As a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine working with patients, I find that as much as I would like everyone to eat lots of veggies, exercise & think kind and compassionate thoughts, life often gets in the way. It does for me, too. Sometimes healthy eating gives way to favorite (not so healthy) comfort foods. Exercise routines get thrown out the window on a day you’re more tired. Struggles we think we have gotten over reappear. Guess what? I’ve given myself permission to know it’s absolutely okay; nobody is perfect. I think perfect people are boring. So… Do What You Can No time to go to the gym? Take a walk around the neighborhood. If walking causes pain or discomfort, do some gentle stretches. If stretching isn’t possible, take a few deep breaths. Give yourself the time and space to be less than perfect. And in this place of imperfection, do what you can. The "do what you can" philosophy brought me so much relief. I realized that even when I couldn’t check everything off my to-do list, eat as well as I would like, run five miles; I could still do something healing, life-affirming, and stress-reducing. It didn’t have to be perfect or ideal or a version of some fantasy life I created. It just had to be some small thing presently in reach. In the upcoming week, take a moment and write down the times that you do what you can. Include them even if they seem inconsequential. You may be surprised at how well you're able to take care of yourself by just doing what you can. Every little step leads to big leaps.
And for goodness sake, get in to see me for acupuncture as soon as possible. When you’re in balance and feeling good, life is much better and healthy decisions are easier..