Andrew Weil's Blog: Dr. Weil's Healthy Living Blog, page 5

Dr. Weil talks with the hosts of these popular podcasts about the long and interesting road his life has taken, and his strongly influential role in establishing the field of integrative medicine.

Learn more about Andrew Weil, M.D. and join Dr. Weil on social media:

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Check back often as more podcasts are added periodically!

Dr. Weil Podcasts

11/4/2019 – Below The Line, With James Beshara

9/16/2019 – The Primal Blueprint

9/3/2019 – BEVNet’s Podcast: Taste Radio

7/17/2019 – Norma Kamali / NormaLife!

6/29/2019 – Ben Greenfield Fitness

5/30/2019 – The Wellness Mama

5/28/2019 – The Ultimate Health Podcast

3/19/2019 – Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

1/31/2019 – Kevin Rose



12/12/2018 – Joe Rogan

Continue to Page 3

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Reflection:  

Along with the cherry and magnolia blossoms, and the jonquils and tulips heralding spring comes the time to prepare for the events and occasions celebrated in May and June: graduations, confirmations, and weddings, to cite a few.

I remember overhearing two women discussing an upcoming wedding in one of their families as I sat with my back to them; we were all having our nails painted for spring. One of the women asked the other about the bride’s grandmother who lived in Denver (the wedding was being celebrated in Maryland). The mother of the bride said offhandedly, “Oh, she can’t travel; she’s ninety-four” and they moved on to another topic.

It took all my strength not to turn around and say to them (though of course it was not my business, but I felt so sad that the aged grandmother would not be included in this significant family celebration.)

How simple it would have been to suggest to the grandmother that she write a blessing for her granddaughter, who was beginning a new stage in her life. Not only would the grandmother have felt included writing a blessing, but her granddaughter would likely remember the simple gesture long after her wedding, when her grandmother was gone.

I recently heard about a similar situation; in this case the bride’s mother was dying of cancer and hoping beyond hope that she would be alive for the wedding. But in case not, she prepared a blessing for her only daughter. She made it to the wedding, standing to read the blessing as part of the ceremony. It would not be a cliché to say that there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

 “To write is to sow and reap at the same time.”
– Ruth Brin

A legacy blessing or a one-page legacy letter is more powerful than we think. It can deepen the bond among family members, link the past with the present and future, express gratitude for the special occasion, as well as honor those who can’t attend in person (we know that so well in this past year of COVID) but our sincere words of caring go a long way to keep us connected

Taking Action:Make a list of family and friends celebrating some occasion this season.Choose one to begin thinking about an appropriate blessing for him/her that takes into account the occasion and your favorite stories about them, preferably from a time when they were children or adolescents.If you have a difficult time beginning, I suggest that you might write:  ”May you….” or “May God grant you …” (or whatever name you give the All-powerful Source of Being). You may find that beginning this way, you’ll find your pen racing across the page with ideas of what you hope and wish for them.The blessing will likely take you no more than 3-5 minutes to write. Then you can go back and edit as much as you please. My ideas about editing include: reading the blessing aloud to yourself to see if it sounds like you and if it says what you mean to say. You may wish for a different word that you can’t think of – great use for a Thesaurus or a dictionary (both available online).This is not an occasion to give instructions. They come out of our heads, while blessings come out of our hearts.Once you have completed the draft, set it aside for a day or two. When you return to it with fresh eyes and ears, you may want to make further changes, add or subtract something. When you’re ready… I suggest buying a beautiful blank card and writing your blessing in your own hand. It will add to the treasure you are offering.Take a look at your list (Number 1 above) and go on to the next…and enjoy how your heart feels as you write.

May your blessings link you to the celebrant and may you experience being blessed yourself as you create these beautiful gifts for those you love.
– Rachael Freed

Rachael Freed, LICSW, senior fellow, Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing, University of Minnesota, is the author of Your Legacy Matters, Women’s Lives, Women’s Legacies: Passing Your Beliefs & Blessings to Future Generations and Heartmates: A Guide for the Partner and Family of the Heart Patient. Rachael can be found at [email protected] and www.life-legacies.com.

The post Legacy For The Celebrations Of The Spring Season appeared first on DrWeil.com.

Reflection:

As storytelling beings, we are captivated by stories, particularly those that are connected to us. Stories we write about our ancestors – their values, and their time in history – enable our children (and theirs) to transcend time and space, to discover or rediscover their history, deepen their roots and provide them with values that can influence their future.

