Self-care – does it support us when we are sick?
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Self-care – does it support us when we are sick?
Let’s be honest, when we get sick our first thought is often ‘when am I going to feel better?’ The minute we start to feel unwell, we look for remedies and solutions to ‘get us back to normal’.
How long is this going to go on for, what’s the usual timeframe something like this takes, how long am I going to be ‘off my feet’, how long is the recovery?
We ask ourselves and our medical people these questions so that we can feel some kind of relief in the knowing of what we are up for, as illness is something we have no control over. In our minds we ‘try’ and jump to the other end of what the sickness or illness may be about, wanting it to be over and done with like it is something inconvenient and intrusive in our life.
But are we missing the point? Are we missing a golden opportunity through the wisdom of our body?
If getting sick is point A and being well again is point B, whether it be for a day, a week, a month or longer, what do we do with this space in between points A and B? We could feel sorry for ourselves (and sometimes it is hard not to, yes), we could worry endlessly about what may happen, we could immerse ourselves in entertainment to while away the time until we are well again, or we could surrender and allow our body to do the work of healing.
Often we go straight to the outside looking for answers – what can I take, what treatment is available, what can I do? Absolutely, 100% we must seek appropriate medical support, that goes without saying. Medical support is paramount to healing.
But what if an equal part is the way we care for ourselves all of the time, not just when we are unwell? What if the way we care for ourselves, our ability to self-care at point B, is like a bank account where when we’re well, we are making deposits, and then when we are sick at point A, we have a surplus to draw on?
To take another step, do we consider what the quality of our lived ‘wellness’ at point B is that may help prevent point A in the first place? Now this is not to say that all illness is preventable and this is another topic altogether, but it makes sense that how we live day-to-day will impact our mental and physical health. It is perhaps an invitation to take a look at anything in our everyday lived way that may not be serving us or that may be contributing to a diminished level of health and wellbeing.
Self-care isn’t something we do per se, it is a response that we take action on, so when we do get sick it isn’t about the things we do to get well again but about how we respond while we are sick.
When we’ve been listening to our body and caring for it as best we can when we are well, does this give us a foundation, a surplus, a ‘bank account credit’ if you like, to lean on when we are unwell?
For example, when we are well, how are we with ourselves in general? Do we get frustrated or beat ourselves up over not being able to do something or getting something wrong, or do we bring understanding to ourselves? Do we eat foods that dull our body, or nourish it? Do we rest or go to bed when we know we are tired, or do we fight it to keep going, to stay up to do something, watch something on TV or engage in conversation?
If we are not used to listening to our body, that is, deeply caring for ourselves when we are well, how equipped are we to do this when we are sick, to know what it is we need and to not wish the time away until we are well again, but to feel deeply from our body how best to support ourselves during this time.
And do the how we respond while we are sick we make whilst we are well also support us with the healing on the road to recovery?
How willing are we to invest in our health and wellbeing all of the time by listening to our body and responding so when healing comes our way through illness, we can surrender into it and not fight it from our mind, but allow our body to do what it needs to do with the support of medicine, our own care and nurturing, and the care and nurturing from others?
"The Livingness is our way to heal – the way we conduct the physical body through the day, in all that we do, is the greatest form of healing, or it can be the cause of all our harm."
Serge Benhayon Esoteric Teachings & Revelations Volume I, ed 1, p 606
Filed under
Medical treatment, Nurturing, Sickness, Well-being
