“Listen to your body,” is something I have heard off and on as an adult. Well, you know, when you are sick or injured, it’s easy to pay attention to what is going on with your body in order to feel better. When you are healthy but occasionally have issues it is harder to pay attention and easier to explain symptoms away as a natural part of aging. “Lizz,” you ask, “what does this have to do with anything Geeky or social worky?”
It doesn’t, but I need to make it relevant so I can make changes. Stick with me here and you’ll see the connection.
I have been conducting an experiment in order to identify what I am doing, or eating, that might be keeping me up at night. After the events of this weekend, I’ve realized the answer is, at least partially, chocolate. “Lizz,” you ask, “why would you intentionally consume something that causes you discomfort?” I don’t, I just completely forget that it is a thing that I shouldn’t do until I go to bed and wake up a couple of hours later with something resembling heartburn, coughing, and having trouble breathing. Yes, this is probably something I should have talked to the doctor about, but honestly? I chalked it up to getting older and heavier and wasn’t overly concerned.
This time, it was a Mint Chocolate Twinkie that Tony had picked up for a holiday pitch-in I had to try. I wasn’t thinking. I really need to listen to my body, but I am an adult with ADHD and I seriously have a hard time remembering to do things and remembering those negative consequences before I have done the thing again that created them.
So, how do I change my behavior to avoid discomfort? I need to make chocolate be something my brain doesn’t want in my body, or that I would feel like a horrible person for eating. So now, chocolate is baby not-Yoda. I mean, I can’t eat baby not-Yoda. They are the cutest thing in the universe, loved by millions. Maybe even billions. I don’t know if this will work or not, but I need to listen to my body and learn to avoid the things that cause discomfort and prevent me from sleeping.
Why is it so hard for us to do things to take care of ourselves? Or maybe, the question I should be asking is why it is so easy to do things we know aren’t good for us? I know I am not alone in this, right? We all eat junk with no nutritional value, we drink beverages that aren’t good for us, and we don’t pay attention to the things our bodies are telling us. We are too tired and busy to pay attention. It’s time we take care of ourselves, sooner rather than later. So, whether you are pretending the thing you can’t have is baby not-Yoda, or if you are deciding to take better care of the baby not-Yoda within you, let’s start listening to our bodies. Let’s eat better, drink more water, and get more sleep, and see if we feel better and have the energy to create a better universe.
May the force be with you.
I feel you on this! For me, raw onion, orange juice, and, sadly, bacon send me into a “why did I do this to myself” panic that isn’t fun. Hopefully, we can all be a little more aware of things that change as we all age and adjust accordingly to, um, live long and prosper!
Jake, Not From State Farm
Yes, definitely. Now I’m going to stop reading on the internet and go to bed which is what I body needed likely 2 hours ago.