Stories about ancestors can help us understand and experience compassion for those who came before us. Learning the lessons of history may help us not to repeat what went wrong and to admire and emulate what was right. Understanding the context of their lives, the decisions their time required, the trials that beset them, the opportunities they said yes or no to – all that and more can impact the values and behaviors of our children today and in the future.

It follows that if part of our life purpose (and responsibility) is to make an impact on future generations, then we will likely be more successful if we pass on values and love in the format of stories rather than lectures or lists of instructions. (I refer you to Dora K’s vivid memory of visiting her grandfather when she was three years old, and the value she learned on page 48 in Your Legacy Matters.)

“. . . . In life all our stories contain the stories of others  and are themselves contained within larger, grander narratives, the histories of our families, or our homelands, or our beliefs.”
― Salman Rushdie, 2015 in The New Yorker

Contemporary communication techniques and platforms, the accessibility of travel (live and virtual) match our almost universal deep passion to connect to our history – to belong to our tribes and cultures ­- and to pass forward the values and sense of meaning in the stories of our ancestors. A spiritual concept accepted by all faith traditions is that each of us is a link in the chain of eternity. Future generations require understanding of the past for direction and we need children to ensure the survival of our memories and values.

Thanks to Michelle, a 2012 legacy writer, for sharing an excerpt of her poem expressing our connection “…throughout all of history…”

“I write to the souls who are yet to be, wondering how their lives will be touched by me…
My mind grasping to understand how our lives are but a single strand. Woven together in mystery, connected throughout all of history. Never to be left dangling alone but entwined together as one of God’s own…”

Action Steps:Bring your tea or coffee cup and your favorite pen and paper to your story corner to write. Set your timer, reflecting and writing each time for no more than 15 minutes.

“…every grain of sand brushing against my hands represents a story, an experience, and a block for me to build upon for the next generation.” ― Raquel Cepeda

Name all the ancestors that you know (knew as a child).Reflect on your favorite stories about them, preferably from a time when you were a child or adolescent.Choose one and write that story in one paragraph.Then write a paragraph about what you learned from this story (some value, some strength you admire, some understanding the story provides you about your ancestor – his/her life, times, challenges).Repeat paragraphs 4 and 5 for as many ancestors as you want to remember, immortalize, and share with family members younger than you.All of us will one day be ancestors; consider and write the stories that clarify the values that you will want to have told about you and remembered by future generations.To turn your stories into legacy letters, refer to a four-paragraph template that roughly follows this format:

Context
Story
Learning
Blessing

May your ancestor stories link you to them  and to your children, and may all of you experience the belonging deepened by these connections,
– Rachael Freed

Rachael Freed, LICSW, senior fellow, Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing, University of Minnesota, is the author of Your Legacy Matters, Women’s Lives, Women’s Legacies: Passing Your Beliefs & Blessings to Future Generations and Heartmates: A Guide for the Partner and Family of the Heart Patient. Rachael can be found at [email protected] and www.life-legacies.com.

The post Legacy: Linking The Past & Future Through Story appeared first on DrWeil.com.

I am pleased to have an ongoing association with the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit organization that advocates for policies that protect global and individual health. Specifically, I help EWG spread the word about one of its most valuable pieces of research – its Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. The 2021 version is based on the results of ongoing pesticide tests performed on produce and collected by federal agencies.

Nearly all of the data used took into account how people typically wash and prepare produce – for example, apples were washed and bananas peeled before testing. The following “Dirty Dozen” had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy organic versions – or to grow them organically yourself.

The Dirty Dozen (2021)StrawberriesSpinachKale, collard, mustard greensNectarinesApplesGrapesCherriesPeachesPearsBell and hot peppersCeleryTomatoesPotatoes

Why should you care about pesticides? The EWG points out that there is a growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can have adverse effects on health, especially during vulnerable periods such as fetal development and childhood. Here’s a video in which I address the importance of avoiding pesticides.

Also keep in mind that maintaining your family’s health is not the only reason to choose organic food. Pesticide and herbicide use contaminates groundwater, ruins soil structures and promotes erosion, and may be a contributor to “colony collapse disorder,” the sudden and mysterious die-off of pollinating honeybees that threatens the American food supply. Buying or growing organic food is good for the health of the planet.

At the opposite end of the contamination spectrum, check the list of Foods That You Don’t Have to Buy Organic, also known as the “Clean 15.”

Updated: March, 20th, 2021

SOURCE:
ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php

Reviewed by Benjamin S. Gonzalez, M.D., May, 2016. Updated March, 2021

The post Foods You Should Always Buy Organic: The Dirty Dozen appeared first on DrWeil.com.

