It was 5 o clock in the morning. E.H. had to get up early as usual to prepare breakfast for her family and get ready for work. However, she could hardly rise from the bed. She felt a severe pain from her lower back up to midway through her spine. When she tried to move her legs, the pain became so intense that she bit her lower lip lest she cry out loud and awaken the whole household. However, after staying in the same position for what seemed like a long time when in fact it was just less than a minute, she yelled for her son. When her son entered her room and saw her grimacing in pain on the bed, her son’s eyebrows furrowed in deep concern and asked: “Mom, what’s wrong?’ She said: “It’s too painful when I move. Can you help me?” Her son said:” Better yet, Mom, I’ll bring you to the hospital so that we’ll know what’s happening to you.” At the emergency room, the doctor performed a complete examination and exhaustive work ups. Except for a limitation of movement of her legs due to pain, all the results were normal. Hence, the doctor told her to slow down and take a leave of absence from work for a week. Her pain could probably be due to too much stress from work. She was also advised to have a rehabilitation therapy. Have you ever found yourself in the same situation like EH, i.e., there are days when you could hardly move because you’re overworked? If not the same ailment, have you ever gotten sick of anything? At worse, were you ever diagnose with a severe illness or a terminal one like cancer? View your illness like you're driving or walking towards a railroad crossing. You would glance at the traffic sign ahead which tells you to STOP, LOOK and LISTEN. STOP...If you ignore the sign and decided to drive thru the tracks without stopping, you may be hit by the oncoming train. It is the same with your life. You sleep late because you need to finish a project to meet a deadline. You skip meals because you don’t want to be late for work. Sometimes, you just drive thru a popular fast food chain to buy your breakfast on the way to work. You maxed out your cards because you need to buy the things that you want on sale which you don’t really need. You're stressed because of your busy work life. You’re losing sleep because you’re worried about the financial mess of your own doing. You feel like hitting something or someone to relieve the tension building up inside of you. You’re like Mount Mayon waiting to erupt dangerously soon. It is time to STOP! Step on the brake. Take a breather from stress. LOOK...Evaluate your life. Find out if you're fulfilling your purpose. What keeps you awake at night? For whom do you wake up in the morning? Why do you want to earn more? Are you worried about what designer clothes or shoes to wear? Do you need to buy the latest gadgets to impress your friends? Do you have to own a new car so that your neighbor would drool with envy? What drives you or motivates you to perform your best? What are you passionate about? LOOK at what you are doing and ask yourself if they all agree with your personal life mission. If not, maybe you’re not on the right track. It is time to LOOK for other options or opportunities that will satisfy the inner cravings of your soul as well as find the healing that you seek. LISTEN...You become attuned to what your body is saying. You become more sensitive to how your body talks. For example, you lose water through your urine and sweat. If you don't drink enough water, your urine output is more than your fluid intake, and that’s when your body starts to feel the side effects. When you drink too much coffee or tea, you tend to urinate more. If you don’t drink enough to replace the loses from your urine or sweat, you may develop headache due to dehydration. Imagine if you’re riding a cab and the driver forgets to fill the tank with gas, the car will suddenly stop when the tank runs empty. Likewise, your body will malfunction if you don’t get enough nutrients and water. Do you want to end up in the hospital because you continue to abuse your physical body? Will you still ignore the tell-tale signs of spiritual dryness? Will you forever be burdened by emotional stress from unhealthy relationships? STOP! LOOK! LISTEN!
Take that trip to wellness instead of the trip to the unknown where you will encounter all kinds of horror. Hope you can also share your story and inspire others.
