Knowing my Body

Knowing my body, knowing my limits and where it ends physically. Knowing my thoughts and emotions allows me to interact better with the world. It employs a lot of mindfulness. Being aware of my surroundings and how I can best relate to those situations. What circumstances should I avoid, and which to invest in? How long before my social battery depletes, which situations help me recharge? All of these are important questions I ask before I decide to leave my house. 

Learning to live with intention. Deciding how I am going to engage with the day, and what tone to set it in.  To actively choose. Not just, what I'll be doing, but how I do it. Selecting things I know I’ll enjoy because it's simply good to reward myself, for a job well done. Doing something for my health, something productive, something that might further my career like writing and sharing these thoughts. Something for me. It is all part of this project of living better, to improve the environment in which I live to thrive. 

Lately, I have been considering my wellness. Choosing to fill my day with chores and a few treats mixed in helps me to enjoy my days more and allows me to explore what it means for me to be healthier on my terms. It must be on my terms or why do it at all? I am as stubborn as they come and having those dictated to me what a healthy lifestyle looks like. It becomes less appealing, and the task becomes more arduous to do, therefore taking more energy to complete, if it gets completed at all. I must decide how my health is considered, and what routines I build.  Knowing by body’s limits, and what it is capable of doing, what is fun because if it isn’t fun. I won’t do it. 

It is the same with the food I take into my body. There needs to be a reason why I'm eating it, not just because it's healthy, it needs to taste good. It needs to be enjoyable to prepare, it needs to be something I can share. I enjoy having others enjoy what I cook. I am not always the best cook, but it is a skill I am spending more time building. I have good teachers. I have spent less and less time ordering out, it's become a treat. Something I give myself when I achieve a goal. Everything is in moderation, so that it remains a treat, something I don’t get to enjoy often so when I do decide to indulge it is something I can be excited for and look forward to. 

It is all part of this journey, to know my body better. To seek and engage in situations where I can grow, and even those I avoid, there is growth in knowing the reason behind my choices. What depletes my batteries and which replenishes them? Who in my life demands too much of me? Who offers little but demands a great deal of time and attention? Is it in me to give them? Is it worth the toll placed on me?  It is sometimes a yes, but I am discovering to voice my No more. This is all in part of knowing myself better. To better relate to the world, my community and relations.