The Art of Self-Preservation

What is the Art of Self-Preservation?

     Have you ever heard the saying "You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of others."?  I am not sure when that saying began, but it is much like the Airline instructions of placing your oxygen mask on yourself before your children. If you do not give yourself what you need, it becomes very difficult if not impossible to give care to others. This holds true for anyone in any kind of position or career. Myself being a mother and Nurse and Health Coach, if I do not make sure my basic needs are met, as well as replenished, my fire can burn out too quickly, and then it becomes difficult to maintain stamina to take care of everyone else in my life. I also find that in trying to help others when my own stores are depleted I tend to carry more resentment towards others and the situation I am in. So what is self-preservation?  Merriam Webster defines it as the following:

 Definition of self-preservation

1: preservation of oneself from destruction or harm

2: a natural or instinctive tendency to act so as to preserve one's own existence

Importance of Self-Preservation

     When we are out of balance we feel the effects in the form of fatigue, foggy mind, decreased energy, lack of enthusiasm, decreased tolerance for stress, difficulty focusing, and increased intake of foods and drinks that cause further irritation and stress. Expending so much energy on others without recharging our own batteries is a recipe for disaster and disease. Running on empty increases release of stress hormones and inflammation in the body, which can lead to many illnesses and diseases. By meeting our own needs first, we feel more calm, centered, and ready for any challenges that may come our way. Taking time to recharge ourselves helps us to take care of others more compassionately and effectively.

Without this balance our bodies get set for a diseased state as it struggles to find Homeostasis.

Homeostasis is: the tendency of an organism or a cell to regulate its internal conditions, usually by a system of feedback controls, so as to stabilize health and functioning, regardless of the outside changing conditions.

This means your body takes in what it is exposed to from the surrounding elements, and nutrition and tries to keep a constant regulation of functioning. When external and internal things no longer feed your body adequately it can be subjected to altered states of Wellness. In other words your body has a hard time staying healthy. But the good news is there are many things we have the freedom of choice to do in order to maintain and improve our Health and Wellness.

Tools for Self-Preservation

   There is variety of things we can do to keep ourselves in our healthiest states physically, mentally, and emotionally that allows for us to maintain the ability to care for others, and be able to enjoy everyday challenges we face. These things can also be unique to each and every one of us. There are a few key categories that encapsulates these tools.

• Sleep
• Mediation/Prayer/Contemplation/Mindfulness/Journaling
• Exercise
• Diet
• Water/Hydration
• Laughter/Enjoyment

    Each one of these tools can be customized to what works best for you as an individual. For instance sleep is variable, based on a persons age. Adequate sleep is important for “muscle repair, memory consolidation, and release of hormones regulating growth and appetite.” (National Sleep Foundation Organization, 2017).  Sleeping is an important way to recharge, rebuild our immune system, and be ready for the challenges ahead. The National Sleep Foundations recommendation for adults is 7-9 hours of sleep. “An individual who intentionally restricts sleep over a prolonged period may be compromising his or her health and well-being” (Hirshkowitz, Max et. al., 2015).   Having good sleep habits will help you reboot your internal computer nightly.

     Mindfulness or Meditation allows our brains to quiet and re-center. This allows us to react to situations differently, increasing “focused attention and concentration by increasing present moment awareness.” (Kabat-Zinn, 2003). You can start by finding a quiet space and taking a few minutes to concentrate on taking a deep breath in through your nose for a few seconds, then exhale out of your mouth over several seconds, and repeat this for 8-10 breaths. This allows our minds to “refresh” which relieves stress, anxiety, decreases blood pressure, heart rate and increases resilience. You will find your head is clearer and you will feel less stressed. Prayer, contemplation, and journaling can also add to decreasing stress, increasing peacefulness, and allow you to return to your activities in a better mood. 

     Exercise is important for many different reasons physiologically as well as emotionally and spiritually. This can be tailored to your specific body type needs which makes it very individualized. Some may prefer more cardio intensive exercise such as running, or high intensity aerobics, many enjoy gentler activities like Yoga, Tai Chi, Qi-Gong, Water aerobics, or Pilates, There is also weight lifting and Cross-fit training. There are exercises that can be done while sitting in a chair, laying on the floor, or just taking a nice walk. Many recommendations are to have about 30 minutes of physical activity a day. So each of these can be alternated, or you can stick to whichever you enjoy the most. 

     Diet. This is such a big category, which has to be uniquely adjusted to each individuals needs. Much of this we figure out through our own trial and error. Between our taste preferences, any allergies or intolerance's we may have, to what foods are most available in our geographic locations. It seems many studies can support the benefits of almost every type of diet that is out there. So it is a matter of what works for you. Personally, I find that I do better cutting out or minimizing refined sugar and processed foods, and increasing the amount of whole and plant based foods. The more processed a food is from its natural state the harder your body has to work to assimilate it into something it can use to fix and refuel your body. Limiting or eliminating Caffeine can have its benefits too. There was a time I could drink a half to a whole pot of coffee and still go right to sleep. So I eliminated all caffeine in my diet for a long period of time. I found that when I was consuming so much caffeine, I was more tired, groggy, felt less well rested after sleeping and slept more poorly. When I was off the caffeine, I had much more energy, could sleep more soundly and had lest pain in my body. 

     Water/Hydration: Drinking plenty of water throughout the day can help our bodies flush out toxins, negative energies, have less brain fog, and decrease migraines. According to the Mayo Clinic eight 8 ounce glasses of water (or other non-caffeinated or non-alcoholic beverages) is recommended per day (Mayo, 2017). Just be mindful of increasing intake for any exercise or environmental changes. Sometimes when we think we are hungry we are really thirsty, so taking a drink of water and waiting to see how we feel before snacking can help decrease the snacking we do.

     Laughter and Enjoyment. According to Mayo Clinic there are short-term and long-term benefits from laughter. Short-term effects are decreasing stress, which also increases circulation to your heart, lungs, muscles and endorphins, and decreases tension. Long-term effects improves your immune system, relieves pain, improves your mood, and helps improve stressful moments. A prescription for not only laughing daily, but multiple times a day would be something worth while! 

 Looking at these tools, and evaluating where the tools can be added into our routines in a way that works uniquely for ourselves can help us be more resilient. Our lives can become more manageable and enjoyable. Which tools will you try out? Please leave your comment and let me know what you find most helpful.

Many blessings and much joy and laughter,

Tina

References

Hirshkowitz, Max et al. (2015). National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary Sleep Health: Journal of the National Sleep Foundation, 1(1), 40 – 43.

Kabat-Zinn J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science & Practice. 10:144–156. 

National Sleep Foundation. (2017). What Happens When You Sleep? Retrieved from: https://sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/what-happens-when-you-sleep

Mayo clinic. (2017). Healthy Lifestyle: Nutrition and Healthy Eating: Water: How Much Water Should You Drink Every Day? Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256

Mayo Clinic. {2016}. Stress relief from laughter? It's no joke. Retrieved from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456