Taking Good Care

The change in the seasons has ushered in a round of colds in our house. Oddly, this time I started it. Patient zero. So begins all the things we do to take extra good care of ourselves…better sleep, healthier foods, and an abundance of vitamin C.

The irony, of course, is that if I had been doing those things all along, I might not have gotten a cold in the first place, or in the very least, it wouldn’t have been as bad. Taking care of ourselves strengthens our immune systems.

The same holds true for our emotional and spiritual selves. The principle of self-care building immunity transcends our physical wellbeing. When we haven’t taken time to rest, read something inspiring, or get quiet, we suffer. When life is extra busy or when we haven’t prioritized time to connect with friends, our emotional wellbeing gets out of balance.

In the same way that my physical body lets me know that I’m depleted, so does my spirit. Even fatigue can be based on more than just our physical experience. Fortunately, so can building immunity.

When we take care of ourselves emotionally, we are less likely to be rocked by the daily challenges of life. Mountains become mole hills. Squalls are a breeze.

Just as a multiline defense is better than a single one, our greatest immunity comes when self-care is practiced in multiple dimensions–body, mind, and spirit. When we are intentional about feeding our needs in all these areas, we build a powerful resilience and are better able to face both the small and large trials of life.

Like other universal truths, prioritizing self-care to increase our immunity is easier to say than to accept or do. It is always in the area of “hard but good” work that routine and practice become the touchstones of personal growth. But there is joy there as well. Deeper connections with others and ourselves is the daily gift of taking good care…and way more fun than cold medicine and Kleenex.