A simple act of kindness towards yourself, especially when your loved one is experiencing an emotional valley, is crucial.
Yesterday I made the time to make a healthy sandwich from a new fitness and nutrition program I am trying. I stopped to look up recipes, get the ingredients, and try different recipes for meals.
Seems easy, right? For some, maybe. But for me, I find I get pulled in a bunch of unexpected directions almost daily. A phone call from my kid's school, a work assignment that needs to get done, a last minute doctor appointment, or your loved one's disease nagging you for attention.
I had to change the habit of not taking care of myself.
I needed to break the cycle of ordering out lunch with hundreds of added calories I do not need. I had to change the habit of not taking care of myself, and putting my health and nutrition on the back burner.
I showed myself a simple act of kindness. I slowed down among the chaos. I took time to nourish my body, taste the food I am eating, and allowed myself to enjoy a meal rather than rushing.
This is part of self-care. It is part of creating and holding boundaries that you come first. It is saying "I am not a victim. I am separate from the chaos."
It is important in recovery for all of us to distinguish the line between ourselves and this disease. When the disease is in the corner begging for attention, it is our job and responsibility to put our lives first by taking care of ourselves. No one will do this for us, but ourselves.
"Don't wait for things to change. The change you're waiting for will come from within you. Start to nurture yourself through each stage," I read today in my daily passage from Melody Beattie in "Journey to the Heart."
And so I begin. Again. Each day, with my best foot forward.