Self Care is Health Care

Self Care is Health Care

ADJUST

Did you know that 85% of mental health is a reflection of the physical health of the body? Our own personal life force is composed of three things: Food, Sleep and Movement.

When we take precious care of our own health, from what we eat to our sleep cycle and the exercise and activities that complement our well-being, it allows us the ability to sit with any emotion that may come up.

I teach yoga to help everyone find that ability. It is so much more than postures. By finding stillness and harmony within yourself, you will have more patience with the people in your life, more confidence in yourself and acceptance in what is. True confidence is the ability to live with uncertainty.

ADAPT

There is a realm of illusion in our culture that handling things on our own deserves some kind of badge of honor. I learned quickly (by trying to handle everything on my own), that this equation does not work and it certainly does not allow us to self-preserve our physical or emotional health. I encountered a big reality check when I was diagnosed with Stage 3 triple negative breast cancer at age 35. 

With my initial diagnosis, I decided to push people away and be alone in my anger and misery until the reality of my predicament forced me to get help, medically as well as through my community of friends and family. Once I did so, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. 12 years later, I continue to reach out when I need help, acknowledge each emotion I have as a great learning tool and treat the health of my physical body as a necessity, not a luxury.

“Self-care is how you take your power back.” -Lelah Delia

ACCEPT

We all need each other because we are not meant to be alone in our pain or uncertainty. We need each other because quite simply, we cannot do it alone. The foundation of self-care at its core is self love. Love is our purpose, our joy and the answer.

When we learn to love the process of each and every emotion that arises or unexpected circumstances that we encounter, we will realize that things don’t in fact get easier, but we get better at doing hard things.

Once we can ADJUST, ADAPT and ACCEPT, we can ultimately offer ourselves the self-care we deserve in the hopes of freeing ourselves from energies and illnesses that compromise our own health care.