If you weren't you
If you had to borrow the body of someone you love for 6 months, what would you do to take care of it when it's time to give it back?
Would you treat their body the way that you treat your own? Would you run it into the ground, not resting enough, not moving enough, not eating enough to fuel it properly? I'm not talking about some moral "if you're not doing x,y, and z, then you're not doing it right and you're a bad person", I'm talking about the tangible, day to day actions you're taking and whether or not they're making your body feel good in the moment, as well as setting yourself up for the future you want.
This isn't intended to shame or guilt you, but just to make you think about the kindness and courtesy you would extend to someone else. It's so common for people to prioritise their own needs the lowest on the list. We're taught from when we're children that it's not nice to be selfish, that we should be present and available for our friends, that we need to contribute to our communities and follow through on our commitments. It makes sense that you might find it hard to put your needs first, because you've likely been told that putting your needs first makes you a bad person.
But saying yes to things you don't want to do, because you don't know how to say no doesn't come from a place of love, it comes from a place of fear.
Cancelling your gym session because you're too tired to go after working those extra hours of unpaid overtime doesn't make you a good employee, it makes you more likely to crash and burn later down the line.
Getting dessert even when you don't really want it so that your friend doesn't feel self conscious eating alone means you're going to think twice about accepting an invitation from them next time.
There may be times when these things are thing you do for yourself, and THAT'S OKAY! You're actually allowed to enjoy dessert. You're allowed to feel proud of going the extra mile for work, and you're allowed to say yes to something even if you're only saying yes because you know it will make the other person happy. But if you're letting these things become so normal, so ingrained in who you are that you do them without thinking, and without considering the impact it'll have on your mental and physical wellbeing, then we start to run into problems.
If I was borrowing my friend's body I'd:
Eat nutritiously to fuel it
Move with kindness at a level that is appropriate to what it can handle
Sleep and rest enough to not wear it down and leave it in pain
Take it to beautiful or interesting places to experience new things
Not get upset with it when it doesn't perform or present exactly the way I would like it to
Not sit hunched over a work laptop like a prawn with a day job
Treat it with kindness and take it for regular maintenance work if it started to feel rundown or ill
Maybe just go out and get some sunshine and fresh air once a day
Find a really good hairdresser and get an amazing haircut
Which really raises the question: why would I not do these things for myself?
