-
Boundaries For Your Body
I don’t do New Years Resolutions (it’s mid January and it’s the first time I’ve mentioned the word, so maybe that’s obvious), and I don’t like to add more To Dos to my list when I’m already a little stressed (see also: yesterday’s post), but… Then this weekend happened.
After a meltdown-city type of week, I kept tossing around my sister’s favorite word: boundaries. It’s about as popular a word these days as “aesthetic” (used improperly as a verb) or “mindfulness” (which I really do want to be better at, but still alludes me).
Then, after an exhausting weekend that felt like one giant spiral, I realized: “Wow, I really need some boundaries for my body.” And the boundaries aren’t just from other people or work or that afore mentioned To Do list… They’re mostly from ME.
For as long as I can remember, I push and push on certain days and crash on others, and this back-and-forth is the only way I can keep up freelance jobs or active motherhood. But the problem is: It’s just not working. I’m crashing more and more… I loathe Mondays when the cycle begins again… and I’m miserable much of the time.
So, since I’ll be expanding upon the boundaries I chose a little more tomorrow, first let me ask the following:
Do you have any clear boundaries in your life when it comes to protecting your health?
What and when did you implement them? How have they worked so far?
-
2 Replies
-
Yes, get out of this spiral!
But you don’t need to think of boundaries for your body.
Your body IS the boundary. Just listen to it. It’s really that simple. Let your body call the shots. Don’t bother trying to figure it out with your mind, it has a different and conflicting agenda and is not to be trusted. Listening to your mind is what got you into the trouble of this exhausting spiral in the first place. Let it go. Ignore it.I have said this before, but repetition is the core of advertising, so I will share my little secret again:
When hungry, I eat. When thirsty, I drink. When tired, I sleep.
Of course this requires being in tune with your body, picking up all the early warning signs and acting on it. And always put your body first. This will enormously enhance your health and true happiness and quieten your mind in the process.
And remember: when eating, drinking, sleeping: only do that. Don’t think about anything else. Don’t multitask. This is mindfulness, keeping your attention in the moment. Don’t let yourself be distracted from what is happening right now. It’s very simple. Not easy in the beginning, but you will pick it up by doing it. It is applying yourself to the moment. Every moment.
-
Any clear or rigid body boundaries? Not really. Like Paul mentioned, my body generally tells me what my boundaries are. They are ever changing and illusive, but as long as I really listen to my body, I can generally find that boundary without crossing it.
Boundaries to protect my health have been easier for me to define and set during this pandemic. To me, they are more like a set of rules to follow, regardless of what my body says. For instance, my body isn’t holding me back from going on vacation, taking a carefree shopping trip, or seeing my friends and family. Most days I feel well enough to want to do those things. But in order to protect my health (and follow guidelines and NOT contribute to the spread of this virus), I have set certain boundaries.
To me, those are slightly different things – body boundaries and health boundaries. At least right now, in the context of COVID.
Log in to reply.