The Wake Up Call. 

This is the one call we really don’t want. But for most of us, we receive the call, perhaps many times over until we “get the message.”   It’s the call that can change your life.

I certainly got the wake up call 6 years ago when my body finally gave out and forced me to stop– in the form of a heart problem.

Stress was the cause. I had been pushing myself for 20 years in corporate America, enduring massive stress on my body and mind.  I finally changed careers to become an acupuncturist to help others with stress like it helped me. But four more years of intense schooling added to my already high stress load.

When I finally realized my dream and moved to the mountains to slow down, my body finally said “I’ve carried you long enough, now I will make you stop and pay attention.”  That was my first wake up call– three years of major medical problems and a lifetime of blood thinners.  Pretty embarrasing for a “healer.”

I was reminded again last week– another wake up call.  I had been experiencing a higher than normal load of stress, I had not been exercising, I was pushing myself hard.  Fortunately, nothing serious, but a bad case of bronchitis.  But I was stunned– I never get sick.  Obviously stress overpowered my immune system and “slowed” me down.

I look at this a a gift –it slowed me down.  I have actually been very productive this week because I can’t move at lightening speed like I usually do.

What inspired me to share this is I met a new patient this week who really got to me.  A 29 year-old woman who was just diagnosed with breast cancer and is facing a mastectomy in 2 weeks.  Wow, talk about a wake up call!  She is blown away but admitted that her life has been full of stress, she has eaten poorly and has taken her body for granted.  Her life is now changed forever.

Please, let’s all remember to take care of ourselves. You don’t want the BIG wake up call…

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