Hi friend! As you may know, I’ve offered a day-to-day desk calendar with quotes for the past few years and will soon offer my fourth.
I’m currently working on the 2026 calendar, and, as I did last year, I’d love to include some quotes from the community.
If you’d like to submit a quote (or more than one!) for consideration, you can do that here.
Some guidelines to keep in mind:
1. Quotes can be up to 75 words.
2. They need to be entirely original.
3. They can be on any topic related to personal growth, including but …
(image)
“If you don’t give your mind and body a break, you’ll break. Stop pushing yourself through pain and exhaustion and take care of your needs.” ~Lori Deschene
When I collapsed that evening while fishing, I was fortunate not to land head-first into the water.
It was April 2018, a few weeks before my fiftieth birthday, and after work, I decided to walk to the local pond and spend the remaining hours of light fishing.
After a short time, though, I started to feel hot, a little lightheaded, and dizzy, and then the lights went out. I only blacked out for a second, but it was long enough to fall to the ground, and it scared the living you-know-what out of me.
The next several months involved working with doctors who ran a number of tests to see what might have caused the event. With no one issue found that would explain the collapse, my primary doctor started asking about my lifestyle habits.
She asked me to describe a typical week.
I told her I got up early Monday through Friday, got to work by 8 a.m., and got home around 7 p.m. Except on nights when I went to visit my mom at the nursing home; then I got home around 9 p.m. unless she was in the hospital again, and then it was later. I’m her healthcare power of attorney, so when she goes to the hospital, I’m always there, too.
On Saturdays, I’d wake up early, do the weekly chores, and run as many errands as possible by dinner time. Then, I’d eat, watch a few hours of TV, and go to bed.
On Sundays, I’d get up early to finish any chores and errands, then spend the afternoon visiting my mom at the nursing home again, have dinner with her, and I would usually get back around 7 p.m., followed by a few hours of TV while doing some last-minute laundry and then go to bed.
She asked me how often I took vacations.
My answer surprised me because I had never considered it before, but over the past five (or so) years, I have taken no vacations. All of my vacation and personal time accrued at work was either used up for doctor and hospital visits with my mom or because I was sick myself.
She asked me about hobbies and what I do for fun.
I said I liked to go fishing for an hour or so when time permits, but other than that, I really didn’t have anything else in my life. To be honest, this was a pretty humbling and embarrassing admission.
She asked about my eating and exercise habits.
My answer again surprised me: I did literally zero exercise, and I mainly ate based on cravings and convenience, which generally included high amounts of sugar and fat. Not to mention, I drink coffee all day at work and at home.
She was polite in her delivery, but her message was stern as she explained the problem and resolution.
Her assessment of the collapse I experienced had less to do with that one incident and more to do with a lifestyle that was more than my current mental and physical capacities could handle.
Through years of neglect, she continued, my overall mental and physical health had declined. Those faculties needed to be built back up, which would require willpower on my part and time so nature could run its course to heal what was broken.
She started listing all my problems, which included being overweight, having high blood pressure and terrible blood work, and feeling stressed out and tired all the time.
I needed to start a daily regimen that included eating nutritiously and doing daily exercise. That did not surprise me.
What surprised me was when she said I needed to fit more personal time for hobbies and activities into my week and more quiet time and rest into my days because both help our minds and bodies heal in different but essential ways.
I nodded in agreement, and for the first few days, I did precisely that, but then the train flew off the tracks.
Life happened, as it has a tendency to do, and I regressed back to my prior unhealthy ways. Instead of following my doctor’s advice, my routine started to center again around work, my mom, and doing chores.
I felt tired, drained, and unhealthy all the time, but I stubbornly pushed myself through each day, somehow thinking (or maybe just wishing) that tomorrow would be better.
Fast-forward about a year and a half, and COVID hit, and like everyone else, it added stress to my already overstressed life.
My mind and body didn’t respond well.
That’s wh
Recommended Story For You :
Discover the Obsession Method and Transform Your Relationships
Unveiling the Secrets to Rekindle Your Relationship and Get Your Girlfriend Back
Unlocking the Secrets of Water Harvesters for Sustainable Solutions
Your Trusted Guide to Practical Medicine for Every Household
Discover the Obsession Formula for Magnetic Connections
Transforming a Connection into a Lasting Relationship with One Simple Move
The High Output Pocket Farm – Cultivating Life amidst Desert War Zones
EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING THE EXACT TIME AND IN THE EXACT ORDER
0 Comments