Tuesday
Procrastination station over here… I should be working on a book cover design, but it’s a tough project so I’m here instead.
All this healthy living has me learning a life lesson I should have learned years and years ago (add it to the list of growing experiences I’m having only now, after quitting – and am playing catch up with the grown-ups around me):
As much as we may live in our minds, our bodies have a big influence on our mental state. And our bodies are machines: what we fuel them with, and how we treat them (sleep, exercise, sunshine etc) makes a huge difference in how we feel. The mind-body connection is obvious, and I knew that already, but feeling and seeing it in action is another thing entirely.
Small example: today, I haven’t exercised or eaten anything green yet today. Pizza for lunch is sitting like a brick in my stomach and I’m feeling rather dreary and lethargic. Last night’s sleep was interrupted by boys in our bed from 2am on, kicking my back and fussing occasionally. And this mood, which in the past I might have attributed to the stress of work or the depletion of spending time with two energetic 4yos, I can now blame almost 100% on my body’s physical condition.
Knowing that is really freeing for me, a person who tends to get caught up in her thoughts – as though they are more reality than the reality in front of me.
And knowing that, I have a tool. Tonight, I plan to find a way to work out, eat a big old salad for dinner – maybe with some fish, and get to bed early. Mood lifted already – just in anticipation.
Gratitude Postscript
I’m grateful for another fun morning with the boys (aquarium visit with a fellow mom friend & her two young kids). I’m grateful that today has been going like clockwork, appointments, nap time, freelance etc. I’m grateful C seems to be in a good mood. And I’m grateful that my sister is doing so well after delivering E, our family’s newest member.