Reflection:

A Chinese folk tale illustrates the relation of a blessing or a curse. One day a horse ran away from a man skilled in interpreting hidden meanings. When people tried to console him, he asked, “Why are you certain that this is a curse and not a blessing?” When his horse returned with a magnificent stallion following behind, his friends offered congratulations. But the man asked, “How can you be so certain that this not a curse?”

One day the man’s son rode the stallion, was thrown to the ground, and broke his hip. Everyone offered comfort at the misfortune that occurred. The man replied, “We shall see if this is such a curse.”

Sometime later, a band of marauding nomads invaded the region. All able-bodied men fought against the threat. The lame son was unable to join in the battle where many lives were lost. Thus, he was able to care for his father in his old age. And on and on and on it goes.

As we approach the year anniversary of being sheltered in place, with the possibility that most will be vaccinated by summer, and we’ll be freed, it’s an appropriate time to consider what the blessings and curses of the past year have been.

There have been many losses: of loved people, of contact with loved ones, of jobs and money, but there also have been blessings: of slowing down, learning yoga and meditation online, catching up on reading, learning to bake bread, to journal, and more.

Generations a hundred years from now will be curious about the 2020-2021 world pandemic, and we have the opportunity to write legacy letters telling them about our personal experiences, losses and learning in this unprecedented year.

Taking Action:

Following are some questions to inspire your musings and writing (all these prompts may not move you; please use others of your own).

What losses have you had this year, and how have you experienced and expressed your grief?What are three important things you’ve learned about yourself during this year?How has your spiritual life been affected this year?What new skills have you developed this year?How have you amused yourself this year?What have you substituted for in-person physical contact beyond your pod?What new vocabulary have you used this year?How have masks and social distancing affected you?

May your legacy writing be a gift to the future and to yourself as we emerge from this most unusual year.

Rachael Freed, LICSW, senior fellow, Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing, University of Minnesota, is the author of Your Legacy Matters, Women’s Lives, Women’s Legacies: Passing Your Beliefs & Blessings to Future Generations and Heartmates: A Guide for the Partner and Family of the Heart Patient. Rachael can be found at [email protected] and www.life-legacies.com.

The post The Legacy Of Blessings & Curses appeared first on DrWeil.com.

Reflection:

We’re just a few days from Valentine’s Day, indeed a Hallmark holiday, but it provides us with an opportunity to focus on the importance of living our love, although we’ve had to create new ways of expressing our love during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We can’t hug our friends or our grandchildren, and for those of us who live alone and are well, that may be our greatest loss. Fortunately, we have technology to communicate our love, and time to write legacy letters of love to our beloveds.

Maya Angelou wrote: “Love is so much larger than anything I can conceive. It may be the element that keeps the stars in the firmament.” And Oprah, said, “I know this for sure: Love is.” Mother Teresa reminded us, “In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.”

Love is complex, multi-dimensional, and multi-leveled: conditional and unconditional, physical, romantic, built with compassion, friendship. There’s self-love, love for other people and species, love of nature and the earth, and spiritual love: of God.

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”
– Dalai Lama

Believing his powerful thought, we realize that “love” is a verb, an action. During COVID-19, while we spend endless hours at home, we can’t express our love directly by service (though we can send money to food shelves). We know we love, but often believe that others know it without our expressing it.

Feeling gratitude & not expressing it is like wrapping a present & not giving it.
– William Arthur Ward

 What better way to love now than to express it on paper? An almost forgotten art, writing in our own hand to communicate and preserve our love, is what legacy writing is all about. Writing our love is tangible, can be preserved, read and reread, and nurtures our loved ones.

An early filled with love Valentine’s Day to all!

Taking Action:
Reflect in your journal or your meditation about love as you see it, and experience it in your personal relationships, in your community, and in the larger world. Spend no more than 15-20 minutes a day for as many days as it is a fruitful exploration for you.Make a list of the people, communities, and things you love.Choose one person from your list and write a love letter to her/him. Focus on what delights you about them, and share a specific time orstory when you felt your love strongly. Express your honest recognition of their lovableness, your authentic appreciation and caring for her/him.Especially if you are writing for a specific occasion in her/his life, be sure to conclude your letter with a blessing that expresses your love at this time, and your hopes for them as they move into this new chapter in their lives.Return to your journal and write for five minutes about your experience as you wrote about love. (I call this writing “Personal Reflections” or “process notes” and it is often rich with insight and “aha” moments for the writer.Mail or give this “legacy love-letter” at the appropriate time. If for Valentine’s Day perhaps with an accompaniment of chocolate.Steps 3-4 can be repeated at any time during the year. Expressing love as part of your legacy when received to mark a significant occasion (a graduation, confirmation, beginning a new job, a new relationship, a special birthday, or an accomplishment) will be especially treasured.

