Listen to your body
We are the CEOs of our very own lives and bodies - the Chief Energy Officers ;-)
and to do a great CEO job, it's important to listen & respond to our body's signals.
When I got the cancer diagnosis, I asked the doctors repeatedly if I had overlooked something, if I could or should have done something differently and what I should do going forward. One of the doctors told me, “Each body is unique. Therefore it’s key that you know your body well, how it feels, how it reacts. And if something is different or strange, follow up on it right away. Don’t wait too long to consult a doctor.”
This statement was reinforced during my post-chemotherapy time. I started a professional rehabilitation programme including physiotherapy and I gave myself fully up, believing that the rehab team could fix me in the course of the 13 week programme, bringing me back to normal. I followed all the instructions, giving everything and trusting them unconditionally. 2 weeks into the programme I collapsed and experienced a physical burnout. What followed was a very slow, gradual recovery over many weeks and another stage of personal learning. Only once I collapsed, did the rehab team as well as doctors stress the limitations of medicine and the still vastly unknown territory of cancer treatments. And they actively empowered me to take charge over my recovery programme, tailoring it to my specific body as well as mental condition.
What is true in sickness, is also true when in good health: know yourself well and treat yourself well – you deserve it. In everyday’s stressy & hassled times, one may easily forget to care about oneself and overhear the body signals.
When you put it into the bigger perspective of your life, I am sure that you will agree: your health must be your top priority. Acknowledging the importance of your health, does not mean that you look for sickness signals all the time and become hypochondriac. It means that you honor your body and love it. And if you do not like what you see in the mirror ;-) take care of yourself and check what you need to change in your life style; from making changes to your diet to exercising more or differently, granting yourself enough sleep and rest, .... and yes, also scheduling medical check ups :-)
