Gratitude for Wisdom from Other Women
Welcome back to RosieCentral's month of GRATITUDE and GIVING THANKS. Although we are looking at these from a number of perspectives, I'm sharing with you some wisdom I've gained from other women -- wisdom that I'm grateful for and that I hope you will be also.
This is now Day 4 of sharing wisdom. There will be a total of seven days of wisdom -- wisdom gained from interviews I did with more than 100 women.
The previous three days revealed:
WISDOM 4: “Take Care of Yourself”
A number of the women’s comments from my interviews remind us of the importance of staying well—not just hoping for the best but ensuring we are doing everything possible. The pandemic, a possible difficult flu season, and other health matters have made us more attentive. And yet, it helps to ask ourselves -- "What am I doing for my health?"
Here's several quotes from the women that reveal their perspectives:
“Be proactive concerning your health. Don’t just sit back and be passive.”
The advice doesn’t seem to be health for health’s sake, but health because it allows for a fuller life.
“Do everything you can to keep yourself healthy so you can enjoy life.”
Echoing the previous statements about independence, one woman told me,
“Take care of yourself because if you don’t no one else will.”
Taking Care Has Several Dimensions
Taking care of ourselves has several dimensions, depending on how you look at it. The physical aspect of health is the most obvious. And we might think that emotional health is the second dimension. And these days, with our greater awareness of mental health issues, we realize that emotional health is not just paying attention to feelings. It is probably safe to say that the larger issue is mental health.
The CDC defines mental health in a way that includes emotional health. They state that mental health includes "emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices."
So to take care of ourselves, we need to be aware of these aspects of our lives.
One woman interviewed said:
“Take care of yourself, not just physically, but emotionally as well.”
Another woman urged us to realize that communication is part of the task of “taking care”:
“Talk with your friends about health issues because everybody has the same concerns. It is good to get together, have a support group already in place when you have specific health problems, and laugh about our changing bodies.”
What comes to mind is that we can't help others if we're not in good shape. Take care of yourself so you are in tip top shape to help the others around you,