May your written words be filled with love, and may they bless all those who read and treasure them,
– Rachael Freed

Rachael Freed, LICSW, senior fellow, Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing, University of Minnesota, is the author of Your Legacy Matters, Women’s Lives, Women’s Legacies: Passing Your Beliefs & Blessings to Future Generations and Heartmates: A Guide for the Partner and Family of the Heart Patient. Rachael can be found at [email protected] and www.life-legacies.com.

The post Legacy: Love Is All We Need appeared first on DrWeil.com.

Reflection:

As we’re just past the longest night and the shortest day of 2020, we begin the new year, 2021. It’s a perfect time to focus light on some basic principles of legacy and the practice of writing legacy letters.

The format of a letter was first used by “ethical will writers” in ancient times. The obligation as well as the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others by sharing learning and wisdom is similar to the ancient, though modern-day legacy writers spread light to loved ones and future generations by writing about many subjects and occasions.

We differentiate legacy writing from storytelling in its basic purpose: to communicate and preserve values, blessings, and love for future generations.

Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.

― Brené Brown

Before we write, a few words about context. Preparing to write a legacy letter, you may sit alone at your desk, at your computer, be cozied in a rocker with afghan and cup of tea. You may have at hand your favorite pen or a freshly sharpened #2 pencil with its eraser. You may have lit a candle and turned on your favorite music. This is your personal context.

Include in your preparation your awareness that we don’t live in a vacuum, that we live in a particular time, and place. As our family history shaped us, we are also shaped by the context of the time in which we live. I’ll suggest two that might find their way into your legacy letters now. Both can be seen in relation to darkness and light.

First, and perhaps simply, it’s January, when each day since the winter solstice is a little longer. In a Washington Post article, Judith Levine explained: “The midwinter holidays originated in pagan rites to seduce the sun back from the under-world.” Today, as in pagan times, we yearn as individuals and culturally for more light in a dark time. It’s no wonder we light candles as part of our holiday rituals, and try to push back the darkness by decorating the outdoors with a profusion of holiday lights!

Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack in everything.

That’s how the light gets in.

― Leonard Cohen

But the darkness of 2020 was greater than the calendar. It was the year of the pandemic, when COVID-19 affected the globe as well as every aspect of our individual and family lives. We are living in the darkness of a global health crisis, a local, national, and global economic crisis, and for all of us the darkness of an unknown future. There is a ray of light, like a candle in the night, with the successful development of vaccines that could light the globe in 2021.

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.

– Edith Wharton

Action Steps:

Consider writing a January legacy letter, an opportunity to dispel the dark with the radiant light of your being for someone(s) you love.
Tell your loved ones the story of your personal experience and learning in 2020, and your hope for the light of 2021. . . (How different in intent from the usual annual letter recounting the year’s activities, or a listing of New Year’s resolutions).
Then bless them with light to illumine their way with hope for the future. (You might even accompany your letter with a beautiful candle!)
Share the context of the past year to record and preserve this most unusual year for generations a hundred years from now.
Write “process notes” directly after writing a legacy letter. Process writing, the mental counterpart of your heart-filled letter, adds light and clarity to your learning. Process notes (reflective writing) is a gift you give yourself.

May your legacy writing be a prayer and a gift to those you love this January and may your letters light up their lives and be cherished always.

– Rachael Freed

Rachael Freed, LICSW, senior fellow, Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing, University of Minnesota, is the author of Your Legacy Matters, Women’s Lives, Women’s Legacies: Passing Your Beliefs & Blessings to Future Generations and Heartmates: A Guide for the Partner and Family of the Heart Patient. Rachael can be found at [email protected] and www.life-legacies.com

The post The Legacy Of January’s Renewal appeared first on DrWeil.com.

The primary job of your immune system is to distinguish self from non-self, which enables it to recognize and take appropriate action against anything that shouldn’t be in your body, including abnormal and damaged components. A healthy immune system can seek out and destroy germs and cells infected by germs as well as recognize and destroy tumor cells. Along with the common-sense steps you can take to protect yourself from being exposed to or infected with COVID-19 and other illnesses, keeping your immune system in optimum working order is your best defense.

