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Each month a new inspirational,
spiritual, or educational article by Alice McCall is posted.
If
you would like to read past articles,
please follow this link.
August 2010
Is It
Time To Recharge Your Batteries?
How often do you feel run down or tired
in the middle of the day? Do you just keep pushing yourself, because
you think that is what you are supposed to do?
Wrong! If your
body is telling you that it is tired or exhausted, honor it.
Recognize it as a call that you need to respond to, regardless of
the reason for that call. Being tired in the middle of the day is
your body’s way of saying, “Hey remember me? Take care of me. Right
now I am exhausted. I need a rest. Please honor me.”
So you’ve gotten
the call, now the question becomes, “What will you do about it?”
Most will ignore it, and push through it day after day. Others may
recognize the call, but think that resting or sleeping is a waste of
time. The truth is that sleep is a very productive time for your
body, mind, emotions, and spirit!
My preference
has always been to honor the body’s condition. If your body is
tired, let it rest. Give it a 20 minute nap. Honor the call.
If you
are not where you can comfortably nap, take a 10 minute break and
either sit outside in the sunshine or just close your eyes and
relax. Take in a few deep breaths from your lower belly repeating
to yourself rejuvenating words like restore, renew, or revive.
Another
great practice is regular meditation, which restores your mind,
body, and spirit. Meditation gives you and your body more energy
for the entire day, helping eliminate the need for unexpected
rests!
It is common when someone is diagnosed
with a serious disease, to become easily tired. Several of
my clients have shared that while they were in this type of
situation they didn’t feel comfortable resting. They felt they had
to keep up a normal routine, pushing themselves to maintain their
old pace. Whether their reasons were because of pride, keeping up
appearances, or being in denial, their bodies didn’t handle the
pushing well. Their symptoms became worse, and a serious feeling of
exhaustion set in, which even affected mental clarity.
When they
allowed themselves to rest when they needed to and to sleep a little
longer at night, their bodies responded. The healing work they were
doing started to propel, and they actually had the energy to get
through the day productively, despite the ‘down time’.
Why is that so?
It is well documented that your body heals and restores itself
while sleeping. During deep sleep, the production of a growth
hormone occurs, which speeds the absorption of nutrients and amino
acids into your cells, aiding in the healing of tissues throughout
your body. It also stimulates bone marrow. Because this is where
white blood cells are created, it is critical to your immune
system’s proper functioning.
The hormone melatonin is also produced
during sleep. Melatonin inhibits tumor growth, prevents viral
infections, stimulates your immune system, increases antibodies in
saliva, and enhances the quality of sleep.
What about when
you do not get enough sleep? In addition to affecting hormone
production, studies show that when you are sleep deprived the
natural killer cells necessary to ward off diseases dramatically
decrease.
There are many more benefits of sleep
and honoring your body through rest. When you are rested and
relaxed, you have so much more to offer! Because you have a clearer
mind, you will make decisions more easily and quickly. You will feel
more in tune with the very rhythm of life, you will see your stress
diminishing, and your sense of well being increasing!
So, the next
time you feel tired, at a time when you shouldn’t, honor it. Allow
your body to recharge. It will thank you!
Contact Alice
to learn how she can help you master this topic - or transform other
health, emotion, and spiritual issues. Free consultations for
all new clients to learn how Alice's work is directly tailored to
address your areas of concern. Don't wait - step onto your Healing
Path today!
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