I was already feeling quite stressed and eating chocolate and taking deep breaths and then had to take a big break because finding the PMS help sheet made me laugh, and laughing makes me cough. So I sat down and read through it. Lots of good advice really. Take evening primrose oil, drink plenty of water, exercise outdoors.
But the last on the list, #10, got my attention: "Do at least on thing you LOVE and ENJOY for YOURSELF (that's underlined) daily. Ok then. Sounds good - eating chocolate, doing yoga, taking a nap. Check.
But that emphasis on for YOURSELF has stuck with me for a couple days. What could possibly be wrong with a little treat for oneself? Nothing, but still it nagged at me. I don't think of myself as the martyr type at all. When I have a need I try to acknowledge and meet it.
Then yesterday, somewhere in the middle of a dizzyingly busy day, it hit me. One can't simply do something for oneself. It just doesn't work like that. Anything I do to increase the amount of love shown for myself, to increase my joy and happiness, has an effect on others, like ripples on the pond. Our family motto is "Keep Mom Happy" - and no one is joking. Because when mom's happy, everyone in the family is happy. Thich Nhat Hanh uses many metaphors to illustrate - one's love is like the light of a candle shining out into the darkness and illuminating for all, is my favorite. Nothing we do is in isolation of one another. When we show care, love, gentleness to ourselves, it flows outward into our families, our communities, the whole world.
So do at least one thing you LOVE and ENJOY for YOURSELF (and don't forget to underline that last part) daily - do it not only yourself, but for all of Creation. Oh, and don't do it only as a remedy for PMS (it does work!) but also as a remedy for forgetting your divine nature or unhappiness or feeling alone. And do it every single day.
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