I have a very good friend- she is an amazing woman. And besides being so great to me, she is also a great friend to others. Allow me to illustrate this: I asked her what she was doing this past weekend. She told me she was taking her friend away to a spa where she would stay for 3 nights. At first I was a bit jealous- why her and not me? Then she said her friend had suffered a recent loss and she was taking her away to decompress. Ok, that made sense! She was being a great friend to her, as I knew she was!
But, little did my friend know how much she herself needed the get-a-way. Upon her return she was relaxed, rejuvenated and couldn’t believe how long it had been since she had taken time for herself. She felt like a new person!
How often do we not put ourselves on the top of our “to do list”. How often do we not listen to our own internal and external cues?
Ever “feel like” you are getting sick but somehow you magically will yourself to be “ok” until the time is right (like the weekend when you don’t have to get up for the morning meeting. Or how your kids stay “fine” until their school break starts and they are sick for most of the family holiday!).
Sometimes, the more distractions we have, the less we notice our symptoms or feel ill. And then the free time that comes with a weekend or a holiday break may then lead you to notice that you’re not feeling your best.
There is such a strong connection between mind and body which should never be underestimated. A strong immune system relies on paying attention to both your physical and mental health. To help your body to reset, give yourself a hit of feel-good hormones and provide your body with nutrients needed to help fight infection, you need to get enough rest, sleep, exercise and proper nutrition- all in order to fight infection!
Taking time to relax and de-stress can mean an improvement in your mood, brain function, and memory. Relaxation will allow your mind and body to repair itself. You'll make better decisions. If a spa weekend isn’t in your plans, I encourage you to take some time to listen to what’s going on inside of you, lay down, take a breath, stretch your body, tke a bath, binge watch something fun, read a book (or my past posts!), and find your quiet zone.
For more information and help learning how to take important time for yourself, contact me at rachel@livehealthynyc.com