The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
During stressful periods it can be tempting to skip a meal, push ourselves until we are totally exhausted, and generally ignore our basic needs.
In the midst of crisis, taking time out for an Al-Anon meet, a call to a sponsor, or a breath of fresh air may seem like a waste of all too precious moments. There don't seem to be enough hours in a day, and something has to go. But are we choosing wisely??
At the very time we most need to take good care of ourselves, we are likely to do the opposite. If we decide that our needs are unimportant or that we're too busy, we sabotage our own best interests. In times of crisis, we need to be at our best. By making an extra effort to get nutritious food, sleep, Al-Anon support, relaxation, and quiet time with our Higher Power, we strengthen ourselves physically, emotoionally, and spiritually. This can make a difficult situation a little easier
Today's Reminder
I am the only one who can make my well-being my top priority. I owe it to myself to pay attention to the needs of my body, mind and spirit.
"putting first things first in troubled times means finding whatever way I can to set aside my burdens, even if just for a moment to make time for myself"
I typed this out off my book b/c it screamed at me to do so, LOL
How many times have i put my needs for rest or food or quiet aside b/c this came up or that happened or stuff happening....
I am trying to work on this, "gotta take care of it now" mindset....yea, some stuff i gotta take care of *now* but not often....most stuff, i can do in pieces as i take care of me or i can let it go till i feel better OR i can say "NO"....or "STOP".....
stress absolutely can make me "spacey" and aggravates my ptsd...so I am committed to really working on taking care of MY needs for all things mentioned in the daily and setting boundaries on folks who want my help, but give me NOTHING.....
I have been doing a lot of evaluation of persons/places/things and RE-evaluation of same to make sure my priorities are straight.....ME...I am my priority.....
Case in point
Bully boss wanted me to have "ready" for their big time accountant the 2008 books last FRI....AC went out and it was miserable with my hot flashes and all.....I told him "i will have them done on TUES (i work tues and fri)"
he did not like that....i told him that i wanted to make sure i had all the stuff together right and it was miserable hot w/no ac, i was not pushing me in the awful heat....END of case!!! i took care of me....got them done today, and when mr. bully boss asked me about them, i said to him that they would be done today....they got done as i said......no way was i gonna run me into the ground on fri. with the miserable heat...i got essentials done...payroll, bills, etc., stuff that absolutely had to be done, but the books??? they got an extension...it could wait till today and it DID!!!!! no worries on my part....
Goody for you, Rosie, I did the same thing years ago when I was working for three Psychologists. On a certain few days every April and October, when the sun was just wrong, my little glass cubicle would heat up to 110 or better. And my body doesn't cool itself. So I would go home in the afternoon. The OCD boss would say okay, but would I come back at five minutes until every hour to greet the next client. I got home one day and my pulse was 145 and I called back to let him know that wasn't going to happen. I'm glad you are takin' care of Rosie, and these two posts are great. I am going to go to a F2F on Thursday. Small town, so only two meets a week. I will go and turn myelf in and try this group and see if I am better able to hang in there this time around. In the past, I have tended to attract the attention of one or another AA who has done a lot of work and is now attending Al-anon, too and who decides I either need to shape up Right Now or that I need to have a sexist insult tossed my way. I know it is my problem. Not theirs. My thought is that some alcoholics were more or less unconscious when a lot of the hairy stuff was going on and actually have higher self-esteem than a lot of us Al-Anon types, and sometimes they have to be pretty rough with each other to get their attention. I like the gentle way everybody on here treats each other, while still getting the points across. My first sponsor said she did nothing but sit there in a safe place and cry for the first three months. I wasn't that wounded, but I was pretty tender. But whatever challenge may or may not get tossed at me, I am a bigger girl now, and I am going to take what I like and leave the rest. That is my story and pray for me I can stick with it.
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It's easy to be graceful until someone steals your cornbread. --Gray Charles
Thank you Rosie, sure needed this reminder. I was stupid today and ate stupid Worthers caramels. I know better!
I bought them to send to my adoptive Dad! Too bad C2C did not call me instead of the caramels....
I LOVE seeing this here, you are peach. debilyn
LOLOL "caramels"....next to chocolate, I LOVE caramels....there were some "hard candy" caramels at work...in a basket, wrapped in that gold shiny wrapper....i was a bit stressed, but HOORAY, I passed them by....but oh that was hard........
no prob...had to type the thing, LOL, so I am gonna surf the net and see if there is a place where i can go and copy and past.....
anyone out there know where i can look??????? otherwise, i will type WHEN i can and got the time......teaching this week......
