Dear Beautiful You,
I recently read a friend’s post on Facebook which had a picture titled “The Rules For Being Human” and the first rule was this:
You will receive a body.
You may like it or not,
but it will be yours for the entire period round.
These words hit me in a way none other had. Of course I knew that taking care of your body is part of healing. I write about it often. But the simplicity of these words made me *pause* and think.
You will receive a body.
You, this beautiful soul that is here to love, spread joy and learn lessons is given a body. Your very own body which allows you to create, live and connect with others in this world.
You may like it or not,
but it will be yours for the entire period around.
This sums up so much about our own personal lessons. We were given this body for our time here and we get no other. It is with us our whole lives.
WOW!
And what do we do with this gift that is lovingly handed to us ?
We abuse it
We don't listen to it
We ignore it
We fight it
We speak ill to it
We try to change it
Could we try this?
Love it
Hear it
Pay attention to it
Take care of it
Speak kindly about it
Accept it
I was always doing my best to take care of myself. As someone who has suffered with excruciating anxiety, I had to stay on top of self-care, however I really was not appreciating my body to its fullest. In fact, I think I may have been holding some anger towards it. I went through many physical changes as a result of anxiety and never wanted to be that skinny again. So I pushed my body to gain weight and ate foods that I knew were probably not for my highest and best, just to make sure I was never looked that way again. I was in a battle with my body, and my soul was getting hurt in the process.
I needed to love myself, including my body, no matter how it appeared. I chose to love my body for holding on during such a stressful situation, and admire it for not giving up on me. It did what it had to, adjusting to the anxiety, and eventually creating changes towards health at exactly the right time.
It is a tough process. If it were easy, it would not be a life lesson.
I have gone back and forth with this lesson for years. Since I have been without an anxiety condition, I forget sometimes and disrespect my body. I will eat too much of what is not good for me or drink a few glasses of wine too many and wonder why my body is reacting the way it does. The reactions are its insightful communication to me, letting me know it needs a break. It needs love. It needs attention. It needs more exercise.
While on vacation I stopped once again all sugar, alcohol, caffeine, gluten and dairy. I do not eat terribly, so it wasn't an exorbitant amount of change that I needed, but it was enough that my body has been saying (in ways of symptoms) we need to talk. It has been two weeks since my cleansing and I have not felt this alive in some time. I am giving my body the attention it deserves and needs. I am exercising in ways I had not in the past. I no longer am jumping into a class or running the treadmill, but instead getting out into the sun, riding bikes and taking long walks along the ocean's edge. It is what it wants right now and I am fully awake to what it is saying.
Anxiety is sneaky. It will lurk up on you again and again if you give it the space to return. Anxiety has always been about the relationship with the self. The answer is always love. In this case, it is loving the body you were given and thanking it for being with you for the duration.
Thank you to my beautiful body for telling me what needs to be done. And thank you to my still soul for hearing what needed to be heard.
You too have this ability to hear what your body is saying. Listen. You may like it or not, but remember this body is with you and needs just as much love as what you put out to others. Become a friend with your body. Best friends.
You are so beautiful.
Love Always , Lucie
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