I would argue that a lot of us could seriously benefit from paying better attention to our bodies and minds in terms of what they need, or don’t need, from us.
If you disagree and do, in fact, stay well in tune with what your body and mind is attempting to communicate to you, I give you a tremendous amount of credit.
Most of us aren’t so rigid with caring for ourselves, though, and a lot of us have pushed ourselves, either mentally, physically, or both, over the edge at some point or another, therefore a lot of us are all too familiar with the consequences that follow from doing so.
I feel like we live in a societal state that somewhat glamorizes the concept of burning out, and, to be frank, it’s pretty fucked up. We, for whatever reason, romanticize and give credit to those who work themselves to the bone and in doing so put their minds and bodies through the ringer, and if this isn’t a prime example of toxic positivity, I’m not sure what is.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with working hard. If anything, hard work ethic is a rarity these days, so finding someone who truly puts their all into their work is uncommon. There is, however, a hell of a lot wrong with working so hard that our physical and mental wellbeing gets shunted to the back burner, let alone praising someone for doing it.
I’m not exactly sure why or when we started applauding unhealthy lifestyle habits like these, but I think it is worth mentioning just how significant it is to pay attention to what our bodies and minds are trying to tell us. Ignoring warning signs could prove to be extremely consequential, yet we continue to do so because we convince ourselves we are fine and don’t require any rest.
A collective effort to be more attentive to our physical and mental health is needed, friends. Sooner than later.
ontheedgeofeverything 