Fortified By Books - #FitReaders Check-In

This check-in is for June 8th – 14th.
I’ve been nearly pain free all weekend thanks to the new medications I’m on. I also don’t deal with as much stress on the weekends (as long as I stay away from the news), so I’m sure relaxing, finally getting better sleep (again, thanks to the meds), and taking some much needed time for self-care have all gone a long way towards helping me manage my pain.
Someone recently told me that our mental health (and really all parts of us, but he was speaking specifically about mental health) is no different than keeping a car. You would never get one oil change in your car and expect it to run well forever more. Cars, just like our mental health, need regular maintenance. I knew that on an intellectual level, but until those words were said, I didn’t truly understand the connection between my struggles with my mental health and my frequent neglect of it. Over the years, any time I started feeling good again, I would stop meditating, journaling, going to therapy, etc., not getting that I was feeling good because I was taking care of myself and not because I was “cured.”
I take the time and effort to care for my car, my plants, my pets, and anything/anyone else I love, and now I know I deserve and NEED the same level of care for the rest of my life, not just when I’m sick or hurting. That is such a simple truth, and it only took me a couple of decades to learn it.

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#FitReaders Check-In