When I talk to people about the value of putting effort into managing proper self care, I often hear excuses like, “Oh self care? Sounds great, but I just don’t have any time for massages.” While getting a massage is certainly a wonderful treat, that is not really what I’m talking about. I’m talking about putting a little mindful energy into those things that are necessary for human beings to function. And in too many cases, these are things that we are all already doing for other people, just not so much for ourselves. And when it comes to self care, nutrition– along with sleep– is one of the most basic aspects.
There are two kinds of people I’ve found that skimp on nutrition self care. The first kind of person is great at taking care of others (kids being a prime example,) but does not extend that loving care to him-or-herself. The other kind of person is so focused on other obligations, often work-related, that they don’t put in much effort to eat well and eat often enough.
But here’s the hitch: the things that we make more important than our own optimum well-being, the things we hold so critical that we demote the priority of our own needs, these things will suffer in the long run because eventually we cannot function at our highest levels.
There is an expression I heard several years ago that I’ve always liked: “99% is a bitch, 100% is a breeze.” It refers to the fact that by committing fully to something that we say we want, our clarity of purpose makes that thing natural and automatic. What that means to me is that getting the most fulfilling results takes just a small bit of additional effort compared to the worrying we give debating about the amount of effort we might use to just get by.
Look at it this way: you do find some time–at some point–to eat some thing each and every day. So with just a small bit of planning and dedicating just a little clear intention here and there, you can enjoy the nutrition to keep you not only going, but thriving! And with minimal effort.
