The Spiritual Act of Slowing Down When You're Sick

As women, many of us have been culturally conditioned to power through illness and discomfort like it's no big deal. Just down some DayQuil, slap on a smile, and muscle through your normal responsibilities - anything else is seen as weak or lazy.

But I'm here to remind you of a simple, powerful truth: Stopping to care for yourself when you're sick or your body is hurting is one of the most sacred acts of service you can offer to your spirit.

Recently, I became very sick with RSV. The illness last 6 weeks and had me in tears on many days with frustration and a seemingly endless cough. Eventually my body healed, but not without a powerful lesson in taking care of it. As the sun rose one morning, and I peered out the window to much relief for a warmer day, it dawned on me that servicing my body was in fact an act of service to spirit.

You see, this beautifully intense vessel we call a body is quite literally a miracle and our soul's earthy home. It's not just an ornamental shell or a machine that exists to power through endless to-do lists. Our bodies hold the profound wisdom of the universe and are blessed with the extraordinary intelligence to heal themselves...if we allow them to.

Just like you wouldn't stubbornly keep driving your car after the gas light came on, when your body's tank hits empty, it's important to stop and refuel in whatever way it's asking for. Whether that's curling up for a restorative multi-day nap, or riding out an intense menstrual cycle's ebb and flow.

To ignore these signs is an act of violence against yourself. It disconnects you from your body's innate guidance system and intuitive knowledge of what it needs to reach homeostasis.

True self-friendship means trusting this corporeal form so deeply that you give it quality time and spaciousness to do its healing work, without guilt or self-judgment. It's pulling inward for the sacred pause, rather than anxiously watching the clock.

And within that pause, you go beyond simply putting up your feet (although that's a good start!). You actively engage in activities that replenish your mind, heart, and spirit just as much as your body.

Maybe that looks like preparing nurturing, vitamin-rich foods with therapeutic ingredients like ginger, garlic and thyme...while blasting an uplifting playlist that makes you smile between bites. Or cozying up in soft, luxurious fabrics that envelop you in cuccoon of comfort, while getting deliciously lost in your latest book obsession or escapist TV show.

You let your thoughts marinate in the wisdom of cherished poems and quotes, replacing self-criticism with affirmations of your body's inherent power to rebalance itself. Each morsel and ritual is performed with gentle gratitude for this amazing, resilient vehicle.

By taking impeccable care of yourself in these ways, you're honoring the spiritual truth that your body's wellbeing is inextricably tied to your whole, vibrant state of being. You're creating the fertile soil for faster physical recovery, while preventing your emotional energy from becoming drained or stagnant.

Because here's the heart-centered reality: When you tenderly nurture your body's needs without apology, you demonstrate a level of self-love, self-trust and self-pleasure that becomes a sacred vow. A soul-level commitment to being fully present on this earthly plane and in this precious existence.

You allow yourself to not just survive discomfort and dis-ease, but to feel radically alive within it. To witness the ebb and flow of your body's healing rhythms with wonder, awe and abiding faith.

So if your body is gently whispering (or vehemently shouting!) for you to slow down, I invite you to heed the call. Shed the misguided program that you're weak or unproductive for taking this pause. Let your care rituals become holy ceremonies of appreciation and divine self-friendship.

In this way, you'll not only heal your body, but catalyze whole-being rejuvenation that reawakens your glow. You'll emerge once more as your vibrant, unstoppable self, glowing with renewal like the first bloom of spring.

Listen in, and you just may hear the entire universe whispering its reverent "Thank you."