my system.  The food poisoning passed just in time for me to get a staph infection with a lil cocktail of blood poisoning.  Now all of this was preventable but I chose to tough it out, not see a doctor and consequently things got serious right quick when the good Doctor advised me that just a few more days and it could have been fatal. Umm. whoa. It is not funny but I laugh even as I type this because it was such a small thing and it turned into this whole big drama all because I wanted to tough it out. People closest to me told me to go to the doctor; one even threatened not to speak to me until I provided proof of treatment. Am I really that stubborn? YES! It is true. Now if this had been my kids I would have been at the doctor, ER whatever.  But for me, I tough it out. Why is that? I know I am not alone in this- thus the post. 

This got me thinking about working for myself vs working for others.  I will pour my entire being into work that is for someone else.  I will give blood, sweat and tears and not ever miss a beat. However for myself, I will do what is needed but never really give the same energy that I would to another employer.  The issue, I think, is that somewhere in me I fight the old lies that somehow I am selfish for wanting more for myself. That pouring my all into my own life (which includes my children and loved ones) is somehow narcissistic- its somehow not the christian thing to do.  UGH! Gag me with a chainsaw. Even typing that makes me mad- that I have believed and bought into that way of thinking.  I am so over that way of thinking.  I have been blessed ejust like you, with talents. I am not going to waste them and then have to answer for keeping them locked up on the shelf for later use. 

I know some of you are reading this and thinking what is she talking about ? And yet, I know there are more of you that are saying you are guilty of the same thing.  It is true if you don't care for yourself first you cannot possibly care for others.  Now, honestly there are people that are sick beyond their control. I am not talking about those cases. I am talking about cases like mine where I just didn't tap into the resources God has provided like a Doctor with antibiotics when it first became an issue.

 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

choose love and be blessed wildly, 

wendy xoxoxoxox