We, as women need balance in our lives. We need to make sure we take care of our bodies, minds, and spirits. It is important to take time for ourselves too. We tend to be caregivers for everyone else, but when it comes to ourselves, a lot of the time, we come in last on the list. We need to know we have permission to have “me” time, otherwise we end up feeling resentful towards the people we love the most.
My grandmother gave me the best advice about my body when she told me I shouldn’t drink hard liquor, I shouldn’t smoke cigarettes, and I should wait until I was married until I had sex. Of course, I did all the things my grandmother told me not to do, and now that I’m older, I know why she was saying those things, it wasn’t strictly for social reasons, it was for my health.
I quit smoking a number of years ago, but I wish I would’ve stopped (or never started) a lot sooner. I smoked for over twenty-five years, and now I have to use an inhaler in the morning when I get up and at night before I go to bed, and I feel I am one of the lucky ones. I do not have lung cancer and I have not had a heart attack. I will tell you that the older I get, the more I feel the effects of smoking for that length of time.
As far as the drinking goes, I went through a short stage of binge drinking, mostly on the weekends, and I did my share partying. The heavy drinking in my younger years had its fun moments, and some ridiculous ones too, but in the long run, I can honestly say I do not miss those days. Now, a nice glass of wine with dinner once in a while does wonders for me. I need to mention that some of my “friends” or “drinking buddies” didn’t quit the heavy drinking and a handful of them are either alcoholics or their health is so bad they don’t get out much, or both.
I am not trying to scare anyone, I am just saying that my grandmother’s wisdom went far beyond what I perceived it as, when she would sit me down and have “talks” with me.
As far as not having sex until I was married, I didn’t listen to her on that one either, and my self-esteem suffered because of it. I did wait until I was married to have children, which is something else my grandma talked to me about. I’m glad of that.
Something else that she did daily was, she read her Bible faithfully. She was a great role model for this. She said it gave her strength and energy and support when she needed it. This is something that took me a lot of years to do as well, but I try to incorporate it into my daily routine. I know people on this website are from all different backgrounds, and while I encourage you to try it, I also respect your religion. I would encourage you to read something positive every day if you aren’t of the Christian persuasion. It really helps. You’ll notice I leave positive quotes a lot when I vote for you. I hope you find it uplifting, and I hope that some days, it is just the encouragement you need.
In conclusion, you need to take care of yourself. Make good decisions. The people who are giving you advice are not just trying to take all the fun away from you. They have good reasons for what they re saying. Also, don’t be afraid to speak your mind. When you hold things in and bottle them up, it can cause a lot of health issues. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not talking about having a screaming match, or a one-sided argument. I’m talking about sitting down and talking through your differences when they arise. And finally, take time to pamper yourself. You deserve it.