Mar 12 2009
But I feel fine.
Not to sound like a hypochondriac, but I worry when I feel okay. It’s not that I enjoy not feeling well, it’s just that when one is ailing, the things you need to do are clear: drink fluids, take medicines, etc. You have definable symptoms and ways to deal with those symptoms.
When I’m feeling okay, however, it’s much easier to ignore my health altogether. If nothing feels tight, I don’t feel the need to stretch. If I don’t feel thirsty, I lose track of how much water I am or am not drinking. If I don’t feel hungry or sluggish, I forget to check my blood sugar.
In short, being healthy sometimes is unhealthy for me.
And then there’s the fact that one can get comfortable with a symptom to the point of ignoring it. If my blood sugar is a few points off, I don’t mind. So when it’s been 106 or 107 for a few days and tell myself “that’s not too bad”, it makes me less cautious if my blood sugar goes a few points higher.
When your car is running well, that’s the time to keep up with basic maintenance. When your house is in order, that’s the time to try extra hard to keep things clean. And when I’m feeling well, that’s the time to be more careful about staying that way but unfortunately, it’s not always easy to see that.
This doesn’t mean I won’t try, because when I feel well, I may be uneasy but when I feel lousy… I feel lousy.
This resonates with me deeply! I have symptoms of fibro and to combat that I need to drink plenty of water, eat healthy, stretch and do gentle exercise. When I am hurting, I remember to drink water and eat well (can’t stretch or exercise when this happens) but when I feel well…. I forget all about it. I’ve recently made an excel sheet to literally check off daily if I am doing what I need to do to be optimally healthy. Sigh.