Be aware that as we age our immune system’s ability to fight off illness begins to wane. It also can be weakened by overuse of antibiotics as well as smoking and stress. Beyond that, HIV and AIDS can compromise immunity by disabling immune cells, as can autoimmune related diseases including:

Lupus
Rheumatoid arthritis
Type 1 diabetes
Asthma
Leukemia
Lymphoma

Given the importance of the immune system, what can you do to keep it healthy?  Here are my suggestions modulating the immune system:

Exercise: Be sure to get regular, moderate physical activity. A study from the UK published in 2020 looked at the effect of exercise on immune function. The authors wrote that it is widely agreed that regular, moderate intensity exercise is beneficial for immunity but noted that some experts believe more vigorous exercise without an adequate period of recovery may suppress immune function.
Reduce stress: Laughter as well as expressing positive emotions, such as optimism, are associated with better immune function and a number of other health benefits, including lowered production of the stress hormone cortisol and reduced risk of chronic diseases. If you are stressed out or anxious and tend to become negative as a result, follow my recommendations below:
Get adequate rest and sleep.
Maintain a healthy diet: Specifically, avoid polyunsaturated vegetable oils and products made from them. Their tendency to form free radicals makes them dangerous to immune system cells.
Consume less protein: Residues of protein metabolism can irritate the immune system, especially in people prone to allergy and auto-immunity. A plant-based diet with an abundance of fruits, vegetables and fiber is good for immunity as well as general health.
Do not eat many foods of animal origin: Meat, poultry, and dairy products often carry residues of antibiotics and steroid hormones that can interfere with immunity. If you do eat these foods, opt for organic versions.
Minimize consumption of meat and milk products: This is especially important if you are prone to allergy or autoimmunity. Cow’s milk protein is a common immune system irritant.
Take antioxidant supplements: Here’s where you can find a list of antioxidants.
Astragalus tea: The root of a plant found in northern China, Mongolia and Korea, astragalus (Astragalus membranaceous) has been used for thousands of years as a healing tonic. The root also contains abundant antioxidants, which help protect cells against damage. Astragalus is a key component in fu zheng therapy, a contemporary Chinese herbal treatment designed to restore immune function in patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. If you would like to try astragalus tea, here’s my favorite recipe:

Brew astragalus tea bags as you would any tea
Or simmer one tablespoon of dried, shredded astragalus root with 2 cups of water covered, for 10 minutes.
Strain and serve hot or iced.

You can find slices of dried astragalus root at Chinese groceries and at some health-food stores – seek out organic versions. Astragalus also is available in pill form and as liquid extracts and tinctures. Always follow the directions on the labels of these products for proper use and dosages.

Astragalus is non-toxic and can be used year-round to help support normal immune function when faced with colds, the flu, and other infectious illnesses. Check with your doctor before taking astragalus if you take lithium or drugs that suppress the immune system.

Andrew Weil, M.D

The post Your Immune System appeared first on DrWeil.com.

By Sheldon H. F. Marks, M.D. – Recent research reveals that men infected with COVID-19 often experience a significant drop in testosterone.  Studies have shown that following an infection there is damage to the testosterone producing cells, called Leydig cells, which are located throughout the testicles. Because this is only preliminary information, there are still many questions to be answered about this decrease in the male hormone, and many details to be worked out. Researchers do not yet know if the testosterone levels always drop in all men infected with COVID-19. It is also unclear if this occurs in those with no symptoms or if testosterone drops only in those men who are very sick or hospitalized from the infection. Doctors also are unsure if testosterone levels are affected right away or if the levels decrease over time. To make things even more confusing, scientists don’t know how long testosterone levels remain depressed, if the problem may be quickly resolving or a long-term concern, and when or if the levels will even return to normal.

Although researchers have detected the COVID-19 virus in the testicles of infected men, along with damage to the sensitive Leydig cells which produce testosterone, they are not sure if this damage is from the viral infection itself, the high fevers commonly seen with the infection, from the body’s natural immune and inflammatory reaction to the infection, or if these changes could actually be caused by the treatments for the COVID-19.

Because what we know about COVID-19 is in the very earliest phases, anything we think is correct about it today is often contradictory, confusing and could very well be proven incorrect tomorrow. What this means is that it will probably take years to fully understand the true impact of a COVID-19 infection on testosterone, as well as its implications for male fertility and health.

What should I do now?

