Universal Smackdown

Universal Smackdown.  This is how my girlfriend described my life during these past months. I think of it as a wake-up call, a mid-life splash of water on the face, a call to change.  A cluster of strange physical symptoms started in late summer, primarily a deep fatigue that felt like a 50 pound weight around my neck.  My typically energetic and optimistic self went incognito, and I feared she might never resurface. Lots of blood tests, medical procedures, anxiety, fear, and tears followed. The good news is I think I am on the other side of this dark night of the soul, with plenty of new material to think about and a commitment to some much needed change.

One of the many hard earned lessons my Universal Smackdown provided was the importance of SELF CARE. It is NOT an option, but a necessity. I thought my sporadic meditation, occasional hot baths, and stack of spiritual books could offset the stress of work, 3 children, commuting, running a business, and holding a house together.

Our bodies, minds, and lives require space.  We need time to really shut down, and disconnect from the fast pace of our lives.  And the faster the pace, the more slowing down necessary.  “There is a connection between self-nurturing and self-respect,” Julia Cameron reminds us. 

There are lots of ways to care for self, and intuitively you know what you need.  Can you listen so the Universal Smackdown isn’t necessary?

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