As I write, the book Food is Your Best Medicine is quietly calling me from across the room. Just sitting there on the bookshelf with a bright orange cover, patiently waiting for me to thumb its pages.
I’ve never read this book. I inherited it from my ex-husband’s grandmother. She had quite a collection of books like this. Folk Medicine, Yoga Over 40, and The Edgar Cayce Handbook for Health are ones I took for my collection. As we went through her books and found these treasures I remember thinking how amazing it was that a farmer’s wife in rural Union County a few generations above mine owned these books.
I imagined her buying them, reading them, being inspired by them. Perhaps she read them and incorporated their teachings, perhaps she meant to. Nevertheless, it got me thinking…what is my best medicine? What do I come back to time and again to heal myself or soothe my soul?
My Best Medicine
In this moment, my self-soothing rituals are very quiet and introspective. Probably not too shocking, right? When my soul feels out of sorts, I jump in a hot bath and journal. Writing whatever comes to mind as the water carries away the uncertainty.
Meditation is a form of medicine I’ve used since 2016. Reiki since 2017 (you may recall the story about my life changing reiki session that year, WOW!)
When I was starting a new chapter of life in 2018, my best medicine was riding my bike around the park listening to episodes of the Positive Head podcast. Nature, exercise and spiritual conversation soothed me and taught me to trust and surrender more fully than I ever had. I also worked with a spiritual coach and met a group of friends that helped me get in touch with my true nature in a way I had never dreamed possible. It was a time of powerful healing.
Changing Prescriptions
I find it interesting that as our lives evolve, the “medicine” that once worked like a charm doesn’t work the same way. Maybe we need to take it in a different way or in different doses, maybe we need to change prescriptions. It always happens though, what worked 1, 5 or 10 years ago may not work now.
That’s because we are different people that we were 1, 5 or 10 years ago. Physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. It’s important to evolve and as we do it’s important to evolve how we take care of ourselves. Evolve to a new way of living, working, moving, or engaging in the world. Adding more responsibility or releasing some. Inviting new relationships or making changes to existing ones. Eating more foods that are nourishing to your body and less that cause inflammation.
Moving Forward
When you recognize that the medicine you have been using is no longer working like it once did, start by asking your body, mind and spirit what is needed. The answer is already within. Just ask and listen.