Because such a high percentage of men have had a COVID-19 infection with no or only minimal symptoms, it would be prudent to ask your doctor to order a testosterone level now as a baseline study. Having this blood test done before you are ill will provide your doctor a lab result for future comparison, and aid in your care and management should your testosterone levels drop after a COVID-19 infection.

If you have had a COVID-19 infection, you may want to talk to your doctor about checking your testosterone level, especially if you are experiencing a new onset of symptoms consistent with low testosterone levels, such as fatigue, low sex drive and reduced muscle mass.

While this potential problem is certainly being investigated, there are still no clear and consistent answers about the possible consequences of a COVID-19 infection on testosterone levels. It is in your best interest to monitor the research to keep tabs about the most current information and recommendations. Of course, the CDC website is always a reliable resource, as well as talking with your own personal doctor, ideally your urologist, about COVID-19 and testosterone.

About the author:

Dr. Marks is the Director of ICVR (International Center for Vasectomy Reversal), instructor at international courses, author of “Vasectomy Reversal: Manual of Vasovasostomy and Vasoepididymostomy,” and Assistant Clinical Professor of Urology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona.

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Reflection:

From the dictionary: the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress: expressing oneself is an essential form of self-care.

We’re all aware of the basics of physical self-care: getting enough sleep, eating well, and doing regular exercise. But even these simple things can be difficult to maintain during this pandemic. For example, have there been days when you failed to brush your teeth or hair, didn’t shower or get dressed, and padded around all day in your slippers? I answer yes to all those, and my feelings and spirit have suffered.

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.

Anne Lamott

What we’ll explore in order to leave a legacy of values is self-care of our souls (our deepest, truest selves), especially fragile during these stressful times and connected to our physical self-care.

The dictionary suggests that “self-care is the practice of taking an active role (the key word here is active) in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress: expressing oneself is an essential form of self-care.”

Two phrases in the definition are clues for our exploration of self-care. The first is “Protecting one’s own well-being.” I know from experience that the earlier I get dressed and ready for the day, though I may never leave home, nor get further from my bed than to the computer, can make all the difference in protecting my well-being. We’re all familiar with the wisdom of airplane attendants: “put on your own mask before helping another.” The lesson seems to be that we must take responsibility for ourselves. Although loving exchanges with people dear to us can raise our spirits in the moment, in the long term we have to know (or learn) what protects our well-being and take responsibility to discipline ourselves to act.

Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.


Audre Lorde

Self-care is how you take your power back.

Delia Lalah

 Rabbis of old suggested that we speak 100 blessings every day. One early spring day (soon after I learned that) I was  driving along an empty highway accompanied only by the dirty grey slush edging the road, when I noticed a large flock of birds flying overhead, returning en masse to Minnesota for the spring and summer seasons. I was so filled with gratitude, I said aloud, alone in my car, “Baruch atah Adonai ‘birdies’” and then laughed aloud in pure joy. I didn’t need to know the words of the blessing: feeling grateful and expressing it aloud, though only to myself, was my self-care and blessing in that moment.

Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.

Brené

Taking Action:

Considering what you do to take care of the more elusive parts of yourself will be useful in your personal self-care, and also provide wisdom to impart in a legacy letter to those needing a boost in these perilous times.

Here are some questions to prompt your musings and writing (you may have others of your own, and all these questions may not move you).

How do you care for your feelings of anxiety and fear for yourself and those you love in this pandemic?
How do you take care of your need for laughter and humor?
How do you care for the needs of your mind, your intellect?
How do you take care of your soul that awaits your attention?
How do you take care of your need to be nurtured by nature?
How do you take care of your need to touch others, be touched by others, have social interaction, get the hugs you need?
How do you honor your need to grieve the losses of this time?
How do you allow and acknowledge your sadness about the losses of this year of the pandemic without succumbing?
How do you address your need to be creative? To create things  of beauty and meaning for yourself and/or others?

After musing and writing about the questions that pertain to you, turn your musings and personal wisdom into a legacy letter for someone(s) you love.

May your self-care practices lighten and enlighten you in these times, and may they nourish those you love,

Rachael Freed

Rachael Freed, LICSW, senior fellow, Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing, University of Minnesota, is the author of Your Legacy Matters, Women’s Lives, Women’s Legacies: Passing Your Beliefs & Blessings to Future Generations and Heartmates: A Guide for the Partner and Family of the Heart Patient. Rachael can be found at [email protected] and www.life-legacies.com

The post Self-Care As Legacy appeared first on DrWeil.com.