Today, I coasted into the gas station to fill up my car. No kidding, I actually coasted in. My tank was that empty. I could hear my Dad’s voice reminding me that I shouldn’t ever let my tank get lower than a quarter of a tank. He’ll cringe when he reads this, but I often find myself coasting into gas stations on fumes. As I sat there waiting for the ENTIRE gas tank to fill up, I wondered in what other areas did I find myself running on empty? In what other ways am I totally depleted and when was the last time I took time to fill myself up?
If you search top tips for thyroid health, among them you will often find talk of supplements, avoid goiterogenic foods, avoiding soy and gluten. You will hopefully also find things that discuss exercise, sleep habits AND taking care of yourself. Making time to fill yourself up is very important to your overall health and happiness. Finding time to meditate, incorporating regular exercise (or trying a new exercise), scheduling a massage, spending time with friends, reading a new book are all ways that you can fill up your tank. It sounds so cliche, though. I know. We can’t all afford a day at the spa. But, those are just examples – find your own way to fill up your tank. I would take it a step further, though. Figure out what all of your tanks are- assess what areas are the most depleted. Write down ways that you can fill each tank. Make time for yourself.
Recently, I spent some time with my friend, Sunny Schlenger. Sunny is a Professional Organizer, Author and Mentor and just published a new book, Flow Formula: A Guidebook to Wholeness and Harmony. Sunny said to me “your children may not remember what career you have, or what volunteer work you did, but they will remember whether their mother was happy”. That statement woke me up. I am a habitual over-committer. I run full speed ahead all the time. I have often felt as though I work better with a full plate. It’s like the adrenaline that accompanies the pressure of getting it all done is exciting or energizing to me. I think it’s a bit of a trick, though, because I usually end up having some type of breakdown or getting sick. So, I really can’t operate at full steam all the time. Eventually, I run out of gas. For those of us with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and/or other autoimmune disorders, that is a dangerous place to be and it usually doesn’t end well. Eventually, you will run out of gas before you make it to the station. That’s happened to me one too many times…literally and figuratively.
So, today, make a promise to put yourself first. Don’t run on empty. Take care of you. Fill up your tank.
By Blythe Clifford aka Thyroid Mom
