1285 A Womans Guide to Staying Healthy Through Her 30's

• Mar. 18, 2003

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-
/1580625622/qid=1048003743/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/102-3118308-2324901?
v=glance&s=books&n=507846

A couple of good things among the dreck:

P. 266-267:

Let Go

Just because you were best friends at school does not mean that you
have to dutifully keep in touch when you have both grown apart. Just
because you have trained for a career does not mean you have to stick
with it when you no longer feel fulfilled by it.

A major part of the maturing process is recognizing when it is
important to let go. Relationships, mindsets, and careers that suited
you in your 20's may not be appropriate now and could even be
stopping you from maturing. This doesn't mean you have to abandon all
that was a part of your life in the 20's, it just means having the
maturity, courage, and insight to recognize when to stay committed
because it is still enriching and when it is time to move on.

P. 270:

Wicked Pleasures

In moderation, many guilty pleasures, like eating chocolate or
drinking a glass of wine, won't do us much harm. But you have to have
been living underground if you have not heard about the health risks
of cigarette smoking or alcohol. Certainly, enjoying ourselves is
good, but not if guilt is involved. I would guess that there are very
few women in their 30s who smoke or drink excessively without the
guilty knowledge that what they are doing isn't good for them. If so-
called pleasures make us feel guilty and unhealthy, they aren't good
for us anymore.

It's necessary to distinguish between treating yourself and being
addicted to a sskyestance. Having two cookies and enjoying them with a
cappucino is very different from eating the whole pack and drinking
four capuccinos. There is a great difference between an afternoon at
the mall doing some retail therapy to a shopaholic's addiction.

You will find that pleasurable activities are comforting and maek you
feel satisfied but that addictions are usually avoidance habits and
they don't leave you feeling comforted. True pleasures are not the
same as feeding addictions. Pleasurable activities, like going for a
bike ride or visiting the beach, produce endorphins or pleasure
enzymes which are good for the body and make you feel good. Other so-
called pleasures like smoking or drinking are not good for your body
and won't make you feel so good. It is important to appreciate the
difference. You will know the difference if you are in tune with your
body and listen to the signals it sends you. Are you hungry or just
bored? Do you really want that drink, or do you want to forget the
argument that just happened? Do you need a cigarette, or is it
because you don't know what to do with your hands?

If you treat your body right and listen to its messages it will treat
you right as well. Ignore it and there will be conflict between your
needs and your body's needs, and this will manifest in wrinkles,
flabbiness, and dry skin.

 

 

 

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