One of the first things I learned during my clinical rotations in nursing school was how to prevent injury to my neck and back when lifting and turning patients. But did I listen to my instructors? Nope. A few months after graduation, I threw a couple of discs in my back out of alignment and the only relief from the nagging pain was to have my three-year old daughter walk on my it. There's something to the saying "hindsight is 20/20." I now realize that I was not as grateful for my body as I should have been; a lesson I had to learn the hard way.
A few years later my husband had a stroke that left him with right-side paralysis. He needed assistance with daily tasks many of us in good physical condition take for granted. So what did I do, knowing very well that I already had a bad back? At the time I was proudly wearing my "Super Woman" cape. You know the one you wear when you are a wife, working mom, full-time student, and doing whatever else you have to do to make ends meet. So adding a couple of other chores like putting his wheelchair in and out of cars and vans, and helping him in and out of the bed and bathtub were no big deal. It’s what Super Moms do! Right? But wearing that cape came with a hefty cost, one that had not crossed my mind at the time. I really thought I was doing a good thing.
What price did I pay for ignoring sound information from my instructors and dismissing the lessons that my body was trying to teach me? If you didn’t know it, pain is a great teacher. Well, in 2009, some 20 years later, I was diagnosed with cervical/lumbar degenerative disc disease. In everyday terms, the discs in my neck and back are worn out. In 2022, a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of my spine showed that things had progressed from moderate to severe. Anyone who suffers from neck and back pain know that at times, the pain can be almost unbearable. But that’s another Blog post.
Had I been practicing living grateful back then, I could have avoided some of the damage to my neck and back. But I did the best I could at the time and now that I’ve learned better, each day I strive to do better.
Here is what I’ve learned:
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Gratitude Journaling is a powerful tool that introduces you to yourself and your inner power. Had I begun Gratitude Journaling years ago, it would have:
Sat me down and presented me with a visible reminder of the importance of taking care of my body
Taught me the true meaning of healthy living; that health is the whole person - not merely the absence of disease
Cautioned me to put my health first because my health is my biggest asset. I would have know that my health is my wealth
Reminded me to treat my body with respect because it is the only vehicle I have that allows me to experience life
There are five basic things you can do daily to show gratitude for every organ system in your body: 1) Be physically active; 2) Get plenty of rest; 3) Eat a balanced diet; 4) Don’t smoke or use tobacco; 5) Learn to live grateful.
Are you recognizing the hard work your body does for you every day? Do you understand that the body you have is the only one you’re ever going to get so it makes sense to show it more appreciation? When it comes to how we treat our body, we all stand in need of improvement from time to time so for the next 7 days, try the small change ”7 Gratitude Prompts to Show More Appreciation for Your Body." Remember that enduring change happens one small change at a time.
Click below for the FREE download ”7 Gratitude Prompts to Show More Appreciation for Your Body."
P.S. If you’re ready for more in depth services, look in my small change Toolkit at https://www.myrtlerussell.com/ or email me at smallchange@myrtlerussell.com
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